Upgrade RAM and SSD.. Now i'm stuck with OS x Lion and can't update software

[NickB123]

Hello,

I have a Macbook Pro Mid 2012, it was pretty slow but still works. I'm not a computer wizard but I'm not awful with them.. i decided to upgrade the RAM to 16gb and get a new SSD mainly because it was cheaper than buying a new laptop..

swapped the parts over no problems, formatted the SSD and installed OS x Lion 10.7.5 which is what it came up with. Now everything is working, much smoother than before which is great BUT.. when i check for a software update thinking it would come up with newer version available and get back to sierra or Mojave etc.. it just says my software is up to date.

online all I've found is 'go to the app store' which is fine, but.. when i select the latest software it won't update because you need OS 10.8 or later, which i don't have. So at the moment I'm stuck with OS x Lion 10.7.5 and not able to update software??

any suggestion?

Many Thanks
Nick

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

If you didn't download and upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion previously, then it won't show in your Purchased section of the App Store. It was a free upgrade initially, as are all later versions of OS X/macOS.

The only way to get a copy now is to purchase it from Apple for $19.99. They will send a code to download it from the App Store.

OS X Mountain Lion

You could always try to get a copy for free by visiting the Genius Bar in an Apple Store in person.

Let us know how it goes,

C

 

[honestone]

The other way is to do a clean installation of the newer Mac OS. But for that, you'll need a backup on an external device. Your machine can run Mojave, and I would think you could download it from the App Store. Again, this would be downloading the full Mojave OS 10.14.2 file/installer. The other thing you'll need to do is to insure that any third party (ie, non-Apple) software you are running is compatible with Mojave. This site can help with that:

https://roaringapps.com/apps

You would be taking quite a jump from OS 10.7.5 to OS 10.14.2. Not sure if you can download either Sierra (OS 10.12.6) or High Sierra (OS 10.13.6). Apple has recently been somewhat "anal" regarding the availability of either of them. Shoot, I just looked at my Purchased Items in the App Store, and now ALL my prior "purchases" of various versions of the Mac OS are gone! Was not that way when I was previously running Sierra or High Sierra. Fortunately, I always keep a copy of the latest full Mac OS Installation file, and I even still have the ones for Sierra and High Sierra.

 

[NickB123]

Hello and welcome.

If you didn't download and upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion previously, then it won't show in your Purchased section of the App Store. It was a free upgrade initially, as are all later versions of OS X/macOS.

The only way to get a copy now is to purchase it from Apple for $19.99. They will send a code to download it from the App Store.

OS X Mountain Lion

You could always try to get a copy for free by visiting the Genius Bar in an Apple Store in person.

Let us know how it goes,

C

Ok thanks! is there not a free download online somewhere? or i did back up using time machine on to an external drive, i was on high sierra at this time, would it be possible to install high sierra off my back up?

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries.

No, no free version on the App Store, unless you had previously downloaded it. Not sure if High Sierra will show in Purchased in the App Store if you installed it before. Also, Lion may prevent it from showing.

You may still have the High Sierra installer in the Applications folder of your backup...you could look there. But, I do remember that you may have to have Mountain Lion or El Capitan installed before you can move to High Sierra/Mojave.

C

 

[honestone]

Hi Cory,

Regarding "But, I do remember that you may have to have Mountain Lion or El Capitan installed before you can move to High Sierra/Mojave", does that apply when one wants to do a clean, fresh installation of Mojave? If one downloads the latest version of Mojave from the App Store, then run a SuperDuper! backup of their "old" system (which includes that OS 10.14.2 installer), and then boots their Mac from that SuperDuper! backup, one would think they could run Disk Utility there to erase and Format the internal SSD, and launch that OS 10.14.2 installer file and do the installation onto the internal SSD, and then finally "migrate/copy" needed items from that just completed backup. Would that work?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yes, that would work, but I don't think he can download the Mojave installer when running Lion, as the link to the Apple article below states. So, a clone of his drive to external wouldn't work. A clean install on an freshly formatted blank drive doesn't matter, as long as you have a bootable external installer drive.

Upgrade to macOS Mojave

Check compatibility
Most Mac models introduced in 2012 or later are compatible with macOS Mojave, and you can upgrade directly from OS X Mountain Lion or later.

C

 

[honestone]

OK, thanks.

Apple sure is getting "anal" about things like this! Glad I always save a copy of the Mac OS installer after I download it.

 

[honestone]

Yeah, Cory, I see what you mean. Clicking on that link, then on the link "Get macOS Mojave from the App Store" brings up this:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-mojave/id1398502828?mt=12

Scrolling down to "Information", it states "Compatibility OS X 10.8 or later".

So yeah, need to have Mountain Lion or above on one's machine to download Mojave. Still seems "anal" to me!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Not really anal at all. There were major changes in the OS X System, which are required to allow upgrading. It may seem that way on the surface, but down in the bowels of the System, it's not.

