OS upgrade - 10.7.5 to something higher

MacInWin said:

Charlie, you could defrag if iDefrag supports APFS. Does it?

Click to expand...

As far as I'm aware, iDefrag does not support APFS. And I distinctly remember a note from the developer warning users of his app not to run iDefrag on a SSD. I have the latest version of iDefrag archived on an external drive I use for storage. I removed it from use when I bought the 2017 iMac.

My recollection is the same. I used to use the iDefrag app years ago which I hung onto over a few XOS upgrades but after my latest MBP purchase in 2015 I read that it could not be used on my SSD so I trashed it.


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

Yes, never defrag an SSD. There is no need and the heavy read/write cycles lead to a premature death of the SSD. I was thinking more of defragging a rotating drive with APFS on it. The issue of fragmentation is minimal in SSD because of the speeds and no latency delays, but is critical in a rotating drive. And if by some set of events a rotating drive is formatted to APFS, fragmentation is going to explode, as the article from OWC said.

chscag said:

At least with a spinning hard drive, you can defragment it and return it to a somewhat normal performance. Some older versions of iDefrag are free for download including license keys. The app is no longer being developed, however.

By the way, the downloads are legal as they are from the developer.

Click to expand...

Thanks for this heads-up Charlie and I just discovered while checking that my copy of iDefrag was corrupt according to its launch warning message and would not open.

So downloading a replacement as I type.





- Patrick
======

dtravis7 said:

High Sierra only does APFS automatically with SSD's. I believe there is a way to not do APFS with an SSD. I will check later and report back. It's Mojave that automatically uses APFS with any drive.

Click to expand...

Based on this Apple note and my bolded parts:

When you install macOS High Sierra on the Mac volume of a solid-state drive (SSD) or other all-flash storage device, that volume is automatically converted to APFS. Fusion Drives, traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), and non-Mac volumes aren't converted. You can't opt out of the transition to APFS.
APFS compatibility

Devices formatted as Mac OS Extended (HFS+) can be read from and written to by devices formatted as APFS.

Devices formatted as APFS can be read from and written to by:

Other devices formatted as APFS
Devices formatted as Mac OS Extended, if using macOS High Sierra

For example, a USB storage device formatted as APFS can be read by a Mac using High Sierra, but not by a Mac using Sierra or earlier.

Click to expand...

I will have a Mac with an SSD, Macs with rotHD's, external backup drives with SSD and also external B/U drives with rotHD's, all running High Sierra.

Mac 1 with SSD is forced to use APFS file system.
B/U 1 of that Mac 1 using an external rotHD will I would think also be formatted as APFS automatically when I create the first clone using SD or CCC

Mac 2 with rotHD will use HFS+ file system.
B/U 2 of that Mac 2 using an external rotHD will also be formatted as HFS+ when I create the first clone using SD or CCC

Say either Mac dies.
If Mac 1 dies, can I read and write to B/U 1 using Mac 2 (seems as long as Mac 2 is running HS the answer is "yes" even if the Mac 2 file system is APFS (last bolded part)
If Mac 2 dies, can I read and write to B/U 2 using Mac 1,the answer is "yes" again.

So what is Apple getting at with the last statement that "a USB storage device formatted as APFS can be read by a Mac using High Sierra, but not by a Mac using Sierra or earlier."
Are they talking about USB Flash drives that are automatically formatted in APFS if initially used with an SSD HS Mac?

pm-r said:

Thanks for this heads-up Charlie and I just discovered while checking that my copy of iDefrag was corrupt according to its launch warning message and would not open.

So downloading a replacement as I type.

Click to expand...

How often do you defrag?

I have never deragged any of the Macs in the family and neither have the individual users - they all go; "Defrag, what's that?

