My fiancé has a 13″ MacBook Pro from 2009. While it probably worked great when it was new, five years later it had become painfully slow (#firstworldproblems) with its 2GB of RAM and 160GB HDD. A few searches online uncovered others who had similar setups and successfully upgraded them to modern performance standards with an SSD and additional RAM.
The Leopard Upgrade license explicitly applies to the Up-To-Date Program (US$9.95) for Macs bought between June 8 and December 26, 2009 and the installation discs provided through this program are clearly marked as upgrades unlike either of the retail editions. New or changed features. Upgrade mid 2009 MacBook Pro to Mojave? I was under the impression that my old Mac Book Pro (mid 2009) was not compatible with the new Mac OS X Mojave. However the computer is offering me the update automatically.
A Bit of Background
When I first used this laptop in 2013 (four years after it was manufactured) it was running OS X Snow Leopard. From a cold boot, it took about 4 minutes to load the OS and stop thrashing the hard drive so you could open a browser or iTunes. This was bad even for the hardware it had, so I tried a few different solutions, including upgrading to OS X Lion, fixing disk permissions, and general hard drive cleanup (defrag, deleting applications and files that were no longer needed, etc.).
Nothing seemed to make a difference, and after an agonizing afternoon slowly upgrading to OS X Mountain Lion, I decided to get serious about fixing the problem. The only 'free' option that I really had left was to backup the data, reformat the hard drive, and install a fresh copy of OS X. I decided against that because even the best-case scenario would still be slow compared to the SSD speeds I'm used to on my personal desktop and my company MacBook with an SSD.
The Upgrade
Knowing that others had success with SSD and RAM upgrades in this MacBook model, I decided to pull the trigger on new hardware. After browsing a few discussions on Apple's support site and reading some reviews, I ordered a Crucial M500 240GB SSD because others reported good compatibility with the specific nVidia chipset (MCP79) in this 2009 MacBook Pro 13″. I also picked up a Crucial 2x4GB DDR3 1066 Mac memory kit.
For the installation process, there are plenty of blogs and tutorials so I won't go into full details here. I would like to emphasize that you should get a Phillips #00 screwdriver and a Torx T6 screwdriver if you don't already have them. These are the steps I followed (make sure you avoid static discharge when handling the computer internals):
- Backup any files that you want to keep from the old hard drive. I used an external USB drive and Time Machine to create a backup.
- Create a bootable USB installation drive. I used createinstallmedia and a 16GB USB flash drive.
- Shut down the MacBook. Don't just put it to sleep; it must be shut down.
- Use the Phillips #00 screwdriver to remove the 10 screws on the bottom of the MacBook. Keep track of where they go because three of them are longer than the others. I set them down in the same pattern they are installed in the MacBook.
- Take off the bottom cover and use the Torx T6 screwdriver to loosen the two black screws in the black arm/hinge that holds down the hard drive.
- Remove the black arm, then use the pull tab to carefully lift out the hard drive.
- Unplug the SATA and power cable from the hard drive, then remove the four screws in the sides of the hard drive with the Torx T6 screwdriver.
- Put those four screws on the new SSD and stick the plastic pull tab on it.
- Connect the SATA and power cable to the new SSD, and carefully place it where the old hard drive was located.
- Reattach the black arm and tighten down the two screws to hold the SSD in place.
- For the RAM upgrade, follow Apple's instructions.
- Reattach the bottom panel and screws.
- Press the power button and wait a few minutes for it to boot up.
- Format the SSD as a startup drive.
- Attach the bootable USB installer and restart the MacBook while holding down the Option key.
- Select the USB drive to boot from and follow instructions to install OS X.
- Boot into OS X and transfer your data from the backup. I simply dragged and dropped files from the Time Machine backup because I didn't need to keep any apps from the previous installation.
The Results
The MacBook Pro now feels like a brand new machine. I'm getting a 3 Gigabit link speed instead of 1.5 in the System Report, and I can boot it and launch a browser in less than a minute. Applications open in a few seconds or less instead of taking up to a minute to open.
I highly recommend an SSD upgrade over a new MacBook Pro if yours is less than 5 years old and you don't need the latest hardware features like a Retina display or Airplay mirroring. With RAM being relatively inexpensive, it makes a nice upgrade too, especially if you find yourself multitasking a lot.
