Copying MacOS Upgrade Installler to another computer

[Babz]

I needed a High Sierra upgrade installer (no longer available in the App Store).

My friend's MBP (which is running Mavericks) had an "Install MacOS High Sierra" installer in its Applications folder (approx 5GB in size).

I copied it to a Mac Mini (which is running El Capitan).

Question: Can I use this Installer (a High Sierra Installer copied from a Mavericks MBP) to upgrade the El Capitan to High Sierra on the Mac Mini?

Basically, my question is: Will these installers (downloaded automatically by Apple at some point) work with ANY Mac or are they only to be used for the particular model and OS from which they came?

Anybody know about this kinda thing?

Thanks,
Babz

[mikehalloran]

Yes. To avoid potential problems, zip the installer while on the other Mac before copying it over (8G UsB drive etc). Unzip it onto your other Mac if upgrading or make a USB installer.

If you make a USB installer on the other Mac, it will work on any HS compatible machine. It will erase any Mac you use it on, however.

If you buy a new Mini with Catalina, you'll need to make the USB installer. A Refurb might have Mojave installed — same deal.

I can post how to make the installer if you need.

[Babz]

Thanks. I copied it from one Mac to another using Airdrop. I did not zip first. Don't know anything about the USB thing you mention, but don't think it applies for my situation. Don't want to ever upgrade this Mac Mini beyond High Sierra.

Followup question... Can I go directly from El Cap to High Sierra, or do I need to do Sierra first?

Thx.
Babz

[mikehalloran]

Thanks. I copied it from one Mac to another using Airdrop. I did not zip first.

If the installer, great. If not, gotta zip/unzip.

Don't know anything about the USB thing you mention, but don't think it applies for my situation. Don't want to ever upgrade this Mac Mini beyond High Sierra.

Yea, that wasn't clear. If upgrading, you don't need to make an installer.

Followup question... Can I go directly from El Cap to High Sierra, or do I need to do Sierra first?

Thx.
Babz

Should be fine if you boot from an SSD—it will not install onto an HDD or Hybrid drive. The installer will reformat the drive APFS and run one or more firmware updates during the process.

If the Installer opens but doesn't install, back out of it and reset the NV RAM (PRAM). If it still doesn't work, let me know. Sometimes, Macs get stuck in the shut-down process while updating and I have a set of Terminal commands for that.

[Babz]

OK, one more time, with feeling.

Apparently, I have not been precise in my terminology and have been using the term "installer" when I should have said "updater." So let's try this again.

I have a Mac Mini that is currently running El Cap but which will need to get updated to High Sierra at some point. And as we know, you can't get older updates like High Sierra from Apple anymore. (%@#$! Apple!) You can only get the most recent OS update (which I don't want!).

But in the Applications folder on a friend's MBP which runs Mavericks, I found the High Sierra updater, something called "Install macOS High Sierra" (about 5 GB in size). I believe this is the High Sierra update, which Apple downloaded automatically to the Mavericks computer at some point in the past.

[The El Cap-Mac Mini has "Install macOS Sierra" on it and "Install macOS Mojave" on it, but for whatever reason Apple never pushed out a High Sierra updater. Thus, I went looking on a friend's computer, said Mavericks MBP.]

I copied this to the El Cap Mac Mini using Airdrop. (I did not zip it first, and it is unclear to me why I would need to zip it first, but if you really think it could be problematic not to, I guess I could do the whole thing over again zipping first.)

The rest of the stuff about USB and "erasing" and "reformatting" and SSD and HDDs and hybrids and such is confusing and stressful for me. I don't want to reformat or erasing anything. I don't want to create a USB installer (whatever that may be). I simply want to update an El Cap Mac Mini to High Sierra.

I simply want to run the High Sierra update (which I copied via Airdrop from a Mavericks MBP) on the El Cap Mac Mini at some point. That is the question. Is this OK to do? I believe you are saying the answer is yes.

Thx!

[mikehalloran]

Let's try again.

I found the High Sierra updater, something called "Install macOS High Sierra" (about 5 GB in size)

That is an installer, not an updater. Zipped, the 10.13.6 installer is 5,222,369,495 bytes (5.24 GB on disk). Since you're installing on a Mini you do not need the 10.13.3 installer.

I copied this to the El Cap Mac Mini using Airdrop. (I did not zip it first, and it is unclear to me why I would need to zip it first, but if you really think it could be problematic not to, I guess I could do the whole thing over again zipping first.)

IF THE INSTALLER OPENS, YOU'RE FINE. IF IT DOESN'T, ZIP AND UNZIP like I mentioned in my first response. It's a permissions issue.

The rest of the stuff about USB and "erasing" and "reformatting" and SSD and HDDs and hybrids and such is confusing and stressful for me. I don't want to reformat or erasing anything. I don't want to create a USB installer (whatever that may be). I simply want to update an El Cap Mac Mini to High Sierra.