I run my Mac 24/7, just put the display to sleepa dn I think the HD spins down.
I was under the impression OS X runs a few clean up routines in the wee hours of the morning so defragmentation is not required.
I remember many years ago I ran some program to check the defragmentation on my Mac and it was minimal so I never worried about it after that.

krs said:

Based on this Apple note and my bolded parts:


I will have a Mac with an SSD, Macs with rotHD's, external backup drives with SSD and also external B/U drives with rotHD's, all running High Sierra.

Mac 1 with SSD is forced to use APFS file system.
B/U 1 of that Mac 1 using an external rotHD will I would think also be formatted as APFS automatically when I create the first clone using SD or CCC

Click to expand...

No, at least for CCC. It will remain HFS+ format. See this from Bombich:

If the OS upgrade converted my startup disk to APFS, what do I need to do to my backup disk? Do I have to erase it as APFS?

You don't need to do anything at all to your backup disk after upgrading to macOS High Sierra (or later). Having an HFS+ backup of an APFS-formatted startup volume is acceptable; that will function just fine for any future restores, even to an APFS-formatted volume. If your backup disk is an SSD, however, we do recommend that you erase it as APFS. If your backup disk is a rotational HDD, however, we still recommend HFS+ for macOS High Sierra, and we usually recommend HFS+ for Mojave users as well (some exceptions are noted below).

Click to expand...

So, it will NOT be formatted automatically, but remain HFS+

Mac 2 with rotHD will use HFS+ file system.
B/U 2 of that Mac 2 using an external rotHD will also be formatted as HFS+ when I create the first clone using SD or CCC

Click to expand...

Yep.

Say either Mac dies.
If Mac 1 dies, can I read and write to B/U 1 using Mac 2 (seems as long as Mac 2 is running HS the answer is "yes" even if the Mac 2 file system is APFS (last bolded part)
If Mac 2 dies, can I read and write to B/U 2 using Mac 1,the answer is "yes" again.

So what is Apple getting at with the last statement that "a USB storage device formatted as APFS can be read by a Mac using High Sierra, but not by a Mac using Sierra or earlier."
Are they talking about USB Flash drives that are automatically formatted in APFS if initially used with an SSD HS Mac?

Click to expand...

Ok, the setup is incorrect (not formatted to APFS) so the question is inappropriate. Both backups are HFS+. What Apple is saying is that if the backup drive is formatted to APFS can be read by HS, which supports APFS, but not Sierra, which does not. But in your two systems, neither backup drive is HFS+

Now, if Mac 1 was used to format the backup to APFS, then Mac2, with High Sierra, could read it. But if it were Sierra, it could not, as Sierra does not support APFS. And that is what Apple has said.

Does that help?

How often do you defrag?

Click to expand...

Very, very seldom, but then I do so by cloning with CCC, zeroing out the boot drive and cloning back. I haven't needed to do that for several years now and just used iDefrag to check the drive if and when it may have been acting up or just slow, and basically just have a looks at the defrag situation.





- Patrick
======

This post has gone a bit away from the original question about how to upgrade my 2011 iMac to a newer OS. With the help from various folks here, I have done it and all is well with the world. Thank you all.

Nanabush said:

This post has gone a bit away from the original question about how to upgrade my 2011 iMac to a newer OS. With the help from various folks here, I have done it and all is well with the world. Thank you all.

Click to expand...

Glad you got it done. Threads here drift all over the place. If it gets too far adrift a moderator will step in. Come back and visit any time!

Nanabush said:

This post has gone a bit away from the original question about how to upgrade my 2011 iMac to a newer OS. With the help from various folks here, I have done it and all is well with the world. Thank you all.

Click to expand...

What OS X version did you end up installing?? I also have and use a mid-2011 iMac 27" but mainly use Mavericks 10.9.5.

BTW: Speaking of getting sidetracked, I had to use Google Maps to find out where your small village of Cloyne was and I hope you're surviving the current super cold snap that seems to be happening all over that area and more. That's way too cold for man or beast!! And monkeys...

Stay safe and warm.






- Patrick
======