Update, Upgrade, or Reinstall macOS

Question 1

What is the difference between UPDATE and an UPGRADE

Answer 1

1. An UPDATE is an incremental update of macOS, but doesn’t upgrade it to the next major version (ex: macOS 12.1 to macOS 12.2)
2. An UPGRADE installs the next standalone version of macOS (ex: macOS 11.3 to macOS 12)

Question 2

What is the difference between a REINSTALL and an INSTALL?

Answer 2

1. A REINSTALL installs the same major version of macOS on a volume that already has macOS and overwrites the OS.
2. An INSTALL installs macOS on a drive/disk/volume that does not have macOS already on it

Question 3

Does Upgrading, Reinstalling, or Installing macOS 12 Monterey require internet access?

Answer 3

Yes.

Question 4

What are the minimum requirements for macOS 12 Monterey?

Answer 4

1. OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later
2. 4 GB of memory (RAM)
3. 26 GB of available storage space if upgrading macOS Sierra 10.12 OR up to 44 GB of available storage to upgrade from an earlier release
4. Internet service
5. An Apple ID (for some features)

Question 5

What are the Mac models supported by macOS 12 Monterey?

Answer 5

iMac Pro introduced 2017 or later
MacBook Pro introduced 2015 or later
MacBook Air introduced 2015 or later
iMac introduced 2015 or later
MacBook introduced 2016
Mac mini introduced in 2014 or later
Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later

Question 6

What are the 10 features in macOS Monterey that require specific hardware to be available with the device

Answer 6

1. Airplay to Mac
2. Auto Unlock
3. Continuity Camera
4. Continuity Sketch
5. Continuity Markup
6. Handoff
7. Instant Hotspot
8. iPhone Cellular Calls
9. SMS and MMS messaging
10. Universal Clipboard.

Question 7

What is AirPlay to Mac?

Answer 7

AirPlay to Mac: Use AirPlay to Mac to stream video or share your screen from another Apple device to your Mac

Question 8

What is Auto Unlock

Answer 8

Auto Unlock: When you’re wearing your Apple Watch and are near your Mac, you can use your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac or approve app requests, without having to enter your password.

Question 9

What is Continuity Camera

Answer 9

Continuity Camera: User your iPhone or iPad to scan documents or take a picture of something nearby and it appears instantly on your Mac. Continuity Camera is supported by may apps, in eluding Mail, Messages, Finder, and more.

Question 10

What is Continuity Sketch

Answer 10

Continuity Sketch: You can draw a sketch using your nearby iPhone or iPad and have the sketch appear on your Mac exactly where you need it: in an email, message, document, note, or folder.

Question 11

What is Continuity Markup

Answer 11

Continuity Markup: Markup on your Mac lets you write, sign, and draw on, or crop, or rate, PDF documents and images. If your iPhone or iPad is nearby, you can use Continuity Markup to make up the file on your device- even using Apple Pencil on iPad- and instantly shows the changes on your Mac.

Question 12

What is Handoff

Answer 12

Handoff: With Handoff, you can start work on one device, then switch to another nearby device and pick up where you left off. Use Handoff with any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch that meets the Continuity System requirements.

Question 13

What is Instant Hotspot

Answer 13

Instant Hotspot: With Instant Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) can provide internet access to a Mac, iPhone, or iPad without requiring you to enter the password on those devices. Use Instant Hotspot with any Mac, iPhone, or iPad that meets the Continuity system requirements.

Question 14

What is iPhone Cellular Calls

Answer 14

iPhone Cellular Calls: Start calls from FaceTime, Contacts, Safari, Mail, Maps, Spotlight and many other apps. When someone calls you, a notification appears. Click the notification to answer.

Question 15

What is SMS and MMS messaging?

Answer 15

SMS and MMS Messaging: Send and receive SMS and MMS text messages from your Mac. When friends send you text messages, regardless of what phone they have, you can respond from whichever device is closest.

Question 16

What is Universal Clipboard

Answer 16

Universal Clipboard: You can copy text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device and then paste the content on another Apple Device. Copy a receip

Question 17

What are the FOUR steps to prepare to start a macOS upgrade?

Answer 17

1. Verify installation requirements
2. Backup important content
3. Plug in power if the device is a laptop
4. Download macOS Monterey

Question 18

Where can you find out if your MAC has the proper requirements to perform an Install, Upgrade, or Reinstall?

Answer 18

Requirements can be found on your Mac by clicking on the Apple logo in the top left corner and then “About This Mac”

Question 19

Where all can you locate the serial number of the Mac?

Answer 19

1. About This Mac Overview Window
2. System Information/Hardware Tab
3. Etched into the bottom case of the Mac, as long as that component hasn’t be replaced.

