Take Control of Upgrading to High Sierra

Book description

Manage your upgrade to High Sierra with ease!

Although Apple has made upgrading to each new operating system easier and safer, there is still room for things to go wrong. In Take Control of Upgrading to High Sierra, Mac expert Joe Kissell outlines a process that will take the stress out of upgrading, showing you how to make the switch more efficiently and in the way that's right for you. Learn what you need to know before you begin, how to prepare your Mac and make backups, and be ready to make decisions about installation questions.

In this book, you'll find out more about the changes Apple has made to the Mac's file system in High Sierra, and what impact that might have on your upgrade. You'll also find information about possible impediments to upgrading--including minimum system requirements, software incompatibilities, and lack of disk space--and how to resolve those issues.

You'll experience an easy upgrade and deal quickly with post-installation quirks with these topics:

  • Start fast: A Quick Start overview helps you read lightly or more deeply, depending on your needs.
  • Take in the view: Find out what you can look forward to in High Sierra.
  • Compatibility check: Make sure your hardware and software are ready for High Sierra and consider whether this is a good time to buy new hardware, even if it's not essential for your upgrade.
  • Backing up: Avoid upgrade anxiety by ensuring you can return to the previous state of your Mac--and that you can boot from your backup. Joe provides steps for carrying out this essential task in Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper.
  • Picking a plan: Go for an easy in-place upgrade or consider a more complex clean install. Find out which option is right for you.
  • Installing: Download and store the installer where it won't be deleted, with special tips for people who want to install on multiple Macs or who have bandwidth limitations. And, although running the installer will be easy for many people, you'll find full steps for what to click and when.
  • Post-installation tune-up: Make sure your new system is running smoothly by completing a few important housekeeping tasks and making a few key decisions.
  • Troubleshooting: Yikes! It is possible that something will go wrong during installation, or that once you've booted up under High Sierra that you'll encounter a serious problem. Joe's time-tested troubleshooting advice will help get your system working again.

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. Read Me First
    1. Updates and More
    2. Basics
    3. What’s New in Version 1.1.2
  2. Introduction
  3. High Sierra Upgrade Quick Start
  4. Take In the Scenic View
    1. Find Out What’s New in High Sierra
    2. Catch Up with macOS Changes
    3. Learn about APFS
  5. Check Your Mac for Compatibility
    1. Model Support
    2. RAM
    3. Firmware Updates
    4. Free Disk Space
    5. Recent Bluetooth Hardware
    6. OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or Later
  6. Back Up Your Disk
    1. Why You Need a Duplicate
    2. Prepare for a Duplicate
    3. Create a Duplicate
    4. Test Your Duplicate
  7. Clean Up Your Mac
    1. Update Your Third-party Software
    2. De-clutter Your Disk
    3. Run Disk Utility
    4. Update Your Duplicate
    5. Consider Disabling Encryption
  8. Decide on an Installation Method
    1. Plan A: In-place Upgrade
    2. Plan B: Clean Install
    3. Pick a Plan
  9. Make Final Preparations
    1. Turn Off Anti-malware Software
    2. Obtain the Installer
    3. Copy the Installer to a Safe Place
    4. Update Your Duplicate (Again)
    5. Turn Off (Yes, Off) Automatic Duplicates
    6. Make a Copy of This Book
  10. Upgrade Using Plan A: In‑place Upgrade
    1. Start the Installer
    2. Select a Destination
    3. Bake Some Cookies
    4. Finish Setup Assistant
    5. Check for Proper Operation
  11. Upgrade Using Plan B: Clean Install
    1. Start Up from Your Bootable Duplicate
    2. Erase Your Disk
    3. Run the Installer
    4. Use Setup Assistant
  12. Perform Post-installation Tasks
    1. Respond to Immediate Questions
    2. Handle Software Updates
    3. Review the Incompatible Software Folder
    4. Deal with Other Surprises
    5. Final Software Advice
  13. Troubleshoot Upgrade Problems
    1. Can’t Run the High Sierra Installer…
    2. Can’t Select Installation Volume…
    3. Mac Won’t Start Up under High Sierra…
    4. Finder Crashes or Hangs…
  14. About This Book
    1. Ebook Extras
    2. About the Author
    3. About the Publisher
  15. Copyright and Fine Print
  16. Also by Joe Kissell

Product information

  • Title: Take Control of Upgrading to High Sierra
  • Author(s): Joe Kissell
  • Release date: September 2017
  • Publisher(s): Take Control Books
  • ISBN: 9781947282070