Is it safe/prudent to install Mavericks on my nine month old iMac

I purchased this iMac last summer:
iMac, 21.5-inch, Late 2012. Processor: 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5, Memory: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Software: OS X 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion)
It is running only those apps that came with the computer plus Firefox, Flip4Mac and Adobe Reader.
It is connected to an HP Deskjet 3510 printer....that I don't want to mess with as far as changing settings.
After following this forum since the introduction of Mavericks, I am very leery of installing it. Prior to my present nine month old iMac, I had a four year old iMac that "went south" after updating to Snow Leopard. Not again.
We also have in our family a recently purchased MacBook Pro running Mavericks with no problems. It is operating quite nicely with the iMac which is still operating on Mountain Lion.

Make a backup of your ML installation before you install Mavericks, so you can revert easily if you don't like Mavericks.
Yes, that's good advice.
Another option is to...
1) Make a bootable backup of your setup on an external hard drive. SuperDuper is good for this.
2) Update the backup to Mavericks.
3) Test the backup for as long as you want, focusing especially on the things you normally do.
If the backup passes all your tests, you can use SuperDuper to copy the backup back to your Mac's hard drive, replacing it's contents entirely with the new updated to Mavericks system.
If you have two external hard drives, one could be the backup of your Lion set up, while the other could contain the Mavericks version of your setup. This way you could have your cake and eat it too, Lion AND Mavericks.
I would suggest that you DO NOT just cross your fingers, hope for the best, and update Lion to Mavericks without the backups as Apple seems to suggest. As you've seen, this might work, or it might lead to a calamity for your Mac, and a nervous breakdown for you.
It's entirely possible to make the move safely, it just takes a bit more work than you've been led to expect, that's all.
Good luck!

Similar Messages

I have just about given up trying to download Mavericks for my 6-month old iMac running OS X 10.8.5. Each time it gets to around 996mb and stops. Any suggestions welcome.

I have just about given up trying to download Mavericks for my 6-month old iMac running OS X 10.8.5. Each time it gets to around 996mb and stops. Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks Giancarlo. The problem turned out to be my modem/wireless router, which has now been replaced and the problem solved.

Hi, i have tryed to install os x leopard, (its a old imac) , disk utility is greyed out , my install dvd cant find any hdd to install on , my only way to format and configure is through terminal but dont know what commands to execute

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diskutil list , wont show up my harddrive , i now its functionally cause it shows up in disk utility with name and i can get info about it , but everything is greyed out can only switch between "erase , partition , recover , Raid ,....
when i click the apple in the top left corner the whole menu is greyed out... what to do ? help me please
Sincerly AppleNoob92
p.s i have no experience in apple imac's at all never used before, but im kinda windows nerd so computers i understand but this imac make my insane, cant seem to find any solutions anywhere on the WWW....

Your HD may be crashed, so you probably should use the oringinal install discs to run Apple Hardware Test in extended mode. If error codes appear this confirms a hardware failure. In addition you cannnot repair the HD using Disk Utility from the startup disk, you have to use the origninal Install discs that shipped with the computer or the most up-to-date version of OS X on a disc that you have.

Why is Facetime installed on my 3 month old iMac for free?

I'm trying to answer this:
Why is factime installed on my 3 month-old iMac SnowLeopard for free? Was it the update to 10.6.7 (on a system with the new "facetime HD camera" - not an iSight - that did it?
I have an older iMac where it isn't installed on - and am trying to figure out why? Both are Snow Leopard. Why do I have to pay $0.99 when it came for free on a Snow Leopard system?

I would say it is related to the purchase date. FaceTime is included in 10.6.6~8 OEM discs.

Can't install Mavericks 10.9.3 on 27" iMac 14,2 late 2013

I have the following Apple Macs:
iMac 27" 14,2 late 2013
MacBook Air 11" 6,1
Mac Mini Server 2012
All are running Mavericks. #2 and #3 happily installed the update 10.9.3, but the iMac goes through the motions, reboots and then is still on 10.9.2. No errors listed, just doesn't get installed.
I tried to repeat the attempted install, by closing all programs first and disabling every security program (I use Intego), but no change.
Any suggestions?
Incidentally I came across a similar thread with 10.9.2 where the OP re-installed Mavericks and then the upgrade worked. If I was to re-install Mavericks, will I loose any apss or data??

Click here and install it manually.
(107328)

Just installed Mavericks 10.9.2 on my IMac. Computer shuts down when I leave it unattended instead of going to sleep?, Just installed Mavericks 10.9.2 on my IMac. Computer shuts down when I leave it unattended instead of going to sleep?