Question 20

What are the steps to checking if 3rd party apps will work with the OS that you are upgrading too?

Answer 20

1. About This Mac
2. System Report
3. Software Dropdown
4. Applications

Question 21

What are the two ways to download macOS 12 Monterey for installation?

Answer 21

a) Open System Preferences > Software Update (macOS Mojave 10.14 or later)
b) Launch the App Store app and search “macOS Monterey” and click “Get”

Question 22

Name THREE of the FIVE support tools and methods to upgrade or install macOS 12 Monterey?

Answer 22

1. Use the macOS Installer app stored in the Applications folder after download
2. Use a bootable installer, followed by the macOS Installer app
3. Boot into Recovery Mode and then install macOS
4. Use the startosinstall command (located inside the Install macOS app package file)
5. Use “Install OS update” command using an organization’s mobile device management (MDM) solution

Question 23

Where is the macOS installer stored after it is downloaded?

Answer 23

Applications folder

Question 24

What are up to FIVE reasons you may not be able to select a disk or partition to install macOS Monterey?

Answer 24

1. The disk is in Target Disk Mode.
2. The disk does not have the proper partition scheme (Macs use GUID Partition Table)
3. The partition is not formatted properly; macOS Monterey uses Apple File System (APFS)
4. The volume is part of a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) set.
5. The disk contains Time Machine backups, which is not supported by the macOS Installer.

Question 25

What are the steps to perform an ERASE and INSTALL a Mac with macOS 12 Monterey?

Answer 25

1. Backup any needed data to an external storage device.
2. Shut down your Mac.
3. Boot to Recovery Mode or an External Install Volume*
4. Once in Recovery Mode or Booted to an Installer, select Disk Utility from the Utility Window or the menu bar
5. From the side bar, select the storage device or volume that you will erase to install macOS 12 Monterey
6. Click the ‘Erase’ button.
7. Enter a new name for your storage device or disk (default Mac internal drive name is Macintosh HD)
8. From the format menu, choose APFS if it is not selected. Scheme should be set to GUID Partition Map.
9. Click ‘Erase.’
10. When the process is finished, click ‘Done’ and then quit Disk Utility.
11. Back at the Utility Window, select Install (or Reinstall) macOS Monterey and click Continue.

Question 26

Why might the installation of an OS potentially fail once you begun the actual process?

Answer 26

1. The installer has filtered or no access to the internet/looses access to the internet
2. The installer might be unable to verify the selected volume or partition.

Question 27

What tool do you have at your disposal to check for errors during the INITIAL INSTALLATION PHASE and how do you access it?

Answer 27

Installer Log

Access by using CMND + L while in the Installer or by clicking the “Window” drop down and choosing “Installer Log”

Question 28

If macOS Installation fails during the MAIN PHASE of installation, where could you check for logs to determine what may have gone wrong, and how do you access it?

Answer 28

Console

Accessed by using Spotlight Search or by going to Applications/Utilities/ and opening Console manually.

Question 29

How should you download macOS Monterey if you are currently running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or earlier?

Answer 29

App Store

Question 30

Do you need an Apple ID to download the macOS installer from the App Store?

Answer 30

No

Question 31

How do you enter recovery mode on an Intel-based Mac?

Answer 31

1. Power Mac off

2. Press the power button and press and hold COMMAND-R until the Apple logo appears, then release keys.

Question 32

How do you enter recovery mode on an Apple Silicon based Mac?

Answer 32

1. Power off device

2. Press and hold the power button until you see “Loading startup options.”

Question 33

How do you boot to to an external macOS install volume?

Answer 33

1. Power off device.

2. Power on device and press and hold the left option key until you see a row of bootable devices.

Question 34

If you are erasing your device via Recovery Mode or an external device, what application do you use?

Answer 34

Disk Utility

Question 35

What are the steps for reformatting the internal hard drive of a Mac while in Disk Utility? (In Recovery Mode)

Answer 35

1. Select volume you want to reformat.
2. Click the erase buttoner the top of the Disk Utility Window
3. Enter the new name for the volume (for internal HD, it should be called “Macintosh HD”)
4. From the Format menu, choose APFS
5. If prompted/if window contains a “Scheme” drop down, choose GUID Partition Map.
6. Erase.

Question 36

What are the steps for installing/reinstalling macOS Monterey while in Recovery Mode

Answer 36

1. If asked to connect to the internet, use Wi-Fi icon and choose network or connect using ethernet.
2. If notified that your Mac computer’s eligibility will be verified with Apple, click, Continue.
3. Read license agreement and click, Continue.
4. In the confirmation dialog that appears, click, Agree.
5. Select the volume you want macOS Monterey installed on, and click, Continue.

Question 37

How can you verify that macOS has been installed correctly during installation.

Answer 37

By using the installer log.