Best OS X update options for late 2013 MacBook Pro

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Best OS X update options for late 2013 MacBook Pro

I'm running High Sierra (OS 10.13.6), which is beginning to get pretty glitchy in a number of ways, including Safari. I gather doing updates on a Mac of this vintage requires some workarounds. I want to be sure that whatever I do doesn't create new headaches. I've read that Mojave was problematic, and that as of a couple of years ago, people were having trouble updating to Big Sur - which I understand is the last update this MBP (MacBookPro11,1) can run on. I'm interested in advise from others who have had successful OS updates on this machine, or who are knowledgeable about a safe path to a reliable OS update.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Oct 12, 2022 5:41 PM

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Answer 1

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MrHoffman

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Oct 12, 2022 5:55 PM in response to MCristina

Big Sur would be the target, though your apps will need to be 64-bit.

Updates from High Sierra to Big Sur are direct, and work fine.

Mojave was a solid release in my experience. As have been Big Sur, Catalina, and Monterey. The difficulty with reading what gets posted around the ‘net is selection bias. You don’t find postings from all the folks that had easily-surmountable or had no issues with a release, you get the postings from the unhappy campers.

You will have your own and unique local configuration of settings and apps, and you will of course have complete backups creted prior to an upgrade, backups which mean you can revert in the case of issues within your upgraded configuration.

Here, I’d wonder if the Mac hardware is getting flaky, or if some of the installed apps have gotten tangled. Add-on cleaners, add-on anti-malware apps, and other such can sometimes cause performance problems or corruptions. Based on what you’re reporting. I’d likely perform a couple of external backups, boot Recovery, wipe the installation, install a fresh copy of Big Sur, and migrate in from your backups.

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Answer 2

MCristina Author

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Oct 12, 2022 10:35 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad I asked before taking the leap! The 64bit criteria sounds key to being successful in upgrading. Though I've heard the terms and likely should know, (given I run both Adobe LR (classic) and Photoshop) I confess I'm not up to speed on this question. (Likely need an OS internal upgrade on my own internal software!) I just looked it up and found this article: https://www.macworld.com/article/232735/how-to-check-if-mac-software-is-32-or-64-bit.html, so am following the directions to see where my MBP is. The bulk are 64bit. Of the still long list of ones not 64b, many are so old, I doubt they've been used in a long time. Some are associated with older versions of programs that I don't need, so I guess it's time to learn how to uninstall.

One question I have, if I upgrade to Big Sur, and some 32bit app remains that I'm not using, will Big Sur run ok?

Alternatively, am I right that Mojave will still run 32bit apps? That's only 1 upgrade above High Sierra. I wonder how much improvement I'd get from that?

Thank you again for your help!

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Answer 3

Oct 13, 2022 7:29 AM in response to MCristina

32-bit apps and 32-bit scanner and printer drivers are shunted aside when upgrading past Mojave, and will not work.

Their continued presence is non-functional, benign, and occupies storage, and nothing more.

Mojave is the last that can run both 32-bit and 64-bit. It’s the end of the line for ancient Adobe apps and ancient Microsoft Office 2011 and older installations, and ancient printers and scanners lacking recent vendor or (where available) third-party drivers, among older 32-bit apps found around some configurations.

I’m somewhat suspicious of your existing install and potentially of your hardware, given the reported issues. Backing up and migrating to a new install can variously have better results, and in a few particularly pernicious cases migrating less than everything if not, and in the worst of existing corruptions or hardware failures starting over and dragging over just what works. Upgrades can sometimes propagate problems, too.

I’m assume you have complete backups. If not, that “no backups” status means the data here is considered worthless, which makes the upgrade process a whole lot easier; wipe and install is then in play, and is fast and easy and works well.

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Answer 4

MCristina Author

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Oct 13, 2022 5:06 PM in response to MrHoffman

You hit several nails on the head, in terms of older apps - including printers & scanners, plus (how did you guess??) MS Office for Mac 2011 (with the much appreciated feature of taking notes while recording a lecture....I'm going to miss that one!) I have hung on to my 2007 iMac, which hasn't had a lot of use, but had a new hard drive put in a few years ago, so I can run my vintage printers and scanner through the iMac.

I'm still using Time Machine to backup, and recently purchased a new external HD for the backups (replacing another vintage Apple device - Time Capsule!) So it's only getting backed up when I make it happen.

The issues with Safari are warnings that pop up every now and then saying that I may need to update Safari or some things won't work right. I'm assuming Safari can only be updated with an OS update. I worked with an Apple tech the other day to walk me through some steps I gather designed to clean some issues up prior to updating the OS. It's definitely been less glitchy since going through the process she walked me through.

I'm going to wait to do the update until I finish a couple of projects I'm in the middle of, and back it up once more. Then I have to make the choice of which OS to download and install. Again, if there is any reason (other than the 32 bit limitations) to be cautious about moving to Big Sur, I'd sure like to know in advance!

Thanks again for all your help!

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Answer 5

MCristina Author

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Oct 13, 2022 5:13 PM in response to MCristina

BTW, going back to your first reply, I've never used any clean up software and the only Malware app I installed was the free trial recommended to me by an Apple tech. I never purchased the full program, though they do what they can to entice me. None of the scans have ever indicated a problem. Most of the issues I've had have been with the cursor (skipping, stalling, or jumping to another place in the text), and problems staying connected to the wi-fi. Since the tech assist with Apple the other day, all those issues seem ok for now.

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Best OS X update options for late 2013 MacBook Pro

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