Of course, I am not a software engineer, so I don't know exactly why, but I understand the requirement. Chalk it up to computer voodoo.

C

 

[honestone]

Maybe for doing an upgrade "in place", it might make sense. But not when one wants to do a clean, fresh, "virgin" installation. And especially skipping 6 versions of the Mac OS to go from OS 10.8.x to OS 10.14.2 is asking for potential trouble (besides the issue of third party applications and compatibility).

 

[Cory Cooper]

honestone - Correct, as I mentioned previously, "A clean install on an freshly formatted blank drive doesn't matter, as long as you have a bootable external installer drive." The problem lies in the ability to download a newer OS X/macOS installer for Mountain Lion/High Sierra/Mojave, if the OP doesn't already have one in his current backup. Because of the age and design of Lion, it prevents the ability to access most of the newer versions of OS X/macOS from the App Store.

NickB123 - You mentioned that it was running High Sierra previously. Most of the time, if you install a new drive and use Internet Recovery, it will install the version that was last installed. Is that how you re-installed Lion...via Internet Recovery?

C

 

[honestone]

Cory - Thanks for the explanation. As I have mentioned, given that I always keep a copy of the current version of the Mac OS installer (and a couple of prior ones), I don't have this issue. But Appel started that "insane" policy I believe when Sierra was released, and it sure makes it difficult to upgrade, especially when "jumping over" so many versions of the Mac OS.

Also, cannot understand why every prior Mac OS I "purchased" is now missing from my Purchased items list. While I don't need any of them, still perplexing why it happened. Another "feature" of Mojave? More like a short coming.

 

[Peter Aretin]

Cory - Thanks for the explanation. As I have mentioned, given that I always keep a copy of the current version of the Mac OS installer (and a couple of prior ones), I don't have this issue. But Appel started that "insane" policy I believe when Sierra was released, and it sure makes it difficult to upgrade, especially when "jumping over" so many versions of the Mac OS.

Also, cannot understand why every prior Mac OS I "purchased" is now missing from my Purchased items list. While I don't need any of them, still perplexing why it happened. Another "feature" of Mojave? More like a short coming.

There's a case to be made for having cloned bootable partitions on external drives of earlier (and later) iterations of the OS you're using. I usually upgrade a clone via the app store and once it is working in satisfactory fashion, I can clone it back to main boot drive if wished. I have only gone as far as High Sierra with these, but previous upgrades from the app store have remained available in purchased from one or other of these bootable partitions. Good luck.

 

[bearflag7]

Apple has a many wepages on installing different macOSes.
Regards,

"How to upgrade to OS X El Capitan" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886
https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?ls=1&mt=12
"How to upgrade to macOS High Sierra" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?ls=1&mt=12
"How to create a bootable installer for macOS" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

 

[honestone]

There's a case to be made for having cloned bootable partitions on external drives of earlier (and later) iterations of the OS you're using. I usually upgrade a clone via the app store and once it is working in satisfactory fashion, I can clone it back to main boot drive if wished. I have only gone as far as High Sierra with these, but previous upgrades from the app store have remained available in purchased from one or other of these bootable partitions. Good luck.

Yeah, I actually did that (via SuperDuper!) when I was testing Mojave. I have a Samsung 500 gig 860 EVO SSD, and had two "Mojave" partitions on it for each of my Macs. I used it for testing all my applications for each machine, and it was very helpful.

I am actually doing the same thing now, although "backwards". Micromat has a version of Tech Tool Pro (I rely on it, along with Onyx) that is "mostly" compatible with Mojave. So, prior to upgrading to Mohave for each of my Macs)via a clean, fresh, "virgin" installation), I first upgraded Tech Tool Pro to the newest version on each "High Sierra" Mac, then used SuperDuper! to backup each Mac to that Samsung 860 EVO 500 gig SSD, re-started each Mac from their respective "High Sierra" backup, used Disk Utility there to Erase and Format each internal SSD on each Mac, did a fresh, clean, "virgin" installation of OS 10.14.2, and finally "migrated"/copied needed "stuff" from the backup. Worked liek a charm.

Now when I do my weekly disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, after first running Onyx, I re-boot each Mac from their respective High Sierra backup, and run Tech Tool Pro from there to have it do its "magic" on each internal SSD. Again, that works like a charm.

 

[honestone]

Apple has a many wepages on installing different macOSes.
Regards,

"How to upgrade to OS X El Capitan" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886
https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?ls=1&mt=12
"How to upgrade to macOS High Sierra" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?ls=1&mt=12
"How to create a bootable installer for macOS" https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

The other way is to use the excellent, free software DiskMaker X, available from here:

https://diskmakerx.com/

Note the link on that page "Previous versions of DiskMaker X are available here.". It works very well.