For about $200 and a few hours of work, my fiancé has a MacBook Pro that performs her daily computing tasks as well as a $1,000+ brand new model.
The latest version of the macOS operating system, macOS High Sierra, was released on Monday, September 25, 2017.
In this article, we will explain how to upgrade mac to macOS High Sierra.
Why Should We Upgrade to macOS High Sierra?
Apple released the latest macOS, High Sierra, and added some new features including a new and improved Apple File System (AFPS), a faster browser, stellar graphics, better gaming capabilities and VR support. MacOS 10.13 is absolutely worthwhile to upgrade your Mac.
macOS High Sierra System Compatibility
You can download and install macOS High Sierra OS for free in 2009 or later. Basically, if your Mac is currently running macOS Sierra system (macOS 10.12), you can smoothly upgrade to macOS High Sierra.
The following is the device compatibility information released by Apple:
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Some features, such as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoding and decoding require newer processors and devices, some of which unfortunately cannot run on older devices.
If you are running OS X Lion (10.7.5) or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS High Sierra.
How to Upgrade macOS
There are two ways to upgrade macOS: directly in Mac App Store, or upgrade using an USB device.
No matter which way you choose, always remember to back up your data before performing an upgrade.
Time Machine Backup
Apple has its own official backup tool: Time Machine. This feature was released in OS X 10.5 Leopard. If you have never backed up, let me tell you how important it is.
Time Machine can connect to your Mac and any external hard drive via USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt port. Back up everything on your Mac directly to your hard drive, in case the Mac cannot upgrade properly.
It also supports Apple's Time Capsule and backup disks connected over a network as long as the disks support AFPS. As long as the disk is available to your Mac, you can use it for Time Machine backups.
When enabled, Apple's Time Machine will periodically transfer all files and store data on an inserted external hard drive or on a Time Capsule connected to the network.
You can choose hourly, daily or weekly backup to store your data on the external hard drive. When the external device is full, Time Machine will delete the oldest backup and replace it with the newer version.
Let's check how to enable Time Machine backup on Mac devices.
1. Choose 'System Preferences…' from the Mac menu.
2. Double-click the Time Machine icon.
3. Click 'Select Backup Disk…' to select the disk you want to use as a Time Machine backup.
4. Select the 'Back Up Automatically' check box so that your Mac will automatically back up data to your chosen disk.
If you want to restore files from Time Machine, make sure your Mac is running. Click 'Enter Time Machine', find the previous file or folder, and then click 'Restore.'
Besides Time Machine, you can try other great backup and restore software such as Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and SuperDuper.
1. Direct Upgrade in Mac App Store
Generally, you can upgrade your system directly in the Mac App Store by clicking 'Check for Updates' or click the following link to download macOS High Sierra:
If you use a Beta version, you still need to click the link above to download the system, or go to the developer's website for download information.
If you want to choose 'USB clean upgrade', check the detailed information below.
2. Upgrade using USB device
i. USB Preparation
Before formatting your current operating system, download macOS High Sierra from the Mac App Store first. You will need a copy of macOS High Sierra to perform a clean installation later. If you want to upgrade to this version, it is possible as long as your current operating system version is lower than macOS High Sierra.
Natively, look for 'Disk Utility' in your application, select an external USB device with a capacity of 8 GB or larger, format it directly, and remember to choose the format 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)'. If it is a hard disk, it would be better to make a partition beforehand.
If you have already downloaded the macOS High Sierra package, do not click on the installation. Directly open the 'terminal' program, which you can find in the application.
When typing the following text in the terminal, check the name of the formatted external USB device. If you do not name it 'Untitled', you need to change the command syntax of the path name: Volumes/Untitled. The names of external USB devices cannot contain spaces and are case sensitive.
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Untitled –applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app –nointeraction
Press 'Enter' on your keyboard to execute the command. You will then be prompted to enter the administrator password. It will start the process after the operation, which can take a long time, depending on the transfer speed of the external USB device. When done, the terminal window will report 'Done.'
ii. USB Upgrade Installation
a. Click the Apple icon .
b. Choose 'Restart…' from the drop-down menu.
c. Press and hold 'Command+R' when you hear a startup ring (or when the screen on your newer Mac device turns black), and hold down the keys until your computer restarts.
d. Open 'Disk Utility', choose your startup disk, and then click 'Erase'.
e. Select 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' from the list of volume formats and start formatting.
f. When it returns to the former page, insert your USB and click 'Continue'.
g. When the installation window appears, click 'Continue' again.
h. Agree to the software terms and conditions. Choose your hard drive.
i. Click 'Install' and wait until the upgrade is done.
