Here's a guide aimed at all Mac users that will walk you through the upgrade paths for all the latest versions of OS X. Updating Mac OS X 10.7 Update 5

Apple has released the new OS X Yosemite, the company called the most important advantages a 100% updated interface, the operating system has become more transparent and “flat”. Here we must admit that not all Mac users will like such revolutionary changes in design, and many in the reviews are not happy with such a “primitive” appearance. In terms of stability and speed, some compare it to Vista in Windows. This is due to the fact that some programs do not work correctly in the new OS + there are problems with Wi-Fi, but I think that the next updates to the operating system will correct such shortcomings and the new OS X Yosemite will work no worse than previous versions of OS X. In addition to the interface global changes have occurred in interaction with iOS, namely: now you can receive/answer calls/SMS from iPhone directly from your Mac. Applications running on iPhone can be viewed on Mac or iPad (Handoff function). The Instant Hotspot feature allows you to use your iPhone as a modem to access the Internet. In general, in my opinion, it’s worth trying the new operating system, especially for those who have an iPhone running iOS 8 or higher, plus OS X Yosemite is free, so at most you’ll lose this time.

Before you start upgrading to OS X Yosemite, I advise you to follow a few recommendations:

1 Check your Mac device's compatibility with OS X Yosemite.

Unfortunately, not all Mac devices are suitable for OS X Yosemite; below is a list of devices that are compatible with the new OS X:
iMac (Mid 2007 model or newer)
MacBook (late 2008 aluminum model, early 2009 model or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 model or newer)
MacBook Air (late 2008 model or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 model or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 model or newer)
Xserve (early 2009 model)

To find out information about your Mac model, click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen and select About This Mac.

In the window that opens, click the "Details" button.

A window will open in front of you, which will indicate the model and technical information of the Mac.

In addition, there are some other technical limitations:
You must have OS X 10.6.8 or later installed (this information can be found in “About this MAC”, see the print screens above).
The Mac must have at least 2 GB of RAM (this information can be found in "About This MAC", see the print screens above).
8 GB of free space on hard drive/SSD.

2 Make a system backup.

It is not known whether you will like the new OS X or not, everything will go smoothly during its installation, as is usually the case, or there will be failures, protect yourself and do system backup . If the new OS X Yosemite doesn't suit you, you can easily restore from a backup and work in a previous version of OS X.

3 Update all installed applications.

For all installed applications to work correctly, you must update all previously installed applications. To do this, connect your MAC to the Internet (via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable), click on the apple in the upper left corner and select "Software Update".

At the top there will be a banner asking you to upgrade to OS X Yosemite, and below all applications that require updating will be listed, click the "Update All" button and update them in one fell swoop.

Upgrading to OS X Yosemite

After this, you can start updating to OS X Yosemite, to do this, click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner and select “Software Update”, then click the “Free” button in the banner.

Yesterday evening was full of events. Apple not only released the sixth version of its mobile operating system, but also updated OS X.

Those users who have already purchased Mountain Lion will now be able to try out the integration with Facebook. In System Preferences - Mail, Addresses and Calendars, you can enter information to access your Facebook account. After logging into FB, you can send links and photos. The address book will be replenished with photographs of friends from the social network. Of course, Facebook notifications will also appear in the Notification Center.

Game Center has been slightly changed. Now you can show off your points and achievements on FB, Twitter and email. The Like button has appeared on the pages of all games. You can challenge your friends - improve my game achievement!

“Reminders” has received a great update: to-do lists can now be kept together. To do this, hover your cursor over the todo sheet, and the “Share access for” icon will appear on the right. All that remains is to enter the email addresses of the people you trust to edit the list.

Anything else worth noting? Owners of Macbook Air (late 2010) now have access to the Power Nap option. You can add e-tickets to Passbook from Safari and Mail. FaceTime can now receive calls that were made to a phone number.

The OS X 10.7.5 update primarily adds support for Gatekeeper, a feature that was previously introduced in 10.8. Let me remind you that Gatekeeper is a security measure to allow the installation of applications only from trusted developers.

In update 10.7.5, Apple fixed bugs that led to unreliable Wifi on iMac, and a bug where Lauchpad icons were rearranged was fixed. As usual, we are waiting for your impressions of the updates. Did the update go without problems or did you encounter any problems?

Today we will try to figure out how to update Mac OS. Any operating system requires timely updating. Otherwise, it will either stop working or start to glitch. All this causes a lot of trouble for users. Therefore, below we will talk about how to replace software previously installed on a computer from Apple. This operation will not cause any difficulties. Especially if you follow the suggested instructions.

Types of updates

Thinking about how you will have to, first of all, understand what exactly the user wants to achieve. Today, there are several types of updates. What is it about?

For example, a modern user may encounter:

• updating software on Mac OS;
• replacing the operating system with a new one.

