reinstall 10.8.2 Combo update on AIR 2012, no way ?

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sjogren Author

Level 1

34 points

reinstall 10.8.2 Combo update on AIR 2012, no way ?

Hi.

I have always been able to re-install the Mac OS X Combo update on top again.

On my Macbook Pro, iMac 27" and a Mac pro but on my Macbook Air 2012 with 10.8.2 installed.

I can't re-install 10.8.2 Combo update again. I do that sometimes if strange things happen.

Then this is an easy fix must of the times. But strangely enough. I can't do it on this Air ???

I have done it tons of time on all my other Macs running Lion and Snow Lion.

This Air have Mountain Lion but is'nt that the same ???

Please if anyone knows why it want let me re-install the Combo update again. Let me know ASAP.

Thanks a lot.

Erik S

MacBook Air, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), Air 2012

Posted on Jan 21, 2013 5:33 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 21, 2013 5:51 PM in response to sjogren

Is this a brand new MacBook Air? If so, then the version of OS X on it is newer than the "vanilla" 10.8.2 combo update.

The only thing you can do is to do a full OS re-install which you can do by booting with the R key held down.

I don't know why you should need to install combo updates as often as you say you do. It should not be necessary.

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Answer 2

sjogren Author

Level 1

34 points

Jan 21, 2013 6:01 PM in response to William Lloyd

Hi bro.

Thx for your quick replay 😉

Yes its the latest Air 2012 model and it already have the combo 10.8.2 update on it.

But how can the 10.8.2 be newer that the 10.8.2 combo update ???? Thats that latest update from what i know.

And i have always been able to re-install the combo again if anything was strange. But not on this.

It just tells me that its not for this model ?

Its not bought right now. I had it 2 month and i updated it to 10.8.2 my self.

Version 10.8.2 installed is 10.8.2 build 12C3006

I also used the ML 10.8.2 Supplemental Update 2.0

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Answer 3

Jan 21, 2013 7:15 PM in response to sjogren

Right. "Vanilla" 10.8.2 is version 12C60, I believe. The versions with 4 digits after the letter are "machine specific" builds that have drivers specific to that hardware that isn't in the "main" version yet. The new super-thin iMacs also have a special build like this.

I expect that once 10.8.3 ships there will be a build that runs on all current hardware. At that point, you should have a combo updater you could run over and over to your heart's content.

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Answer 4

babowa

Level 9

78,115 points

Jan 21, 2013 7:20 PM in response to sjogren

If your machine came with ML preinstalled, you can only reinstall by using the recovery process, which is activated by hitting either Command + R or Command + Option + R while restarting:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

I would also suggest that you only update if/when Software Update/MAS prompts you for an update. Because of the various (and confusing) special builds and their special OS versions, you can cause problems by trying to install a "plain vanilla" update unless it is specifically for your build as well.

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Answer 5

sjogren Author

Level 1

34 points

Jan 22, 2013 12:34 AM in response to babowa

Hi guys.

Thanks for your explanation. I make sense now.

I have always been able to just run the normal Combo update on top of anything as long as it was the Combo.

Every other Mac i have you can do that. But i guess thats the end with the new Air here.

It was a good fix when something was messed up. Sometimes if a saw an error in system.log

It helped just to run the Combo again. I wonder whats the reason why you can't do that anymore.

But thx for your replays.

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Answer 6

babowa

Level 9

78,115 points

Jan 22, 2013 9:25 AM in response to sjogren

No idea if the recovery method installs just the update or a "combo" version, but that is the new "fix" from Apple and will install the entire OS on top of what you have and will leave everything else unless you choose to erase first.

Updating has become ridiculously confusing because Apple installs a "special" OS version for what appears to be every build, so there is no way for a normal human being to keep up with what goes with what. There was a problem in late Oct/early Nov when there was an update for 10.8.2 which did not work with and wasn't meant for the latest machines, but people decided to try to install it anyway - the result was either it wouldn't install or it hosed their system. Apple withdrew that update and came out with a new one about 2 weeks or so later - that one worked on all machines (if I remember the entire mishap correctly).

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