Just installed Mavericks 10.9.2 on Imac and now it wont go to sleep - it shuts down so have to restart repeatedly??

Because there is a flaw in the App Store that gives you an alert you can never ever get rid of telling you to download Mavericks, even though when you click it then tells you your machine is too (I have to say 'darn' here because Apple automatically astersiks out the first word I used that also begins with d and is four letters) old. So you have to live with that little "1 update available" alert, though in reality, you cannot install it. You can imagine that either it is a sinister plot to wear away at you to buy some new hardware, even though yours is working just fine, or that it is a programming error Apple just doesn't care enough about to correct.

Can we install system 10.3 on my old iMac?

Hi, we have an older iMac G3 that has only system 9.2.2 on it. It's really struggling since the software is not internet compatible anymore. Can we install my system 10.3 on it? These are problems I forsee:
1. My install disk would install both systems 10.3 AND system 9.2.2 onto the iMac. There is no way I can install only one system from what I've been able to tell.
2. The disk space for the iMac is only 9.5 gigs.
Is that enough space for system 10.3 PLUS 9.2.2 or is there a way to install only system 10.3 onto that computer?
Thank you!
Martha
IMac G3 Mac OS 9.2.x

Hi Martha,
Unfortunately you do not give us any information
about your system. Please fill in your computer
details in "My Settings" in the right sidebar of this
page. We need to now as much as possible about your
system (Exact Mac type, processor type, MHz, RAM,
current system version, etc.) in order to help!
Ok, ok, well I have two computers so it's kind of confusing. My old iMac is a G3 400, I have 576 megs of ran, my processor is a PowerPC G3, and the hard drive is 9.5 gigs.
Whether your iMac is compatible with Panther depends
on the data I asked above.
Next you have to use the retail full install disks.
You CANNOT use grays hardware specific install disks
that shipped with another computer! The retail disks
do NOT contain OS 9, therefore the disks you own are
obviously hardware specific install&restore disks
that cannot be used (besides that it would also be
illegal).
Right, I know that and I already found out that if we want to do this, we can get Panther from the college bookstore for $49.00. I do understand that this disk ONLY has system 10.3 on it and not system 9.2.2.
Presuming your iMac is compatible with Panther (see
above) and you use the retail install CDs you can
simply install Panther alongside OS 9 without any
problems. Just make sure you install the firmware
upgrade first: Firmware Upgrades.
Great and thanks for that information!!
Martha
eMac G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) iMac G3 400, system 9.2.2

I installed Maverick an hour a go.My IMAC was on 10.6.8 before.I need to update because I like to Install Logic PRO X . Now my MBOX2 Pro is not recocnised by the System. AVID does not deliver 10.9 drivers. Wich Audio device is supported?

IMAC runs fine using Maverick 10.9. >>>> But ( I'm a musican )
Since Installation , which I needed to be upgraded for use of LOGIC X , it does not connect my Mbox2 Pro ( AVID ) anymore.
Is there an alternative Sound Audio and MIDI device that will run under Maverick ?
please advise

Hello Gweedo888
Yo did not answered my Question.
I found the AVID Page,- Yes, and I kwow this fu..... helpless statement : " won't work ".
My Question was :
Is there an alternative Soun and MIDI device that will run under Maverick.
I neded to Install 10.9 becouse I want to run / install Logic X.- that reqieres at least 10.8.5

After installing Mavericks (from Mountain Lion) on my iMac 20" mid 2007 I cannot read musical cd on the internal drive neither on external. No problems at all with my macbook air.

When I put a musical CD into the reader (no matter if it is the internal Matshita or an external drive) the system write a message like :" this computer cannot read the disk" (in italian "il disco inserito non è leggibile da questo computer").
I have also a macbook air : no problem at all with the same CD and the same external reader.
Please help me.....

Followup: on a business trip. Booked ahead for Genius Bar appointment. Fixed in half an hour. His hardware test found nothing wrong with the MacBook. He flashed Mountain Lion onto the laptop with no hiccups. Right there in the store the MB connected to iCloud and I had all my personal information back. Back in the hotel room it only took me 3 hours to fully reinstall all my purchased software over the hotel's wired LAN from the App Store and third party sites, without needing a single DVD like in the bad old days. Even re-installing MS Office was painless. I just searched with Google, then the MS page I clicked on served up a form with my information on it automatically and sent me an email with the product key when I clicked download. Obviously their server recognized this device. I cloned the MB to a small PassPort backup portable external hard drive and then used the MacBook normally in meetings next day. Very impressive service. We've come a long way from portable computing two decades ago.
Still a mystery why the installation would not complete at home, but problem resolved.