We will consider both scenarios. In the first case, installed programs and applications will be updated, but the OS itself will remain old. When replacing Mac OS, you are essentially installing from scratch. During the operation, the person will acquire a new version of the operating system from Apple.

What will you need?

How to update Mac OS X 10.6 or any other OS version? To begin with, you should properly prepare for the process. Otherwise, the idea simply will not make any sense.

What is needed for the update? For example:

• original computer from Apple;
• Internet connection;
• running Mac OS;
• compliance with the system requirements of the operating system.

Everything is extremely simple and clear. Typically, owners of Apple equipment do not need any special preparation for operations. They will be able to implement the assigned tasks without any problems.

App Store and "updates"

How to update Mac OS? Let's start with the simplest thing - downloading new software. This is a fairly convenient and effective way to update programs and applications on a Mac.

How exactly to proceed? The instructions in this case look like this:

1. Turn on the computer.
2. Launch on Mac OS App Store.
3. Open the "Updates" tab.
4. Click on the "Update" button. It's located at the top of the application in the toolbar.

We just have to wait a while. The operating system will check for new versions of the installed software and initialize them.

Complete restart and AppStore

You can update your Mac (and not only) using the App Store. And completely.

To bring your idea to life you need:

1. Select new Mac OS.
2. Check that your computer meets the software system requirements.
3. Open App Store on PC.
4. In the search bar, type the name of the selected operating system.
5. Click on the search result. The OS pages will open.
6. Click on the "Download" button.
7. Wait for the download to complete. After this, the installation wizard will automatically open. If this does not happen, you need to click on the “Programs” section and select the downloaded document there.
8. Click on the "Next"/"Continue" button.
9. Complete the update following the instructions of the installation wizard.

Now it’s clear how to update Mac OS. Typically this operation takes up to 1 hour of free time. It all depends on the speed of the Internet.

System Restore

There is a different way to update Mac OS 10.9 (and not only). For example, by restoring the operating system.

The thing is that new versions of the OS are becoming more demanding. And they work much better on previous software builds. When the new Mac OS is initialized, the user will be able to get rid of it. How to do it?

Restoring Mac OS by updating it is done as follows:

1. Turn on the computer.
2. Press Command + R. This must be done when the OS boots.
3. Select "Recovery".
4. Click on "Continue".
5. Complete the procedure by following the on-screen instructions.

This technique takes a minimum of time and effort. Even a child can easily handle it. The main thing is to have an Internet connection. Without it, the recovery procedure is impossible.

Like New

How to update Mac OS X 10.7.5? It all depends on what exactly the user wants to do. Sometimes it is not an update that is required, but a rollback of the operating system, for example, to the “native” version. Bringing your idea to life is as easy as shelling pears.

Every Mac OS user has the right to return the operating system that was installed when purchasing the computer. But not everyone understands how such an operation can be launched.

How to "upgrade" Mac OS 10.7.5 to the "native" build of the operating system? Just follow the instructions below:

1. Turn on the PC.
2. At the initial stage of loading the OS, press Shift + Command + Option + R.
3. Select "Operating system supplied with the kit".
4. Act according to the instructions on the computer monitor.

That's all. In a few minutes, the operating system will roll back to its “native” version. This procedure is sometimes called not a recovery, but an update. So we looked into it.

Flash drive

How to update Mac OS? You can proceed using the installation “from a flash drive”. This is the name of the technique in which installation is carried out using flash memory. The method is suitable for a "clean" installation.

What is necessary? Have a flash drive with a capacity of at least 8 GB and the name Untitled. How to proceed?

To update Mac OS 10.6.8 (and earlier versions) you will need:

1. Load the pre-selected operating system onto your computer.
2. Using special programs, make a boot element from a flash drive. For example, the standard Terminal utility is suitable. You need to run it and insert the following text into the window: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia - volume /Volumes/Untitled -applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app - nointeraction.
3. Insert the finished flash drive into the PC.
4. Reboot the operating system.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen. The Mac OS installer will appear after reading data from the bootable USB flash drive.

In fact, all of the above operations do not cause any trouble to users. And if you want, you can update the operating system from Apple at any time.

From disk

The last option left is the development of events. When thinking about how to update Mac OS, the user may come to the conclusion that not everyone likes initialization from a flash drive. What to do in such circumstances?

You can simply reinstall the existing operating system in the old and proven way - using an installation disk. You either buy it or create it yourself.

The algorithm of actions in this case is almost no different from initializing the operating system via a flash drive. Simply insert the installation disc into the drive and restart the computer. The system will detect the installation wizard and display it on the screen. All that remains for the user to do is to carry out the actions indicated on the monitor. And within a few minutes, the new Mac OS (or the old one, depending on the person’s choice) will appear on the computer.

Finally

We figured out how to update Mac OS. Now the initialization process will not cause any difficulties. We managed to find out how it is possible to update software and OS on Apple devices.

