[SOLVED] Trying to upgrade to Catalina

[kcjawesomeness]

Hey, I've been wanting to upgrade to Mac OS X Catalina, due to the new Minecraft update which prevents me from playing on it due to my version being to low. I need to know what I should do and if I'm at any risk of damaging anything.

My laptop specs:
Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11.6
Macbook Pro 13 inch (early 2015)
2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB
121GB Macintosh HD

Also other probably important info: When I go to "About This Mac" and click "Software Update" It shows nothing in the app store, but I have found ways to get to Catalina, such as a link. High Sierra and Mojave launchers are available in Launchpad.

 

[velocityg4]

Why not just go with the latest macOS version? If you're updating you may as well update fully.

Anyways, the linked Apple Support Article has links to the various macOS versions. You need to click the link on a Mac capable of supporting whatever macOS version you want. I think it needs to be clicked through Safari.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683

 

[kcjawesomeness]

Why not just go with the latest macOS version? If you're updating you may as well update fully.

Anyways, the linked Apple Support Article has links to the various macOS versions. You need to click the link on a Mac capable of supporting whatever macOS version you want. I think it needs to be clicked through Safari.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683

I haven't really gotten over the looks of Big Sur and Monterey. Also I fear that if i go to high from El Capitan I might run into some bad issues.

 

[velocityg4]

Well Catalina dropped 32 bit support. So, most issues you face in Big Sur or Monterey. You’ll face in Catalina. Although there might be support for some more peripherals dropped.

UI changes will keep happening. You may as well catch up. As that’s the future. They aren’t going to go back.

 

[kcjawesomeness]

Well Catalina dropped 32 bit support. So, most issues you face in Big Sur or Monterey. You’ll face in Catalina. Although there might be support for some more peripherals dropped.

UI changes will keep happening. You may as well catch up. As that’s the future. They aren’t going to go back.

Would my laptop be effected very much going to Big Sur or Monterey? I just don't want to risk taking it to high from to low in one install, and accidentally breaking it in the process.

 

[velocityg4]

Would my laptop be effected very much going to Big Sur or Monterey? I just don't want to risk taking it to high from to low in one install, and accidentally breaking it in the process.

The biggest issue would be software related. None of your 32 bit apps will work in Catalina or later.

iPhoto will be replaced with Photos. I think that started with High Sierra.

As for hardware. Check your external hardware for updated drivers. If your printer is older. Definitely check that and limit your upgrade to the latest OS they supply drivers for.

As for the OS itself. There’s always some small risk in OS upgrades. I don’t think it’s any more risk going to Monterey than any other version.

Always have an up to date backup.

 

[kcjawesomeness]

The biggest issue would be software related. None of your 32 bit apps will work in Catalina or later.

iPhoto will be replaced with Photos. I think that started with High Sierra.

As for hardware. Check your external hardware for updated drivers. If your printer is older. Definitely check that and limit your upgrade to the latest OS they supply drivers for.

As for the OS itself. There’s always some small risk in OS upgrades. I don’t think it’s any more risk going to Monterey than any other version.

Always have an up to date backup.

I have Photos and not iPhoto. I think I only have 2 32 bit apps, and I don't use either at all. also with Monterey I have no idea how long it takes and I don't want to start at night thinking its gonna be about 30 minutes and have it take 2 hours, because its 12gb (I don't have very fast internet) vs Catalina 4gb which might take closer to 30 minutes

 

[velocityg4]

I have Photos and not iPhoto. I think I only have 2 32 bit apps, and I don't use either at all. also with Monterey I have no idea how long it takes and I don't want to start at night thinking its gonna be about 30 minutes and have it take 2 hours, because its 12gb (I don't have very fast internet) vs Catalina 4gb which might take closer to 30 minutes

Download the installer one night and do the install another night. I also always make a thumb drive installer. Just in case. So I can boot off it and reinstall.

you can find instructions on how to make a bootable flash drive installer. I actually keep a flash drive partitioned for multiple versions. So, I can install whatever a Mac supports. But I have many Macs and do repairs on them for clients.

You can do reinstalls over current installs from a flash drive if there’s an install issue. As long as you don’t format the drive. It’ll just install over the old OS.

 

[kcjawesomeness]

Download the installer one night and do the install another night. I also always make a thumb drive installer. Just in case. So I can boot off it and reinstall.

you can find instructions on how to make a bootable flash drive installer. I actually keep a flash drive partitioned for multiple versions. So, I can install whatever a Mac supports. But I have many Macs and do repairs on them for clients.

You can do reinstalls over current installs from a flash drive if there’s an install issue. As long as you don’t format the drive. It’ll just install over the old OS.

Thanks, I will get Big Sur instead of Catalina. But also I'm worried about the size of Big Sur. I only have 25GB left of space leaving me with only around 13gb left.

 

[velocityg4]

Thanks, I will get Big Sur instead of Catalina. But also I'm worried about the size of Big Sur. I only have 25GB left of space leaving me with only around 13gb left.

Sounds like you need to do some spring cleaning.

Delete all the old OS installers you aren't using, because people usually have two or three downloaded they never installed. Along with all old apps. Once you upgrade, delete that installer. Also the install probably won't take a full 12GB. Since it is replacing the existing OS.

If you are running Time Machine. Make your backups regularly. Because the OS will build up snapshots which take a bunch of space. If you have it on but aren't leaving the backup drive connected regularly.

Remove old iPod/iPhone/iPad backups from iTunes.

If you are using iCloud. Optimize storage by storing files you don't need 24/7 access to on iCloud drive.

Some other tips

How to Free Up Space on macOS Big Sur | Mac OS Guide and Fix Issue

www.catalinaosx.com

 

[kcjawesomeness]

Sounds like you need to do some spring cleaning.

Delete all the old OS installers you aren't using, because people usually have two or three downloaded they never installed. Along with all old apps. Once you upgrade, delete that installer. Also the install probably won't take a full 12GB. Since it is replacing the existing OS.

If you are running Time Machine. Make your backups regularly. Because the OS will build up snapshots which take a bunch of space. If you have it on but aren't leaving the backup drive connected regularly.

Remove old iPod/iPhone/iPad backups from iTunes.

If you are using iCloud. Optimize storage by storing files you don't need 24/7 access to on iCloud drive.

Some other tips

How to Free Up Space on macOS Big Sur | Mac OS Guide and Fix Issue

www.catalinaosx.com

I deleted the Sierra installer, along with turning time machine off. Got around 3GB more from it. Im gonna try to remove more