12-month old iMac running Mavericks will not run Yosemite

I have an iMac 21.5", bought new in September 2013 and currently running Mavericks with no problem. The OS is on the internal Mac HDD while Time Machine is on an external HDD. Previous OS updates have installed OK.
Yosemite however will not run. After installation I can log in with no problem and all seems well -- the first time. All attempts to log in after the first produce the Apple logo and progress bar, but the bar advances only about one third of the way and hangs up, even when left for an hour or more. Nothing at all can move it -- all I can do is reboot by powering off/on. No login appears, just -- the logo and progress bar, which starts to run then stops as before.
If I reinstall Yosemite then I get one login as before, followed by the same failure -- I have now re-installed three times.
I have tried rolling back to earlier (pre-Mavericks) OS versions on Time Machine before installing Yosemite -- same result.
Right now I am back on the previous Mavericks. All is OK and I can live without Yosemite, but I am becoming concerned for future-proofing my apps. Newer versions, for Yosemite, are not going to run.
Any help would be appreciated please.
Best wishes to all.

Sadly it did not last. Yesterday it again froze on login and this time Safe Boot got me nowhere.
No doubt if I carry on experimenting I can sort it out, but I can longer justify the long breaks from my work. I have rolled back via Time Machine to my last Mavericks-based save, and there it stays until someone at Apple gets to grips with Yosemite. Or replaces it, which I expect won't be long . . .
It just is not good enough to tell the consumer that they must accept bugs with a new release, or that it's all their own, or their system's fault or that they should get help from a support forum -- any clerk should be able to sit down and just use it. If a machine was running OK with an existing OS, then it should seamlessly switch to the new without calling for a Masters in IT to figure it out. No ifs or buts. We pay a premium price for a Mac and deserve better than this from Apple.
From my standpoint, Yosemite is without doubt the worst beast of an OS -- from any source -- that it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. This is my third Mac over the years, and at this rate it's my last -- for all Microsoft's failings, I have never encountered anything like this with Windows.

Installing internal hard drive on an old iMac

I am an absolute novice when it comes to taking apart a computer and know nothing about any technical terms or parts. I was able to install a new battery when the original died, so when the "genius" at the Apple Store said I could install an additional internal hard drive, I gave it a whirl. Before I try to return the hard drive, I thought I would give this a shot.
My iMac is a 400 MHz PowerPC G3, one of the early generations, if the not the first (see-through cobalt blue exterier). I am running with 256 MB of memory and the CPU type is PowerPC 750 (83.0). I have Mac OS X Tiger, version 10.4.6 and this machine had been working great until we recently purchased our first iPod. Now with all the music being loaded in iTunes, the iMac has slowed down and even frozen when trying to use a few applications at once.
I figured I needed more hard drive space and/or memory and the people at the Apple store suggested I purchase a Seagate 80 GB Barracuda and install it myself.
Well, I got the computer apart and found the old hard drive, but that is about as far as I can go. I read about making the new hard drive the "slave" hooking up the BLUE, BLACK and GRAY connectors on the new cable, but I don't know a motherboard from a jumpdrive and the new connectors do not match up with the old one (the Blue connector is not the same size as the old one that I think was going into the motherboard). There is also something about an unused power cable in the old computer for the new hard drive, (which I did not see) and a suggestion that I get a Y-shaped power cable from an electronics store, which even if I knew what it was, I would not know where to begin connecting it. Not only does the new connector not match up, it is about 10 times as long as the old one, which leads me to the final issue: if I could get this all hooked up and power-supplied, where in the world would I put the new, additional hard drive? There is no room I can see adjacent to the current hard drive. Do I have to take the thing further apart?
I realize this may provide a great laugh for anyone who knows how all this works. If trying to walk someone through this process using Apple Discussions does not make sense, I completely understand. I had nothing to lose (except possibly the cost of the Seagate drive if they won't take it back).
I was able to put everything back together after taking the old hard drive out, so I think I could do this if the parts were all there and matched up....but I would still need to know where to put the new drive!
Any suggestions are appreciated. I have already resigned myself to the fact I may just need a more expensive external drive...I just have few available ports.
Thanks,
Conrad Farner