If you want to update some OS, it is recommended to completely reinstall them. All you have to do is find a new version of the application, download it and run the initialization wizard. This technique is used quite often. But the capabilities of the AppStore should not be neglected.

All of the above operations are absolutely free. The main thing to remember is that Apple products cannot be installed on regular computers. To do this, you need original Apple devices. Otherwise, none of the update methods will help.

As practice shows, even a novice user can handle reinstalling and updating Mac OS. And the instructions we have studied will clarify what is happening on the screen as much as possible.

Apple announced the release El Capitan the latest version (currently) of the OS X operating system numbered 10.11 - September 9, 2015 in the hall Bill Graham Civic Auditorium V San Francisco, California, USA.

This is the third departure from previous operating system names after big cats. Following OS X 10.9 Mavericks And 10.10 Yosemite, El Capitan continues a new custom with place names in California.

In this tutorial, I'll show you what you need to do to make sure your Mac is ready to update from OS X 10.10 Yosemite or earlier version before OS X 10.11 El Capitan upon its release on September 30, 2015.

Upgrade cost

Listed below are comparative upgrade costs for previous versions of OS X and the latest versions of Microsoft Windows.

OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Back in October 2009, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard came on DVD and cost £25 in the UK when released.

OS X 10.7 Lion

Apple stopped producing DVDs with the release OS X 10.7 Lion(although it was available for a short time on a USB stick) and cost £20.99 in the UK, favoring downloads from the new Mac App Store.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion was only available by updating through the Mac App Store and cost £13.99 in the UK.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

OS X 10.9 Mavericks was only available as an update through the Mac App Store and was offered as a free update to Apple OS X users before OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

OS X 10.10 Yosemite, following after Mavericks, is offered as a free update to existing Mac users of any version of OS X from 10.6.7 Snow Leopard and so on.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

OS X 10.11 El Capitan, following Mavericks And Yosemite, is offered as a free upgrade for existing Mac users of any version of OS X from 10.6.7 Snow Leopard etc.

Microsoft Windows 8

Compared to £99.99 for Microsoft operating system Windows 8, any upgrade to OS X will be beneficial.

Microsoft Windows 10

Crucial is a long-established Apple Mac memory supplier

Checking software compatibility

Before upgrading to El Capitan The Mac will need at least 8GB of free hard drive space and must be running Mac OS X 10.6.7 Snow Leopard or later version.

IN Snow Leopard 10.6.7, Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks And Yosemite There is Mac App Store, which is required to complete the digital download for installation OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

For third-party applications, you will need to consult with the developers of each application to determine whether your software will be compatible with OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

Roaring Apps is a useful site for determining Mac software compatibility

For previous OS X updates to Lion And Mountain Lion Roaring Apps was an extremely helpful resource. This site maintains a wiki that anyone can contribute to for the benefit of the Mac community to share information about application compatibility between versions of OS X.

Roaring Apps will likely be updated to include information about compatible apps supported El Capitan. This is a huge time saver.

Performing Apple software and firmware updates

To check for updates for Mac, click on Apple to the left of the menu bar and select Software Update. This will launch Mac App Store and check for available software updates. This works on OS X Mavericks.

Or click Command-Space, to open Spotlight and enter Mac App Store to launch the application, then click the icon Updates.

Performing an Apple Software Update

Update your software and firmware, if any, with software updates that are available before attempting to update your Mac.

Please note that some updates may require you to restart your Mac to install them. This is especially true for firmware updates.

Data backup

It's necessary! It is very important to back up your data before updating your operating system.

There are many ways through which you can back up your data on Mac. In fact, Apple makes this quite easy with Time Machine, and other app developers have created invaluable tools like SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner. Plus, cloud services like Dropbox provide even more options for keeping your important data safe.

Setting up Time Machine to perform backups

I recommend making at least two backups and making sure they work. I prefer the backup method Time Machine and a direct clone of a hard drive with SuperDuper! In addition to this, I use Dropbox to store a lot of my data.

Advice. To learn more about backing up your data, check out the lessons in our session.

Update or clean install

Apple makes the process of updating to each new version of OS X very simple, so that you can update OS X in just a few steps.

The question is whether you do an upgrade or a clean install, the latter involves reformatting the hard drive and completely installing OS X from scratch and is my personal preference.

Personally, I prefer a clean installation. A laxative effect that gives me the assurance that OS X will run at optimal efficiency, whereby I install only the apps I need and carefully consider installing anything else.

Conclusion

With the recent release El Capitan, a little planning will make the transition seamless. In this tutorial, I showed you how to check the compatibility of your hardware and software, I showed you the importance of backing up your data, and I compared upgrading to a clean install.

Before moving to El Capitan, check the software you use on your Mac to make sure it's all compatible or can be updated before you update your operating system. This will avoid the risk of problems after upgrading to El Capitan.