H
honestone33
Guest
I have read just about all the posts in this thread, and of course there are some excellent tips, suggestions, strategies. etc. If people don't mind, I'd like to relay what I do.
First and foremost, I make a concerted effort to 1) keep both of my Macs "lean, mean, and clean", and 2) make bootable backups for each of my Macs to two different external SSDs. For #1, I do a good amount of cleaning on my own. This includes permanently removing deleted EMails numerous times during the day (I use Thunderbird as my EMail client, and it is real easy to do that). I also get rid of prior versions of software that I have kept since each one's last update, replacing the old one with the new one. And I use Onyx and Tech Tool Pro for keeping my systems healthy. Finally, I always install any updates to any software I have (whether Apple or third party). For $2, I use the excellent program SuperDuper! (of course, Carbon Copy Cloner is another excellent program for making bootable backups). For both of my Macs and the two external devices, they are SSDs.
For the above-mentioned tasks, every Saturday, after using my Mac Mini, I first run Onyx, then the following tasks from Tech Tool Pro:
Memory Test
SMART Check
Partition Map
Volume Structures
Video Memory
Sensors Test
File Structures
Fans Test
Battery Check (only on my MacBook Air)
Volume Rebuild
At times, I have been told that is somewhat over kill, but I have been doing it for so long, and I rarely (if ever) have issues with my Macs. I then use SuperDuper! to make bootable backups for each of my Macs to the 2 separate (partitioned) external SSDs.
Secondly, regarding upgrading the Mac OS to a new version, as some folks correctly stated above, it's important to 1) insure that your Mac can support the new OS, and 2) check on all your third parting applications regarding compatibility with the newer Mac OS. #1 is of course obvious, and Apple makes sure to publish a list of machines that can support the new OS. For #2, I have found that the following site is helpful:
Application Compatibility Table — RoaringApps
Myself, I have 6 critical third party applications that must be compatible (either as is, or with upgrades) with the new Mac OS before I upgrade. Additionally, it has been previously mentioned that one should wait until at least the first update to a new Mac OS is available before doing the upgrade (always excellent advice). Myself, given that one of my critical apps, Tech Tool Pro, has not had an update available until after that first update to the Mac OS, I wait until the second one is available. All of that works well for me. Typically there is nothing earth shattering in the new Mac OS that I must have.
Next, I have never let the update happen automatically. I download the associated file myself, then quit the start of the Installation process, and immediately make a copy of the installation file to another location on each of my Macs. I then go through my Saturday routine, ie, run Onyx, Tech Tool Pro, and then SuperDuper!. Once that is complete, I then reboot each of my Macs from their respected just completed SuperDuper! backups, run Disk Utility there to Erase and Format the internal SSD on each machine, launch the new Mac OS Installation file from the backup and do a fresh, clean installation of the new OS, and then finally migrate/copy needed files., folders, settings, etc. from the backup. I then restart each of my Macs with the new OS installed, and then only remaining task I need to complete is to setup the eDrive that is one of Tech Tool Pro's features.
I apologize for the long and somewhat detailed post, but hopefully there is some useful information contained in it. I of course welcome comments, suggestions, etc.
First and foremost, I make a concerted effort to 1) keep both of my Macs "lean, mean, and clean", and 2) make bootable backups for each of my Macs to two different external SSDs. For #1, I do a good amount of cleaning on my own. This includes permanently removing deleted EMails numerous times during the day (I use Thunderbird as my EMail client, and it is real easy to do that). I also get rid of prior versions of software that I have kept since each one's last update, replacing the old one with the new one. And I use Onyx and Tech Tool Pro for keeping my systems healthy. Finally, I always install any updates to any software I have (whether Apple or third party). For $2, I use the excellent program SuperDuper! (of course, Carbon Copy Cloner is another excellent program for making bootable backups). For both of my Macs and the two external devices, they are SSDs.
For the above-mentioned tasks, every Saturday, after using my Mac Mini, I first run Onyx, then the following tasks from Tech Tool Pro:
Memory Test
SMART Check
Partition Map
Volume Structures
Video Memory
Sensors Test
File Structures
Fans Test
Battery Check (only on my MacBook Air)
Volume Rebuild
At times, I have been told that is somewhat over kill, but I have been doing it for so long, and I rarely (if ever) have issues with my Macs. I then use SuperDuper! to make bootable backups for each of my Macs to the 2 separate (partitioned) external SSDs.
Secondly, regarding upgrading the Mac OS to a new version, as some folks correctly stated above, it's important to 1) insure that your Mac can support the new OS, and 2) check on all your third parting applications regarding compatibility with the newer Mac OS. #1 is of course obvious, and Apple makes sure to publish a list of machines that can support the new OS. For #2, I have found that the following site is helpful:
Application Compatibility Table — RoaringApps
Myself, I have 6 critical third party applications that must be compatible (either as is, or with upgrades) with the new Mac OS before I upgrade. Additionally, it has been previously mentioned that one should wait until at least the first update to a new Mac OS is available before doing the upgrade (always excellent advice). Myself, given that one of my critical apps, Tech Tool Pro, has not had an update available until after that first update to the Mac OS, I wait until the second one is available. All of that works well for me. Typically there is nothing earth shattering in the new Mac OS that I must have.
Next, I have never let the update happen automatically. I download the associated file myself, then quit the start of the Installation process, and immediately make a copy of the installation file to another location on each of my Macs. I then go through my Saturday routine, ie, run Onyx, Tech Tool Pro, and then SuperDuper!. Once that is complete, I then reboot each of my Macs from their respected just completed SuperDuper! backups, run Disk Utility there to Erase and Format the internal SSD on each machine, launch the new Mac OS Installation file from the backup and do a fresh, clean installation of the new OS, and then finally migrate/copy needed files., folders, settings, etc. from the backup. I then restart each of my Macs with the new OS installed, and then only remaining task I need to complete is to setup the eDrive that is one of Tech Tool Pro's features.
I apologize for the long and somewhat detailed post, but hopefully there is some useful information contained in it. I of course welcome comments, suggestions, etc.
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