I have a 2009 Mac Pro, which has been upgraded to a MacPro5,1. It's currently running macOS Sierra. I was going to upgrade it High Sierra, but the High Sierra installer said it needs to first update the firmware and asked me to proceed in doing that. So you have successfully installed macOS High Sierra, but for some reason, your Mac won’t boot up. You may try to reset NVRAM in this case. NVRAM stands for non-volatile RAM and stores various system settings like time-zone, startup disk selection, kernel panic preferences, or display resolution.
Performing an El Capitan-to-Sierra upgrade is easy. Although it does not come like a push-one-button-and-proceed method, the truth is it’s quite close.
Requirements for Upgrading from El Capitan to Sierra
Before we proceed with our step-by-step guide, allow us to answer an important question that some Mac users have in mind: “Can an old Mac still upgrade to Sierra?”
The answer is, of course, a YES. However, there are a few minimum requirements that need to be met, such as the following:
- 2 GB RAM
- 8 GB Storage Space
- Mac Models: Late 2009 iMac, 2009 MacBook, 2010 MacBook Pro, 2010 MacBook Air, 2010 Mac Mini, 2010 Mac Pro
Once you are certain that your Mac has met the requirements above, make sure you have backed up your Mac. This backup will come in handy in case something comes up in the process of upgrading to High Sierra.
Upgrading from El Capitan to Sierra
After backing up your Mac’s important files and folders, it’s time to get started. Here’s how to upgrade from El Capitan to Sierra.
1. Download High Sierra from the App Store.
High Sierra is available for download from the App Store. To get it, follow these steps:
- Open the Mac App Store by simply clicking on the App Store icon in the dock.
- Navigate to the Featured tab.
- Find macOS Sierra in the rightmost column and click on it.
- Click Download.
- At this point, the download will start. It may take long, especially if it’s your first time accessing the App Store. Just be patient.
- Once the download is completed, the installer should launch automatically.
2. Start the Upgrade.
With the High Sierra installer ready, it’s time to actually install it. Here’s how:
- The High Sierra installer should now be open on your Mac. If you have accidentally quit it, you can restart it by going to the Applications folder and double-clicking on the installer.
- Click Continue to proceed.
- Press on the Agree button to agree with the software licensing terms and agreements flashed on your screen.
- Click on the Agree button again to verify your action.
- Hit Install.
- A new dialog box will pop up, requiring you to input your administrator password. Provide that information and click Add Helper.
- The High Sierra installer will begin copying the system files to the new target drive. The progress will show in a new window.
- As soon as all the system files are copied, your Mac will automatically reboot. Don’t panic if the restart process takes a while. It only means your Mac is coping with the installation process.
3. Utilize the Setup Assistant to Complete the Installation.
Your Mac should already be finished with the basic installation process. The next thing you should do is run the Setup Assistant to configure some important macOS High Sierra options and settings.
Take note, though, that if your Mac is configured to ask for your login details, a normal login window will show. Provide your login credentials so you can proceed with the following steps:
- The Setup Assistant starts off by asking you for your Apple ID details. If you wish to leave everything as it is, click the Set Up Later option.
- Let the Setup Assistant configure all vital services that need your Apple ID credentials. Simply provide your Apple ID password and hit Continue.
- Click Agree if you agree with the Terms and Conditions flashed on your screen.
- You will be asked to verify your action again. To continue, click Agree again.
- The Setup Assistant should then continue with configuring your iCloud account information. It will also ask you whether you want to set up iCloud Keychain. You can just skip it to avoid confusing yourself.
- Next, there will be options displayed on your screen regarding how you wish to use iCloud for storing images and documents. Choose which of them apply to you by clicking on the boxes next to each one of them:
- Store Files from Documents and Desktop in iCloud Drive – This option will allow you to automatically upload files from your Desktop and Documents folder to your iCloud Drive. Be mindful, though, that Apple only offers a limited amount of storage space for free users. If all this free space is exhausted, you will be asked to purchase additional storage.
- Store Photos and Videos in iCloud Photo Library – This will let you upload videos and images from your Photo Library to iCloud. As with the first option, you have to remember that you only have limited free storage space.
- Hit Continue.
- Wait for the Setup Assistant to finish the setup process.
- You will know when it’s done because you will be taken to your desktop.
Summary
We hope you found this guide useful. But before you download macOS Sierra and perform an upgrade, do not forget to clean up your Mac with a reliable Mac repair tool first. This way, you can ensure that nothing comes your way and keeps you from making the most of High Sierra.
Did we miss some important steps above? Do you know other, easier methods to upgrade from El Capitan from Sierra? We’d love to know. Comment on them below!
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See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
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.
High Sierra Patches For Mac Pro 2009 Tower
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.
High Sierra Patches For Mac Pro 2009 For Sale
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.