Free sample

by Joe Kissell

Ebook: $15.00

• More Info
• Contents & Intro
• What’s New
• FAQ
• Reader Comments
• Blog

In particular, you'll learn how to:

• Manage iCloud: During your Mountain Lion installation, you'll be asked for an Apple ID, but should you enter one? And, if you have more than one, which one? You'll find advice for sorting out your Apple ID before you enter the installer.

• Upgrade from Tiger or Leopard: How will you download the installer from the Mac App Store on one of these Macs? What about Rosetta for PowerPC-based apps? Joe answers these questions and discusses the special challenges you'll encounter when trying to upgrade efficiently from 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard.

• Handle Your Hardware: Check for Mountain Lion compatibility, clear extra files and software off your disk, and test your Mac to be sure all the hardware and disks are running properly—better to discover and correct a problem now than on upgrade day.

• Deal with duplication: Learn why having a duplicate of your hard disk is essential before installing Mountain Lion, and how to make one. Also, get help with backing up a Windows volume, should you be running Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp.

• Consider a few geeky details: If you secure your data and documents with disk encryption now, or would like to under Mountain Lion, get advice on what to do before you upgrade and learn why Joe likes Apple's FileVault 2. Also, read what Joe thinks of partitioning and what you might want to do about it before installing.

• Perform the upgrade: Run the Mountain Lion installer, choosing all the optimal settings and options for your computer and tastes, and make sure all your personal data is still in place afterward.

• Perform post-installation tasks: You're not done when the installer is - be sure to run Software Update, set up necessary user accounts, and (perhaps) turn on FileVault and Time Machine. You'll find help with troubleshooting any problems that may have occurred with your upgrade.

• Go beyond the basics: Joe even covers topics such as the basics of installing Mountain Lion Server; moving from an older Mac to a newer one that already has Mountain Lion installed; and using Recovery mode to fix disk problems, reinstall Mountain Lion, and perform other maintenance tasks.

Book Info 171 pages Version 1.2.1 Updated Apr 02, 2013 2.2 MB download ISBN: 9781615424092 Free sample with Table of Contents, Intro, Quick Start, and section starts. iPad & Kindle An EPUB is available to purchasers of this title; log in to your account to download it. More info... A Mobipocket file is available to purchasers of this title; log in to your account to download it. More info...

About the Author Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Macintosh, including many popular Take Control ebooks. He's also Senior Editor of TidBITS and a Senior Contributor to Macworld, and previously spent ten years in the Mac software industry.

Book Reviews Contact us for review copies Reviews of Previous Editions MyMac (9/10) MacTips IT: Technology, Language, and Culture DMMUG: Des Moines Mac User Group HerringLaw Author Interviews Contact us for interview requests

Table of Contents Read Me First Introduction Mountain Lion Upgrade Quick Start Older Cat? Learn New Tricks Check Your Mac for Compatibility Get Your Head in the Cloud Back Up Your Disk Clean Up Your Mac Make Sure Your Disk Is Ready Decide on an Installation Method Meet Me Back Here on Upgrade Day Make Final Preparations Upgrade Using Plan A: In-place Upgrade Upgrade Using Plan B: Clean Install Upgrade Using Plan C: Install over Leopard Perform Post-installation Tasks Troubleshoot Upgrade Problems Install Mountain Lion Server Migrate to a New Mac Use Recovery Mode

Read Me First Upgrading your Mac to a new operating system can be a daunting prospect, but with some expert advice, you’ll be running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in no time. This book eliminates the uncertainty and the confusion, guiding you through every step of the process. This book was written by Joe Kissell, edited by Tonya Engst, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc.

Introduction

Only a year ago—in July 2011—Apple released Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. At that time I imagined the next version of the operating system would be a good way off. Perhaps I’d have a couple of years before I’d start writing the next installment of my Take Control of Upgrading to… series, which began with the introduction of Panther in 2003.

But then, in February 2012, Apple surprised everyone by announcing that Lion’s successor, 10.8 Mountain Lion, would be out within a matter of months. I quickly rearranged my schedule so that I could continue my nine-year tradition of delivering books to help readers through the upgrade process.

