Q: Update to Mavericks?
I am thinking about updating to Mavericks from Snow Leopard 10.6.8 . I don't use a lot of third party software, Quark I do use and it is version 8.5.1 - their site isn't tell me if compatible, does anyone know if that is compatible with Mavericks? I mainly just use this for internet so will I have any issues doing the upgrade? Also, I did a test on Lion a long time ago and now have a split drive with 2 partitions (I don't really know much about this but was told to do this for the test). I "never" use the Lion portion so want to get rid of it and get back to one partition. How would I do this and can I just upgrade without transferring all the software back and forth, etc.? I just want to do the upgrade, remove the 2 partitions and make it one, without having to reinstall all software, etc., is that possible? I know Quark has issues when I have to reinstall because need all kinds of codes, etc. Also, I have Verizon FiOS and print wirelessly so will all that work the same after this is done? Can anyone tell me exactly what to do to get this to one partition and upgrade without a major reinstall of all software - any help is appreciated. THANKS!
MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Posted on Apr 17, 2014 11:26 AM
Gary Schnetter wrote:
Quark I do use and it is version 8.5.1 - their site isn't tell me if compatible, does anyone know if that is compatible with Mavericks?
Quark says it's not: Important message BEFORE upgrading to OS X Mavericks - Quark Forums
I mainly just use this for internet so will I have any issues doing the upgrade?
I had no "issues" with upgrading to Mavericks, or after.
Folks that have "issues" usually have bad/old/incompatible software/hardware that doesn't play well with Mavericks, for example:
- any third party "utilities" like MacKeeper, CleanMyMac, or similar dreck
- third party antivirus software
- Blackberry software
- anything from Google (Google Drive, Chrome, etc.)
- WD hard drives
I just want to do the upgrade, remove the 2 partitions and make it one, without having to reinstall all software, etc., is that possible?
Yes. Using Disk Utility you would delete the Lion partition and then resize the SL partition. See Recombine Partitions on Mac | SkimFeed.com
without having to reinstall all software, etc., is that possible?
Most of the apps you are using with SL are going to have to be updated to work with Mavericks, and thus you will need to download and install updated versions.
Also, I have Verizon FiOS and print wirelessly so will all that work the same after this is done?
FiOS works with Mavericks (I'm a FiOS customer too). Whether your printer will still work with Mavericks is another matter. It will depend on whether your printer and its Wifi capabilities are Mavericks compatible. Check on your printer manufacturer's website to see if it is. This information can be very difficult to figure out from the printer manufacturer's website, however. If it does not explicitly say that the printer is Mavericks compatible I would not assume that it is. Printer manufacturers do not go out of their way to support their printers with new operating systems, especially if the printer is a few years old. This is how they encourage you to buy a new printer (it would seem that this would encourage you to buy a printer from some else, but these corporate types are not Rhodes scholars). There are some options (like generic print drivers, Gutenprint, and AirPrint) if your printer is no longer supported. If your printer is still supported under Mavericks, then most likely when you install Mavericks, the new drivers that you will need for printing and/or scanning will be automatically available via Software Update.
Can anyone tell me exactly what to do to get this to one partition and upgrade without a major reinstall of all software - any help is appreciated. THANKS!
See the answer above regarding the partitions and resizing.
For the upgrade, especially if you are going to upgrade from 10.6.8, a clean install would be a good idea:
- figure out your compatibility issues and decide whether you want to upgrade your apps too.
- run disk utility and repair your hard drive and permissions.
- do a complete backup of your old system.
- unplug your peripherals
- download the Mavericks installer
- reboot in safe mode (restart and hold down shift)
- run the installer
- install your apps
- copy your documents over from your backup
Posted on Apr 17, 2014 12:18 PM