Security Updates For El Capitan and Sierra Released

[honestone]

Yesterday, besides releasing OS 10.13.4, Apple released Security Updates for El Capitan and Sierra:

http://osxdaily.com/2018/03/29/macos-high-sierra-10-13-4-update-mac/

One can use the Software Update feature to get any of those.

 

[matilf]

I'm still on my original 10.9.5; however a couple of browsers ceased to work (Chrome and Firefox) and I am now using Opera, which has been pretty good. I'd like to update to Sierra but am unsure what I need to back up, and what I do NOT want is for whatever is left from Chrome and Firefox to be carried over from the old, messed up installations of them. What is my best course of action?

 

[Allen Davis]

I'm still on my original 10.9.5; however a couple of browsers ceased to work (Chrome and Firefox) and I am now using Opera, which has been pretty good. I'd like to update to Sierra but am unsure what I need to back up, and what I do NOT want is for whatever is left from Chrome and Firefox to be carried over from the old, messed up installations of them. What is my best course of action?

May seem a bit convoluted, but I'd back up EVERYTHING with something like CarbonCopy Cloner or even a utility program like TechTool Pro or SpeedTools. Then trash everything on that backup related to Chrome or Firefox. Then I'd erase your startup drive and download Sierra and then use Migration Assistant to put all your files back to your main drive.

Honestone is the guru who'd probably have better advice than me. Incidentally, after upgrading to Sierra, there's a beta of Safari called "Safari Technology Preview" I've been running for a couple of months now, and it's the best version of Safari I've seen yet, and it gets frequent upgrades. The only thing I've had trouble with is installing an extension which allows for one-button downloading of video and audio files, so far that I resort to the "stock" version of Safari.

 

[matilf]

Thank you. But that is beyond my ability level. I already tried to erase everything having anything to do with Chrome and Firefox, and both think they are still installed and want to just "update" when I try to do a re-install, and the problems they had remain. I would like to start clean, but don't need anything backed up but desktop, pictures, music, and documents. I am not a high level user.

 

[honestone]

Thank you for the kind comments, Allen! Not sure if guru is applicable, though!

I like Opera also, although it seems to have slowed down somewhat when I have used it with High Sierra. Google Chrome and Firefox should work fine with Sierra (they also work good with High Sierra).

Given that you are making a rather large "leap" in going from OS 10.9.5 to OS 10.12.6, Allen's advice is VERY sound in this case. Whether you remove all the "stuff" associated with Chrome and Firefox before you do the backup, or after you do the backup (but before the installation of Sierra), you should use the excellent freeware program AppCleaner, available from here:

https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

It does an excellent job of finding about 90 to 95% (sometimes 100%, depending on the application) of files/folders, etc. associated with an application that you want to delete/remove. For the remainder that it does not find, you can use a search tool to find the rest. Just use the app's name as the search term. The Mac OS includes Spotlight, but I prefer the excellent freeware program EasyFind, available form here:

https://www.devontechnologies.com/products/freeware.html

By the way, I assume you plan on doing a clean, fresh installation of Sierra (especially with such a large leap of the Mac OS), which means you should have the file. "Install macOS Sierra" already downloaded. Using either Carbon Copy Cloner (an excellent product, by the way!) or SuperDuper! (I use it, and it works very well) will make the entire process smooth. If you need any further assistance with that, let us know, and we can guide you through the process.

 

[honestone]

Thank you. But that is beyond my ability level. I already tried to erase everything having anything to do with Chrome and Firefox, and both think they are still installed and want to just "update" when I try to do a re-install, and the problems they had remain. I would like to start clean, but don't need anything backed up but desktop, pictures, music, and documents. I am not a high level user.

As I mentioned above, assuming the apps are still there, use AppCleaner to get rid of all the stuff associated with Google Chrome and Firefox. Or else just use a search program.

It would not be wise to do an upgrade from OS 10.9.5 to OS 10.12.6 "in place", and especially if you have done little (or none) disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective. You can use either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner in "demo" mode, and the basic copying/cloning functionality will still be there. You can get them form here:

SuperSuper! - https://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

Carbon Copy Cloner - https://bombich.com/

Again, either of those fine programs will do the trick.

By the way, it would be good if you read this thread about backups I started back in November, along with numerous excellent comments made by others:

https://www.mac-help.com/threads/backups-backups-backups.223959/

Also, do you have the file "Install macOS Sierra" already downloaded?

Finally, before you install Sierra, you'll need to insure that all your third party (ie, non-Apple) applications work with Sierra. That might require downloading updates for some of them. This site can help you with that:

https://roaringapps.com/apps

 

[Allen Davis]

Yeah, what Honestone said.

 

[matilf]

I have not downloaded the install file for Sierra. I was going to back up what I want to first, make sure it is all there, (it will easily fit on a flash drive) and proceed hopefully with a total wipe and install. I've already done the search thing with Firefox and Chrome, and it finds nothing but they think they are still there. iTunes recently started refusing to recognize blank music CDs, and one of the few things I do that is not just write docs and spreadsheets and very basic internet, is transfer sound files to CD, usually converting them from mp3 to aiff. So believe it or not, to do that I have to go back to my still-intact iMac from forever ago, because its iTunes still works.
Thanks for the info. When I have more brains about me I'll study the links. I used a PC a lot in my work but that is now years ago and we had an IT department to fix things.

 

[honestone]

I have not downloaded the install file for Sierra. I was going to back up what I want to first, make sure it is all there, (it will easily fit on a flash drive) and proceed hopefully with a total wipe and install. I've already done the search thing with Firefox and Chrome, and it finds nothing but they think they are still there. iTunes recently started refusing to recognize blank music CDs, and one of the few things I do that is not just write docs and spreadsheets and very basic internet, is transfer sound files to CD, usually converting them from mp3 to aiff. So believe it or not, to do that I have to go back to my still-intact iMac from forever ago, because its iTunes still works.
Thanks for the info. When I have more brains about me I'll study the links. I used a PC a lot in my work but that is now years ago and we had an IT department to fix things.

If you don't use either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner, then in order to do a fresh, clean installation of Sierra, you will need to download the installation file for Sierra, and then make a bootable flash drive containing Sierra. There are two ways of doing that:

1. Using Terminal. This link is a very good description of the process:

One thing, though, is that when you choose the Format "parameters", do not use Master Boot Record. Choose "GUID Partition Map" for the Scheme.

2. Using Disk Creator. This link explains how to do that (actually includes the "Terminal" method also):

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-a-bootable-macos-sierra-usb-flash-drive-1786853248