Dan_10 Said:
"[...]I'm almost ready to completely reset my system from scratch and start over, but really trying not to have to do that."
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Two thoughts on doing that...
A. Restore from a Backup:
If you backed up your Mac prior to updating it, then restore form the backup. Sometimes, the macOS can become corrupted due to major changes being made (i.e update installed or shutdowns). So, know to always back up your Mac prior to making any major changes to it, successfully as au update. In doing so, you with have something to restore store your Mac from from, should anything go wrong with the upgrade.
B. Reinstall the macOS anew:
You'd backup your Mac, install the previous macOS, and then migrate items back.
- Create: a Time Machine Backup using an external Hard Drive
- Install: from a USB Installer created for macOS 10.15 Catalina or before
- Migrate: items from your TMB
- Download then Install: the applications, getting the programs back from the Developer