If it just works, great. If not, you may have to deal with these things.

I simply want to run the High Sierra update (which I copied via Airdrop from a Mavericks MBP) on the El Cap Mac Mini at some point. That is the question. Is this OK to do? I believe you are saying the answer is yes.

I'm saying it should.

If your Mini does not boot from an SSD, stop reading till you've updated the drive. High Sierra will not install for you.

Otherwise, there's no problem I haven't encountered but how to solve it depends on the problem.

[mikehalloran]

This shouldn't apply but just in case:

If you are using any form of eGPU such as DisplayLink USB monitor box or any app that lets you use an iPad as a monitor, do not install 10.13.4, 5 or 6. Earlier is fine and I can link you to the 10.13.3 updater.

I also have the 10.13.3 installer zipped and ready. There are many ways to get it to you.

Otherwise, no eGPU? Install away and update to 10.13.6. Then run any security updates.

[Babz]

OK, thanks. Much clearer now. Except for this one bit..

If your Mini does not boot from an SSD, stop reading till you've updated the drive. High Sierra will not install for you.

The boot drive on the El Cap Mini that I want upgrade to High Sierra is not SSD. It is HDD. No SSDs involved.

It sounds like you're saying High Sierra cannot be installed on an HDD, only SSD. You say "stop reading till you've updated the [HDD] drive." Update the HDD drive in what sense?

I googled but could find no info about this. All I found was this article:

https://www.macworld.com/article/323015 ... -wait.html

It mentions stuff about SSDs and the new Apple File System vs. the old HFS+ system. But nothing about HDDs.

[Babz]

BREAKING NEWS:

It seems conventional wisdom has been misinformed.

Apple DOES still offer a way to get the High Sierra upgrade. I just found THIS:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969

Who knew?

I guess I will just trash the transferred "Install macOS High Sierra" thing I copied over via Airdrop and do it through the Apple App Store link above!

Still confused about the SSD vs HDD "update" the drive comment, however.

[HCMarkus]

BREAKING NEWS:

It seems conventional wisdom has been misinformed.

Apple DOES still offer a way to get the High Sierra upgrade. I just found THIS:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208969

Who knew?

I did. An old family recipe. But I didn't see this thread until now, and you have discovered the Knowledge of the Ancients on your own. Congratulations Babz!

If your Mac supports it, why not go all the way to Mojave while yer at it? (But even if your Mac supports Catalina, I'd steer clear for now... so many potential collateral issues with the new 64 bit only version of macOS).

Although I haven't tried to install Mojave orHigh Sierra on a spinner, I don't see anything suggesting it cannot be done. I found this on ArsTechnica:

For starters, any Mac that wasn’t automatically switched to APFS last year will get switched when you upgrade to Mojave—even installing Mojave on an external HFS+ volume now converts it to APFS. This includes Macs with spinning hard drives (mostly older Macs, though some current iMacs and Mac Minis still ship with HDDs, weird as that is for top-shelf computers in 2018) and Fusion Drives. That’s good news for anyone with a Fusion Drive, since Apple implemented some APFS features specifically to benefit them.

[mikehalloran]

A 2012 or later Mini can run Mojave and will format APFS. 2011 and earlier cannot. I don’t see that the year has been mentioned.


As to breaking news, perhaps the latest 10.13.6 installer will install on an HDD. The early ones 10.13 and 10.13.1 will not. We don’t know what we don’t know.

The 10.13.6 installer is available for download but I don’t have the link handy.

There’s a way to install High Sierra without formatting APFS. It’s complicated and in the interest of avoiding headaches, I will refrain from posting it.

The chances that an OE HDD in a 2012 or earlier Mini is in great shape is 0%. I’ve pulled hundreds from 2009–2013 Macs and test every one (the latest from my dad’s 2012 MBP). Not one has passed with flying colors.

If the plan is to use this machine, the idea of not upgrading to an SSD is absurd. An excellent 2TB drive with a 5 year warranty can be had under $250. It’s a straight install—no adapters needed. Easy DIY but the procedure depends on the year.

[Babz]

Thx. It is a 2012 Mac Mini. I have downloaded the installer from the Mac App store, but can't install it until a later time.

SSD vs HDD is an interesting topic, but not applicable to the current situation. At some point a SSD will probably be installed, but not important at the moment.

Only reason for the upgrade from El Cap to High Sierra is that for the first time, I am starting to see software that requires HS or higher (e.g., latest Native Instrument Komplete). Have no interest in Mojave. Don't see anything that requires it currently.

Operating System upgrades are a major nuisance. They rarely offer anything that I need, and have often taken away functionality that I liked!

[HCMarkus]

Have no interest in Mojave. Don't see anything that requires it currently.
Operating System upgrades are a major nuisance.

That's why I suggest you go all the way to Mojave now, while you are at it! Deal with the pain once, not now and then again later when you need Mojave, if for no other reason than an extra year of security updates. Just a thought...