Summitload894

I have an iMac(Early 2009) running Leopard (10.5.8). Now I want to upgrade my OS to El Capitan (10.11).

The situation is this one:

✔ my iMac version is listed under the upgradable devices

✘ MacOSX 10.6.8 is required to be installed (due to Mac App Store introduction) on the iMac

Upgrade Mac Os X 10.5 8 To Snow Leopard Free Download

The update, available in both Client and Server form, is free to download and install on Macs running any version of OS X 10.5 (Leopard and Leopard Server). Mac Os X 10 5 Leopard free download - Apple Mac OS X Mavericks, R for Mac OS X, Apple Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 Supplemental Update, and many more programs. Snow Leopard on Hackintosh (Second Method) - An excellent guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' from Bassheadtech. The same blogger also offers an older step-by-step guide to upgrading a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' from Mac OS X 10.5.8 'Leopard'. The Mac OS X series is one of the best line up series of the operating.

Official solution (or what I undestood reading Apple website)

• buy the DVD of Snow Leopard (10.6) from online Apple Store and install it on 10.5.8;
• update the OS until 10.6.8;
• use the App Store to download and install El Capitan.

Said that, after some search, I found this macworld article showing alternative methods to upgrade from 10.5.8 MacOSX version to a more recent one. This reading brought me to another solution:

Upgrade Mac Os X 10.5 8 To Snow Leopard Free Download

Alternative solution

• use a Mac of a friend of mine which runs El Capitan to download El Capitan from Mac App Store;
• create a bootable usb stick from it;
• use it to do a clean install on my iMac (erasing all disk content before choosing the HDD in which to install El Capitan)
• configure my iMac creating my Apple ID

Questions

1. Will solution 2 work?
2. Is solution 2 legal?

Note

The linked article hit my questions' topics but I did not deeply understand nor the configuration of the Apple ID on the fresh installed El Capitan nor the legal aspects of the solution.