brandeeddcom

Q: Want to upgrade to Mavericks, but download is no longer available.

Hi,

 

For quite a while, I have been downloading games and some programs that I would like to use on my computer, but since I haven't upgraded since Mountain Lion, some of those programs are not available to me; neither is Mavericks.

 

I am a tad bit hesitant to upgrade to El Captain; a majority of the reviews are negative, and as petty as this sounds, I do not like the new style of icons, layouts, etc. I have upgraded my phone to iOS 9.something, and ever since my phone has been acting up, loads slowly, portrait orientation freezes… I believe this is where my El Captain fear started to grow, since the style is the same.

 

I have read up on upgrading to only Mavericks, but anything that was said was posted over a year ago, and I wasn't sure if there was any new information. I no longer have the option to upgrade from the App Store, and I am not allowed to download Mavericks from a faulty server due to Apple's terms and contracts.

 

So, my question is (after that rant), has anything new come up regarding old updates? Would I be able to go into the Apple Store personally and ask for the Mavericks update? Or, dare I say it, suck it up and download El Captain and deal with the negative outlooks on it?

 

Thank you to anyone who helps me; I've been dreading about upgrades for quite a bit.

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Jul 2, 2016 3:38 PM

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Q: Want to upgrade to Mavericks, but download is no longer available.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Jul 2, 2016 7:55 PM in response to brandeeddcom
    Level 6 (19,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 2, 2016 7:55 PM in response to brandeeddcom

    The reviews for Mavericks when it came out were negative.  In fact every release of OS X when it comes out has people complaining, until it is no longer the current operating system, and then people using the old OS X think it was the "greatest thing since sliced bread".

     

    1st, download but do not continue with the installation of El Capitan so that in the future if you want to install El Capitan because it is old and not considered wonderful, you will have that option in the future via your App Store -> Purchases tab.  And do the same thing when macOS Sierra in a few months so you have options.

     

    Some people have been able to make Genius Bar appointments at their Apple Store and have older OS X releases install.  Your mileage may vary as this is at the discretion of the Genius Bar.  It helps if you have a compelling reason to stay at Mavericks.

  • by Eric Root,Apple recommended

    Eric Root Eric Root Jul 3, 2016 9:00 AM in response to brandeeddcom
    Level 9 (70,011 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 3, 2016 9:00 AM in response to brandeeddcom

    One option is to create a new partition (~30- 50 GB), install the new OS, and ‘test drive’ it. If you like/don’t like it it, you can then remove the partition. Do a backup before you do anything. By doing this, if you don’t like it you won’t have to go though the revert process.

     

    Check to make sure your applications are compatible.

     

    Application Compatibility

     

    Applications Compatibility (2)


     

    El Capitan 10.11 Compatibility information

    Open Disk Utility, select your hard drive (step 1), then the Partition tab (step 2), and select the partition. Using the /// at the bottom move it up (step 3) until the size box decrease by about 50 GB. Select the newly created space and hit the + button (step 4). Name it something and select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the format (step 5). Then hit the Apply button(step 6). Download the installer from the App Store and when it starts, point it at the new partition. You might want to make a copy of the installer outside the Applications folder to avoid having to re-download it in the future. Once installed, go to System Preferences/Startup Disk, select the new partition and reboot. Test away.

  • by brandeeddcom,

    brandeeddcom brandeeddcom Jul 3, 2016 8:44 PM in response to BobHarris
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 3, 2016 8:44 PM in response to BobHarris

    Thank you very much. I had no knowledge that downloading is a completely different thing than installing. I thought it changed everything right away. I will now download nearly all future softwares incase I do want to upgrade to them. I am currently downloading El Capitan now.

     

    I will also check and see whether my Apple Store can instal an older version of OS X.

     

    Thanks again.

  • by brandeeddcom,

    brandeeddcom brandeeddcom Jul 3, 2016 8:51 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 3, 2016 8:51 PM in response to Eric Root

    This is such a great help, thank you. I am currently downloading El Capitan now, and I have a new partition set up. I presume the download is going to take quite a bit, so I am going to wait until tomorrow to test drive it.

     

    One question before I go and check things out; what do you mean by point the installer at the new partition? Do I move it into the new partition? I apologize for my weak knowledge, I am only just starting to branch out into the advanced parts of computers.

     

    Thanks again, and I will let you know whether I was successful or not. I appreciate your help.

  • by BobHarris,Apple recommended

    BobHarris BobHarris Jul 4, 2016 6:09 AM in response to brandeeddcom
    Level 6 (19,272 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 4, 2016 6:09 AM in response to brandeeddcom

    As you may have found by now, the install will start after the download completes, but all you have to do is just "Quit" the installer.

     

    Applications -> Install OS X El Capitan is where the installer is stored.  If you need to reclaim the space, you can delete the installer and then download a new copy from the App Store -> Purchases tab when logged in using the same Apple ID you just used to download your first copy.

    One question before I go and check things out; what do you mean by point the installer at the new partition? Do I move it into the new partition? I apologize for my weak knowledge

    During the install process, you will be asked which disk or partition to use.  Just select the new partition you created for testing El Capitan.

     

    Some other useful information when using 2 bootable partitions.

    • When booting you can hold the "Option" key and your Mac should give you a list of bootable partitions you can choose from
    • You can use System Preferences -> Startup Disk to specify which partition is the default boot partition (you may need to unlock the padlock in the lower left before you can make a bootable disk change).
  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jul 4, 2016 7:19 AM in response to brandeeddcom
    Level 9 (70,011 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 4, 2016 7:19 AM in response to brandeeddcom

    You are welcome. Bob has answered your installation question - "During the install process, you will be asked which disk or partition to use.  Just select the new partition you created for testing El Capitan."