Ultimeter

Q: Moving Mavericks around. Good idea? Or not?

I know this seems like a never-ending question but I'll ask it again.  I have a 2011 Mac Mini, 10.8.5 Mt Lion.  Finally decided to upgrade OSX but only Yosemite is now available it seems. My audio software (Wavelab 7.2) I've been told will not work under Yosemite.   So I guess I'm stuck with 10.8.5 Mt Lion.  However, I have another Mac Mini 2012 with Mavericks installed.  Is there any way I can copy just the OS from the other Mini to this one?  I also have the same problem with my Mac Pro 2011.  I have dual boot drives in it. One with 10.8.5 to use with Cubase and Wavelab but also another drive in it that has 10.9.5 on it.  Can I move Mavericks from one drive to the other without overwriting the audio software?  Mavericks is what came with the Mac Pro when I bought it used so it doesn't show up in my purchases in App Store.  I used my Snow Leopard disc to install 10.8.5 on the second hard drive so I could still use Cubase and Wavelab.   Confusing I'm sure but as a recent convert from Windows to Mac (couldn't be happier with the improved performance of my audio gear) I'm still trying to figure this stuff out.

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Jan 12, 2015 11:17 AM

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Q: Moving Mavericks around. Good idea? Or not?

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  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jan 12, 2015 11:28 AM in response to Ultimeter
    Level 10 (271,755 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 12, 2015 11:28 AM in response to Ultimeter

    You cannot clone just the operating system and leave all the other stuff behind. But you can clone OS X from another computer then restore the clone on a different computer provided the version of OS X being cloned is compatible on the target computer.

     

    Bear in mind that when you do this you also get the same system and user preferences of the source computer. You will need an external drive as the intermediary or connect the two computers using either a Firewire or Thunderbolt cable and boot the target computer into Target Disk Mode.

     

    Clone Yosemite, Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion using Restore Option of Disk Utility

     

    Boot to the Recovery HD:

     

    Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.

     

         1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue

             button.

         2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.

         3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.

         4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it

             to the Destination entry field.

         5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to

             the Source entry field.

         6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

     

    Destination means the target computer's hard drive. Source means the internal startup drive of the source computer.


    If you use an intermediary external drive, then you must first boot the target computer from the Recovery HD on the external drive so you can restore the clone from the external drive.

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jan 12, 2015 11:41 AM in response to Ultimeter
    Level 5 (7,753 points)
    Notebooks
    Jan 12, 2015 11:41 AM in response to Ultimeter

    You really should not copy one working OS from one Mac model onto a completely different Mac model. There are drivers that may be specific to that model installed into the OS.

    A mini can be cloned to a similar model Mac mini, however you need to think about things like iTunes authorisations (de-authorise it before you begin), and software licences. If you clone a Mac some software will just stop working if it sees a duplicate licences on the network or it may require you de(re)register copies on their servers.

     

    You could boot one mini in 'Target disk mode' & connect it to the other Mini, from that point you can clone one disk to the other.

    How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode - Apple Support

    Take a full backup first (of both mini's incase you make a terrible mistake ). Disk Utility can clone disks, as can Carbon Copy Cloner.

     

    You also seem to want to merge OS's (if my understanding is correct). Whilst this is 'doable' however it is a terrible idea unless you have lots of experience & understand the OS. Again merging from one model to another across OS versions is not advisable. Why can't you just install the software you need onto the desired Mac?

     

    You seem to be mixing up 10.8.5 & Snow Leopard (10.6) too, a 10.6 DVD can't be used to install 10.8. I assume you mean you installed 10.6, then downloaded 10.8 to upgrade the OS?

     

    Frankly I consider it misguided to want to upgrade any Mac when it is working well & it is known that the next OS does not support the required software. What exactly do you gain by going to 10.10? Can you dedicate one Mac only to the things you need on 10.10?

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jan 12, 2015 11:57 AM in response to Kappy
    Level 10 (271,755 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 12, 2015 11:57 AM in response to Kappy

    I would agree with Drew's last remarks. If you have mission critical software, then never upgrade until you know your software will work on the upgraded machine.

     

    See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.

  • by keg55,

    keg55 keg55 Jan 12, 2015 12:00 PM in response to Ultimeter
    Level 6 (8,514 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 12, 2015 12:00 PM in response to Ultimeter

    This may or may not work. Download the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant along with a 4GB thumb drive and run it from your Mac Pro that has OS X Mavericks.

     

    The utility will create a Recovery HD of the version of OS X you have installed (in your case Mavericks) onto the thumb drive. Then unplug it from the Mac Pro and restart your 2011 Mac Mini using the Option key and select the thumb drive. This will take you into the OS X Utilities menu. See if OS X Mavericks will install for you (Reinstall OS X - selection).

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jan 13, 2015 10:38 AM in response to Ultimeter
    Level 9 (73,687 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 13, 2015 10:38 AM in response to Ultimeter

    On the Mac Mini 2012, go to the App Store Purchases tab and see if Mavericks is there. If so, download it. You can then transfer the installer to the other computer or make a bootable USB disk using this free program.

     

    Bootable USB Flash Drive – Diskmaker X