Update woes

[3Simplerulez]

Hi people total newb to Mac os x just bought a 2nd hand Mac mini 2012 with mountain lion but when I try to upgrade to maverick nothing will update any help would be much appreciated thanks. Is it because whoever formatted the system used their Apple I.d. ? I bought the system from c.e.x.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

When you say "nothing will update", what happens exactly? How are you trying to update?

We should verify that you do in fact have a 2012 Mac mini. Go to the Apple menu, top left corner of the screen, and select About This Mac. That will tell you what you have exactly.

Being a second hand Mac, it'd be best for you to reformat the drive yourself and reinstall OS X from scratch since there's no telling what got left behind by the prior owner, but we can help you with that. You'll have to download an installer beforehand.

 

[3Simplerulez]

Hi thanks for replying. The machine is a late 2012 mac mini 6.1 running mountain lion and has 8gb memory. I've done all the updates manually except iTunes will not update at all. I've tried downloading to have from app store to be told I need is x 10.9 currently it's running 10.8.5. However if successfully downloaded maverick to update to 10.9 it installed but it still says it's 10.8 I would be happy with maverick as I intend to use garageband which needs 10.9 to run. If I wipe the drive and reinstall wouldn't I still be running mountain lion?

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Ok. Supposedly Maverick is no longer available to download according to some quick reading I did, so I'm not sure how you got it. I wouldn't recommend using it anyway. That's a very old version of OS X at this point and since you are just getting started with the ecosystem, you may as well start off with something more current, especially for the sake of security. Your Mac mini supports Mojave, the previous version of macOS, and Catalina, the current version. I would strongly recommend you consider upgrading to Mojave. Catalina would be fine too, but it's a bit harder to get used to since Apple really stepped up the security prompts on it.

Before I go further, what do you think you'd like to do? There are intermediate versions of OS X you can still get after Maverick (Sierra, High Sierra, then El Capitan), but again, for the sake of security updates, Mojave would be the minimum I would recommend.

 

[3Simplerulez]

Hi any later version would suit me but at the moment I'm running 10.8.1 and when I try to get the latest version off the UK app store it say I need to update to 10.9 minimum but where do I get the download as it's not on the app store. I've read that if a previous user set up the os then sells the system on you can't update as you would need their Apple I.d. I really hope this is not the case if it is I hope there is a workaround.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

BTW, what type of internal drive do you have (SSD or HD), and what's the capacity? If it's a low capacity HD, then an older version of OS X may be a better choice for performance benefits given how you intend to use it.

 

[3Simplerulez]

It's the original 500gb Mac hd. I'm not going to be using to make music just run backing tracks and record vocals so not gonna task it too hard

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It's the original 500gb Mac hd. I'm not going to be using to make music just run backing tracks and record vocals so not gonna task it too hard

Roger that. I'm a bit spoiled by SSD performance for everyday usage, and I really feel Mojave and onwards are getting a bit overwhelming to be booted from an HDD, especially a 5200 rpm one. I suggest trying El Capitan. You can always upgrade to a newer version if you need to afterwards easily enough. Here's the download link directly from Apple:
How to upgrade to OS X El Capitan - Apple Support

Now, as I mentioned, I recommend wiping the drive completely and reinstalling OS X from scratch since there's no telling what the previous user left behind. The recommended way to do this is use a utility we recommend called DiskMaker X. You'll need an 8GB thumb drive and DiskMaker X version 6 for El Capitan support, if I'm not mistaken. DiskMaker will use the El Capitan installer to turn that thumb drive into a bootable installer.
Downloads

Let us know how this goes, then we can walk you through the process of installing.

EDIT: If DiskMaker X v6 gives you trouble, try the new Pro version, which is newer and handles all versions of macOS installers.
DiskMaker X Pro

 

[MBAmtloin]

Macworld UK and OSX daily has great info and links to older app for your mini.
10.8.5 costs money so the downloads are not available without ID
i have seen many websites that offer mountain lion but are sketchy.

what i would do, (since the mini is new) is be reformat the mini by cmd r reboot in original osx mode and then upgrade to 10.8.5
then upgrade to mojave or what ever OSX you prefer.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I'm going to go ahead and post a link to a tutorial on how to use the bootable thumb drive to "clean install" El Capitan to your Mac mini.
How to perform a Clean Install of OS X El Capitan on Your Mac

Scroll down to the section that reads "Booting From the OS X El Capitan Installer". Follow the instructions from there. The guide is pretty comprehensive and there's nothing to really add here. Read through it thoroughly in advance and feel free to ask questions before you get started.

 

[3Simplerulez]

Once again thanks for your help I've been at it all day and had to throw in the towel in the end but I will carry on and report back how I get on thanx

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Once again thanks for your help I've been at it all day and had to throw in the towel in the end but I will carry on and report back how I get on thanx

You can largely ignore Apple’s instructions in their page about backups. Just download the installer. You’ll get a dmg file which you need to open. Dmg files act like cds. I can’t verify right now, but I believe you need to run the file inside that dmg file to put the installer in your applications folder. If you get the app open to prompt you to start installation, just quit it, then start DiskMaker.

 

[MBAmtloin]

That mac mini is a great little computer, I had one in 2012 that did wonders even with the 4 ram and 5000rmp HD.
Even if you do not like OSX or the apple environment, the Mini is worth at least $250 depending on the appearance running 10.8.1
I know many IT Windows experts who have trouble with the easiest upgrades and maintenance on these apple computers simple because the manner or steps are not basic and what they are used to. These macs fix and upgrade themselves without using cortana or the terminal as i am trying to configure on my Dell XPS.
In my experience, configurations and upgrades always seem to work the next day after sleep or cleaning one's mind.

Good luck, hang in there, we are all counting on you!

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Your Mac Mini can run Catalina. You should first upgrade the memory to 16GB which is very easy with OWC memory.

Once you've done the upgrade, open the App Store and search for Catalina, download and install.