Updating old Mac Book Pro running Version 10.7.5

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Could I ask some advise regarding upgrading my old Mac Book Pro to a newer software. Have not had much luck researching and have also been advised that any upgrade will cruel current performance.

Thanks in advance.
 
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To provide you with help, we need to know the exact MacBook Pro model you have. Also, how full is your internal drive?

Additionally, there are at least two things you should be doing on a frequent basis:

1. Disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective. You can actually do quite a lot of disk cleanup on your own, and there are some excellent products available (both free and commercial) that can help you with that.

2. Backups to an external device. That task is so, so critical. If you are doing that, what software do you use for that task?

Finally, is all your third party software up to date? Additionally, if you can upgrade to a more recent version of the Mac OS, there is a good chance that some/most/all such software will also need to be upgraded. You might want to prepare a list of what third party software you are using.
 
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Hello and thankyou for your reply.
Mac Book Pro Retina Mid 2012 model.
2.3GHz Intel Core 17
8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Mac Os Lion 10.7.5 (11G63b)

At present 13GB free of 170GB
I would welcome any suggestions for backup software.
I now sometimes use OmnidiscSweeper.
Also I use very few third party software applications. Basic user.

Thanks for your help.
 
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OK, a couple of things:

1. Your Mac can run both High Sierra (OS 10.13.6), and the next Mac OS, OS 10.14, Mojave. These links describe which Macs can run each of those:

High Sierra: https://www.google.com/search?q=Mac...rome..69i57.7381j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Mojave: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/here-are-the-macs-that-will-work-with-macos-mojave/

2. You are taking quite a "leap" on updating your Mac OS, from OS 10.7.5 to OS 10.13.6 (High Sierra), or OS 10.7.5 to OS 10.14.x (Mojave). With such a leap, it would be best if you do a clean installation of the newer Mac OS. For that, you'll need some "tools", along with making backups.

3. 13 Gig out of 170 gig is not much free space. How are you using all that space? It might be wise to either 1) do some serious disk cleanup on your own, or 2) install a large drive inside your machine.

OK, for some software suggestions:

1. Do as much disk cleanup on your own as you can. One place to look is your downloads folder.

2. Backups: First, of course, you'll need to purchase an external drive. If you use a traditional hard drive, a 1 TB should be easily big enough. If you want to use an SSD (faster, but more expensive), a 500 gig/512 gig model should be enough. Second, software for backing up: The Mac OS comes with Time Machine for backing up. It is "OK", but it is not bootable. Given that it will be best if you do a clean installation of whatever Mac OS you upgrade to, it would be best if you use either SuperDuper!:

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

or Carbon Copy Cloner:

https://bombich.com/

Each makes a bootable backup/clone of your "system". So, you will be able to boot your Mac from that external backup with either of them. I use SuperDuper!, and I could not live without it! But there are other folks who "swear by" Carbon Copy Cloner. The differences between them is 1) Cost: SuperDuper! costs $27.95, and Carbon Copy Cloner costs $39.95, 2) Carbon Copy Cloner backs up the (hidden) Recovery HD partition (mentioned below), whereas SuperDuper! does not. For myself, that is not a detriment. Also, when you do a clean installation of the Mac OS, it creates that partition for you.

3. Here are some excellent freeware tools you can use:

Onyx - Available from here: https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html

Rock Solid, has been around a long, long time, and has had many positive reviews. I use it religiously (along with a commercial program entitled Tech Tool Pro). I would not be without either of them. In fact, I will not upgrade to a new Mac OS until there are compatible versions of both of them for the new OS (along with 4 other critical programs that I have). Note that there are different versions of Onyx available, for each different Mac OS. You would need to get the correct version for the Mac OS you are using.

AppCleaner - Available from here: https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

Another stellar performer! As you can see via that link, it will get rid of most stuff associated with an application that you wish to delete.

GrandPerspective - Available from here: http://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net/

Nifty graphical way to see which files are on your drive. Good way to identify large ones that you might not need.

Malwarebytes - Available from here: https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

Good to use if you see adware and/or suspect you might have a virus. It also is good to run it every so often, even if nothing is wrong.

ClamXAv - Available from here: https://www.clamxav.com/

More extensive than Malwarebytes in terms of finding viruses. You can use it in demo mode, and it still has just about full functionality.

Then of course you can use Disk Utility to check out your drive and/or do repairs. It's not as extensive as Tech Tool Pro (https://www.micromat.com/products/techtool-pro), Disk Warrior (https://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9qzeqcSF2gIViWp-Ch0NngwsEAAYASAAEgJg7_D_BwE), or Drive Genius (https://www.prosofteng.com/drive-genius-mac-protection-software/), but it gets the job "mostly" done. I use Tech Tool Pro, and in fact it is the only third party one so far that is fully compatible with High Sierra (that's the OS I use on both of my Macs)

However, you need to run Disk Utility in "isolated" mode. For that, you would boot your Mac into the (Hidden) Recovery HD partition. This link explains how to do that, and what is on that partition:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/ht201314

Finally, again it is important for you to make a list of what third party software you use.

For this project, you will need to do the following:

1. Do as much disk cleanup on your own. If you can't get that much more free space, consider installing a larger drive inside your machine.

2. Purchase an external hard drive.

3. Download the new Mac OS for the Apple Store. High Sierra is there now, but Mojave will not be there until the fall.

4. Decide which backup software you want to use. You can use both SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner in demo mode. They still will have full functionality. Again, I would strongly recommend either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner. In fact, it might be wise to purchase either one.

5. Download as much of that free software as I mentioned above. At a minimum, you will need Onyx and AppCleaner. But all the other products are excellent.

Let us know when you are ready, and/or if you have more questions.
 
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Hope you weren't thinking that there would be a "one button" solution! Upgrading the Mac OS does take some effort, even if one just upgrades from their current OS to the next one. But in your case, you would be taking quite a leap. And the lack of much free space on your internal drive is definitely a concern.
 
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Thankyou again. I have begun the process and will create some extra room as mentioned.
Will keep you informed of my progress.

One addition question - would you recommend me upgrading to High Sierra given the age and processing power of my current mac Book Pro. I'm concerned after the upgrade the functionality (speed) will be lacking.

Regards.
 
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Is this your machine:

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...-i7-2.3-15-mid-2012-retina-display-specs.html

If it is, then it has an SSD/Flash drive, along with having a Core i7 Processor and 8 gig of Ram. Thus, High Sierra will work fine (as long as you perform disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs). However, Mojave, OS 10.14, is due to be released this Monday, and your machine is supported with that OS. It thus might be wise to upgrade to Mojave, but not right away. You might want to read this thread I posted the other day:

https://www.mac-help.com/threads/upgrading-to-mojave-os-10-14-might-be-best-to-wait.225013/
 
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You're welcome. Just make sure to do a clean, fresh, "virgin" installation of either High Sierra or Mojave. You might want to visit the App Store and download (but not yet install) the latest High Sierra file. After the download is complete, a file by the name of "Install macOS High Sierra" will be in your Applications folder. Make a copy of it in another location, and then delete the one in the Applications folder (to save space).
 

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