Apple has progressively made upgrading simpler, safer, and less expensive. Upgrading from Lion to Mountain Lion will be, for many people, a painless exercise consisting of a $20 purchase, perhaps a few hours of waiting for an installer to download, and then a couple of clicks to perform the installation itself. Hardly something that requires over 150 pages of documentation!

And yet, upgrading always involves some hidden perils. For example, Apple doesn’t force you to back up your Mac before upgrading, or even suggest that it’s a good idea. But if something goes wrong during the process, or if you finish the upgrade but then realize you have to return to your earlier system for some reason, a proper backup could be your only salvation. As a result, I talk at length in this book about how to back up your Mac before upgrading—and how to use that backup to perform a clean installation of Mountain Lion, to solve problems, and to revert to your old system if the need arises.

I also explain why Apple’s minimum system requirements don’t tell the whole story about what you need to run Mountain Lion successfully, offer advice on avoiding software incompatibilities, show you how to recover disk space if you don’t have enough to upgrade your system, and explore several other issues that can complicate the process.

In particular, although upgrading from Lion or even Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion is usually easy, upgrading from older “big cats” isn’t. Some people own Macs that can run Mountain Lion but that are still running 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard. This is a real problem for users who want to upgrade those computers to run Mountain Lion, because Apple is distributing Mountain Lion only as a digital download from the Mac App Store—which requires 10.6 Snow Leopard or later!

For the first time ever, Apple won’t provide any physical installation media for Mountain Lion, not even as an option. This poses problems not only for those with older operating systems, but also for those without robust broadband connections that can handle a 4+ GB download. And even if you find another way to obtain a Mountain Lion installer, you may find that it refuses to run on your older system.

Furthermore, users who are still running Snow Leopard or earlier may have PowerPC applications that rely on the Rosetta software Apple discontinued with Lion. That means an upgrade without the necessary preparation steps can leave them with no way to do their work.

All these problems have solutions, which you’ll find in the pages ahead. You’ll also learn how to install Mountain Lion Server, how to migrate to a new Mac that’s running Mountain Lion, and how to use Mountain Lion’s Recovery mode for troubleshooting.

If you’ve upgraded Mac OS X numerous times, keep excellent backups, have up-to-date hardware and software, and consider yourself technically proficient, then really…you don’t need this book. But if you count yourself among those feeling anxiety, confusion, or uncertainty about upgrading to Mountain Lion, you’ve come to the right place. In this book, I spell everything out in detail. Follow my steps carefully, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

 

Mountain Lion Upgrade Quick Start

I’ve carefully arranged this book in logical order—I strongly recommend performing these steps in the order I present them. You need not learn every last detail, but I hope you’ll at least skim the whole thing. Here’s a brief overview of the steps you should take.

Start on the right foot:

• Are you still using 10.6 Snow Leopard or earlier? If so, you’ll need additional information to put you on a level field with Lion users. Learn about software compatibility issues, FileVault, how Mountain Lion is distributed, and changes you can expect in the installer. See Older Cat? Learn New Tricks.

Prepare to upgrade:

• Make sure your computer can run Mountain Lion. See Check Your Mac for Compatibility.
• Check that your cloud-based accounts and data are in order. See Get Your Head in the Cloud.
• Back up before you go forward! See Back Up Your Disk.
• Make sure key software is up to date, remove clutter that could interfere with the upgrade, and test your hardware for errors. See Clean Up Your Mac.
• Learn how encryption and partitioning can affect the way you install and use Mountain Lion, and what changes you might need to make to ensure a smooth transition. Read Make Sure Your Disk Is Ready.
• Decide which overall upgrade strategy is best for you. See Decide on an Installation Method.

Cliffhanger: The remaining steps will include information that I can reveal only after Mountain Lion is released (see Meet Me Back Here on Upgrade Day). But a rough outline of the steps you’ll undertake follows.

Finish last-minute preparations: 

• Bring your bootable duplicate up to date. 
• Obtain the Mountain Lion installer, and make a copy for safekeeping. 
• Make sure you have a way to refer to this book while you upgrade (since you won’t be able to read it on the Mac that’s in the process of being upgraded).

Perform the upgrade:

• Follow one of three strategies to run the Mountain Lion installer, choosing all the optimal settings and options for your computer and tastes.
• Complete some other tasks that I can’t tell you about yet (sorry!). 