"...when the "genius" at the Apple Store said I could install an additional internal hard drive, I gave it a whirl... if I could get this all hooked up and power-supplied, where in the world would I put the new, additional hard drive?"
Your iMac has room for one hard drive and the optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, etc.). Any ribbon cable supplied with the hard drive or a Y-splitter power cable is of no use in the iMac. The new drive must replace the original, because the two can't coexist internally. Additionally, you need to configure the new Seagate as "master," since the optical drive is "slave." Refer to Seagate's accompanying documentation, for instructions on setting the small jumper(s) to designate the drive as "master." The drive may have been factory-configured for "cable select," which isn't supported in your iMac. After you get that straightened out, you'll need to boot the computer from the Tiger installer CD and use "Disk Utility" to format the new drive as a Mac OS Extended (HFS+) volume. You may also want to partition it as well.
Incidentally, you should post any future questions about your iMac in the Forum dedicated to the CRT-style iMacs. You'll receive informative answers to any questions that you might have, from those who are thoroughly familiar with your model iMac.

3 month old iMac has slowed down considerably after installing ML

I bought my iMac 3 months ago and installed Mountain Lion last night. Now everything on my Mac has slowed down considerably. From opening the System Settings to opening a page in Safari.
I have MS Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint installed and also VMware Fusion. I have software (CorelDraw) that only runs on Windows (the one I have) therefor the virtual harddrive.
Is this what is causing the problem? If so, how can i uninstall ML to get my computer back to it's previous state.
I am very new to Mac so I don't quite know where to go and how to fix it.

I was just about to write the same problem, but I don't have VMware; my laptop is late 2008 was running Snow Leopard (uptodate version).
I've scientific softwares so probably would require a clean re-installation of ML. I MUST MENTION HERE that those software which were written for PPC will NOT work on ML. Just found out that one of my important softwares version won't work on ML; need $500 to upgrade that software .
Therefore, I'd also want to know how can I go back to SL.
I'll let you know how clean re-installation has worked.

Installing GarageBand 2 from Powebook to old iMac

Can I make a copy of my GarageBand from my new Powerbook and load it on to my older iMac? Both computers are running Tiger (OS X 10.4.3). What files need to be copied? How do I index the files like appleloops to make it work? I am very confused. Is this even possible? Am I required to purchase iLife for my old computer?

Contact Apple support (or call or go to an Apple Store near where you live--there is one in Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Denver and one in Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center, Littleton, CO), they may be able to provide you with a CD-ROM version of iLife. Since there is a CD-ROM version of OS X Tiger available from Apple, perhaps there is one for iLife (includes GB2).
SYSTEM REQUIREMENT NOTE:
GarageBand 2 requires a minimum 600MHz PowerPC G3 processor or faster, and a PowerPC G4 or G5 to use the software instruments.
CAVEAT:
Also the software licensing agreement is for use on one machine only. If you install it on another machine, you need to uninstall it on the other, or purchase an additional copy to install. It is illegal to copy software for use on more than one machine without a multiple user license agreement from Apple.

Installed mavericks ok, but iMovie 10 will not install because of video card deficiency.

I installed mavericks without difficulty on my 2007 iMac. However I can not install iMovie 10 that comes with Mavericks. The prompt tell me that my video cards are inadequate. Can I upgrade the video cards, and if so how costly will it be?
Denny Bettisworth

Good news:
Apple on Wednesday released an update to its consumer-level video editing and management software iMovie for Mac, adding support for machines running legacy video cards.
Check the App Store again!

Flash Player won't start on a 4 year old iMac with Maverick

L.S.
I switched to Maverick on my 4 year old iMac. At first the program Maverick slowed down te activity speed. After changing datafiles to an external drive it works oké now. No problems untill now.
Recent I needed Adobe Flash Player, which is downloaded in the most recent version on my iMac, for starting a program for showing results. The program doesn't start, I had to download the most recent version of Adobe Flash Player.
No result - Testing - downloading - removing cookies - restarting - downloading and installing again, etc.
Testing the Flash Player on YouTube the problem results in the same problem.
The software on my iMac is up to date.
Has anybody the solution to solve this ?
Thank you,
FamB

Flash Player has to be downloaded, installed and allowed .
1. System Preferences > Flash Player > Advanced > Delete All
     Press the "Delete All" button
     Install Adobe Flash Player.
    http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
    Follow the prompts.   Quit Safari.
    Restart computer. Relaunch Safari.
2. Allow Plug-ins
    Safari > Preferences > Security
    Internet Plug-ins > "Allow plug-ins"
    Enable it.
    Press " Manage Website Settings" button for more options.

Is it safe/prudent to install Mavericks on my nine month old iMac

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