How to Keep Your Mac Always Clean
If you have done a complete installation of macOS, you must be enjoying the completely new macOS now. I believe you also want to keep your Mac clean. Let's say someday your Mac has a lot of junk files and duplicate photos. There are also probably many apps you have never used and don't need them anymore. I must tell you there is a savior for your Mac! Its name is Cleaner One Pro. It's really great to have such a system optimizing tool. With its 'Junk Files' feature, it not only cleans temporary files including logs, mail caches, iTunes and iOS temporary files, and empties trash for the current user, but also detects remaining files after deleting apps.
It also has a function called 'Duplicate Files', which can find duplicate files on your Mac through fast and accurate scanning techniques covering your entire home folder. Duplicates are selected not only by the file name but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. It can further help you decide which copy to delete by presenting the 'Auto Select' button.
Duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files; either by sending them to trash or deleting them permanently.
If you want to choose 'USB clean upgrade', check the detailed information below.
2. Upgrade using USB device
i. USB Preparation
Before formatting your current operating system, download macOS High Sierra from the Mac App Store first. You will need a copy of macOS High Sierra to perform a clean installation later. If you want to upgrade to this version, it is possible as long as your current operating system version is lower than macOS High Sierra.
Natively, look for 'Disk Utility' in your application, select an external USB device with a capacity of 8 GB or larger, format it directly, and remember to choose the format 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)'. If it is a hard disk, it would be better to make a partition beforehand.
If you have already downloaded the macOS High Sierra package, do not click on the installation. Directly open the 'terminal' program, which you can find in the application.
When typing the following text in the terminal, check the name of the formatted external USB device. If you do not name it 'Untitled', you need to change the command syntax of the path name: Volumes/Untitled. The names of external USB devices cannot contain spaces and are case sensitive.
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Untitled –applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app –nointeraction
Press 'Enter' on your keyboard to execute the command. You will then be prompted to enter the administrator password. It will start the process after the operation, which can take a long time, depending on the transfer speed of the external USB device. When done, the terminal window will report 'Done.'
ii. USB Upgrade Installation
a. Click the Apple icon .
b. Choose 'Restart…' from the drop-down menu.
c. Press and hold 'Command+R' when you hear a startup ring (or when the screen on your newer Mac device turns black), and hold down the keys until your computer restarts.
d. Open 'Disk Utility', choose your startup disk, and then click 'Erase'.
e. Select 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' from the list of volume formats and start formatting.
f. When it returns to the former page, insert your USB and click 'Continue'.
g. When the installation window appears, click 'Continue' again.
h. Agree to the software terms and conditions. Choose your hard drive.
i. Click 'Install' and wait until the upgrade is done.
How to Keep Your Mac Always Clean
If you have done a complete installation of macOS, you must be enjoying the completely new macOS now. I believe you also want to keep your Mac clean. Let's say someday your Mac has a lot of junk files and duplicate photos. There are also probably many apps you have never used and don't need them anymore. I must tell you there is a savior for your Mac! Its name is Cleaner One Pro. It's really great to have such a system optimizing tool. With its 'Junk Files' feature, it not only cleans temporary files including logs, mail caches, iTunes and iOS temporary files, and empties trash for the current user, but also detects remaining files after deleting apps.
It also has a function called 'Duplicate Files', which can find duplicate files on your Mac through fast and accurate scanning techniques covering your entire home folder. Duplicates are selected not only by the file name but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. It can further help you decide which copy to delete by presenting the 'Auto Select' button.
Duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files; either by sending them to trash or deleting them permanently.
You probably also need an intelligent app uninstaller. Don't worry, Cleaner One Pro has this function. It can auto-clean leftovers of deleted apps and manage all the applications installed on your Mac easily. When you remove an app you don't need anymore, it can get rid of all the associated files of the uninstalled app as well. It will also notify you of new updates to installed apps.
2009 Mac Os Upgrade High Sierra
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