After the upgrade:

• Perform several important post-installation tasks, including applying any available updates to Mountain Lion and dealing with any surprises that may have occurred along the way.
• Problems? If your computer isn’t working properly after the upgrade, don’t panic. You’ll find helpful troubleshooting instructions.

Go beyond the basics:

• If you want to install Mountain Lion Server, you’ll find basic instructions to get you started.
• Moving from an older Mac to a new Mac that already has Mountain Lion installed? Find the details on how to make the process painless.
• Learn how to use Recovery mode to fix disk problems, reinstall Mountain Lion, and perform other maintenance tasks.

What’s New in Version 1.2

Version 1.2 is a minor update intended to address several issues I learned about in the week or so following Mountain Lion’s release. Apart from small typographical changes, this version of the book changes the following:

• Clarifies an extra step you may need to perform to uncheck a volume’s Ignore Ownership setting; see the sidebar RTFM
• Adds a note about Mountain Lion’s Web Sharing feature in Check Service Settings and Turn Deactivated Features Back On
• Includes direct URLs for Mountain Lion in Obtain the Installer, and Mountain Lion Server in Install Mountain Lion Server
• Updates the sidebar Make a Bootable Mountain Lion Installer Volume to give directions for using Lion DiskMaker
• Adds a recommendation to Turn Off Anti-malware Software to avoid potential problems downloading Mountain Lion
• Adds a step in Migrate from Another Mac to avoid a crashing bug in Migration Assistant

Before I buy this ebook, can you tell me if my Macintosh will work with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion?

Mountain Lion's basic hardware requirements are somewhat complex. According to Apple, you'll need not just an Intel Core 2 Duo or better processor, but also a logic board that’s designed to boot into a 64-bit kernel, as well as an "advanced GPU (graphics processing unit) chipset." Apple lists which Mac models meet these requirements at http://www.apple.com/osx/specs/.

To find out which Mac model you have:

• If you're running 10.7 Lion, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu and then click More Info. Then choose Window > About This Mac.

• If you're running 10.6 Snow Leopard or earlier, well, you could buy this ebook for more help—you can ask for a refund if it turns out that your Mac is too old. Another resource is the MacTracker app.

Can I read this ebook on an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Kindle?

There are lots of great ways to read our ebooks on these devices. For more details, please read our latest Device Advice.

Ask a Question

Feel free to ask us if you have a question about this title!

Send Us Your Comments!

How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!

WOW!

I just did an upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion and all I can say is....WOW! Your Take Control instructions were educational, informative, and well directed. —Kristopher Johnson

Thanks So Much

Thanks so much for a super ebook for upgrading to Lion. I upgraded earlier today with my iMac. I had ZERO problems due to your ebook. And, all my third-party apps which I upgraded, as appropriate, worked fine. —Barry B.

Great Value

I bought both Take Control books—'Upgrading to Lion' and 'Using Lion'. They've been great value and really very useful. I upgraded four Macs with no problems whatsoever after creating a boot disc as described. Where I needed to keep Snow Leopard alongside Lion, because of PPC software, I followed the instructions and once again, experienced a smooth installation. —Dave W, from the UK

Really Useful Advice

Excellent books, and really useful advice. I successfully upgraded to Lion following your advice and guidance....If I had not purchased these books I would have definitely run into trouble. I had no idea the upgrade was something that had to be handled with such a lot of preparation and thought. —Thanks, C.P.

Update Plans

August 9, 2012 -- We have no particular plans to update this ebook again.

—Tonya Engst 

---

TidBITS Presents: We’re Talking Mountain Lion

August 1, 2012 -- 

We have just held the second TidBITS Presents live event using Google+ Hangouts, this one dedicated to Mountain Lion. Joe Kissell and Matt Neuberg, authors respectively of Take Control of Upgrading to Mountain Lion and Take Control Using Mountain Lion, each gave live presentations and answered questions from viewers. Why are we telling you about it after the event is over? Because the Internet never forgets: although you won't be able to ask questions, you can view and listen to the event in its entirety on our TidBITS Presents page.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Orders are processed for us by eSellerate on a secure site.
Copyright 2013 TidBITS Publishing Inc. | Privacy Policy | Contact | Follow on Twitter