Mac Mini Mid 2011 Upgrade To Catalina

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This is because you're not installing Catalina onto this Mac; all you want to do is get the installer so you can create the USB Installer. Once you will get to a screen where you can either browse for an installer or download a copy, select the download option. A new page called ' See if your Mac can run macOS Catalina ' has appeared on Apple's website but it isn't entirely clear. The summary is that 2012 desktop Macs like the Mac mini, iMac, iMac Pro.

Upgrading Mac Mini or MacBook Pro to SSD Drive can significantly boost its performance. You will find below the steps to upgrade Mac to SSD Drive and transfer Data to New SSD Drive on Mac.

Upgrade Mac to New SSD Drive

The main concern when it comes to upgrading Mac to SSD drive is the possibility of data being lost and how to safely transfer data to New SSD Drive on Mac.

Luckily, macOS software provides multiple data transfer methods and you can choose from Time Machine, Migration Assistant or the Cloning method to safely transfer data to new SSD Drive.

  • Upgrading from Mac OS X Older Versions. Any older versions of Mac OS X 10.7-10.10 have to first upgrade to Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11 version before upgrading to macOS Catalina, which you can download from Apple’s Catalina download page. To do this, follow these steps: Launch the System Preferences menu, and thenselect Software Update.
  • Before you download macOS Catalina, we recommended the following to ensure the upgrade process goes as smoothly as possible: Create A Backup On An External Drive Make a backup of your Mac's drive, which you can restore if anything goes wrong.
  • How can I update the ram and SSD and what ones do I need and how do I updated to Catalina - Mac Mini Mid 2011.

Perhaps the easiest way to transfer Data from Mac to New SSD Drive is to use Time Machine, unless you have an older Mac running macOS High Sierra or MacOS Mojave.

In which case, the external hard drive gets formatted as extended journal and cannot be used for Time Machine Backups (you will need to use the cloning method on older Macs).

1. Make Time Machine Backup to External Hard Drive

The first step is to back up all the data and programs on your computer to an external Hard Drive using Time Machine Backup.

1. Connect External Hard Drive to the USB Port of your Mac.

2. Click on the Apple Logo and click on System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. On the System Preferences screen, click on Time Machine.

4. On the next screen, check Show Time Machine in menu bar option and click on Select Backup Disk… button.

5. On the next screen, select your Backup Disk and click on Use Disk button.

6.. If the selected disk is not formatted, you will be prompted to erase the disk first. Click on Erase to proceed.

7. After the disk is formatted, click on Backup Now to start the process of Time Machine Backup.

If you are making a Time Machine Backup for the first time, it may take multiple hours to complete the Backup process.

2. Replace Existing Hard Drive on Mac with SSD Drive

Now that you have a Time Machine Backup on a separate external drive, you can safely remove the current Hard Disk on your Mac and replace it with a New SSD Drive.

To upgrade Mac Mini to SSD, you will need a New SSD Drive, TR6 and T8 Screw drivers, Logic Board Removal Tools and Spudger.

To upgrade MacBook Pro to SSD, you will be needing a New SSD Drive, P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver, T5 Torx Screwdriver and Spudger.

The steps to replace 2014 Mac Mini Hard Drive with SSD can be found in this ifixit guide and you should also watch this video on YouTube.

To replace 2015 MacBook Pro Hard Drive with SSD, you can refer to this ifixit guide and you should also watch YouTube videos applicable for your model of MacBook.

3. Format New SSD Drive Using Disk Utility

If you have replaced the Hard Drive on Mac with a New SSD Drive, you need to format the disk to APFS format.

1. Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys on the keyboard of your computer.

2. Release both the keys when you see your Mac starting with white Apple Logo. This should make your Mac go to macOS Utilities startup screen.

3. On macOS Utilities screen, select Disk Utility option and click on Continue.

4. On the next screen, type a Name for your SSD Drive and click on Apply to start the format process.

5. When the SSD Drive is formatted, close the screen and this should take you back to macOS utilities startup screen.

4. Transfer Data From Old HDD to New SSD Drive on Mac

The final step is to transfer Data from Old SSD Drive to New SSD Drive on your Mac. You can skip steps 2, 3 below, if you are already on macOS utilities screen.

1. Connect External Hard Drive containing Time Machine Backup to the USB Port of your Mac.

2. Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys on the keyboard of your computer.

3. Release both the keys when you see your Mac starting with white Apple Logo. This should make your Mac go to macOS utilities startup screen.

4. On macOS utilities screen, select Restore From Time Machine Backup option and click on Continue.

5. On the confirmation screen, click on Continue to confirm.

6. On the next screen, select your Time Machine Backup Disk as the restore source and click on Continue.

7. Select the New SSD Drive on your Mac as the destination source and click on Restore.

8. Patiently wait for the Restore Process to be competed.

Once Time Machine Restore is completed, restart Mac and see if all your data is intact.

5. Desktop & Apps Missing After Time Machine Restore

In our testing, Desktop Files and Program Files were missing on Mac after Time Machine Restore.

If this happens, you can always Enter Time Machine > copy desktop files from Time Machine Backup and paste them on your new desktop.

Similarly, you can copy Program Files from Time Machine Backup and paste them in Programs Folder on your Mac.

How to access and use the Internet Recovery mode on Mac computers?

Mac Mini Mid 2011 Upgrade To Catalina Download

Apple computers are well-known as stable devices with good performance and hardware specifications. The Mac operating system also includes various self-diagnosis and repair tools. Bear in mind, however, that these features might be susceptible to failure. When built-in tools or software-based solutions do not work, the last and most efficient solution is to reinstall the operating system. All modern Mac computers contain two separate methods to reinstall the operating system (by 'reinstall', we mean installation of a fresh OS X version). You can choose to install the operating system from a startup disk or via Internet Recovery.

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In this article, we describe the second method: Internet Recovery to install the operating system version that came with the version of your computer. If your computer was released with OS X Mavericks, using Internet Recovery will install this particular version, while reinstallation from the recovery partition will result in a fresh version of the current operating system. Therefore, if you perform the reinstallation process via the Recovery utility, you will receive the same operating system version that existed prior to reinstallation. The Internet Recovery method is useful if you wish to downgrade the operating system. A big advantage of this method is the ability to bring back the computer to full functionality when software is corrupted. Note, however, that stable internet access is required to perform the reinstallation process via Internet Recovery. An unstable Internet connection can lead to the process crashing and no access to the computer. Therefore, you are advised to use an Ethernet network, rather than Wi-Fi. In this article, we walk through the entire Internet Recovery method.

Table of Contents:

It is recommended to run a free scan with Combo Cleaner - a tool to detect malware and fix computer errors. You will need to purchase the full version to remove infections and eliminate computer errors. Free trial available.

Requirements to access Internet Recovery Mode

Mac

Ensure that the Mac meets the minimum requirements to access Internet Recovery mode. All compatible computers are listed below. Bear in mind that some earlier versions of Apple devices might also use this feature. Apple state that Firmware updates grant access to Internet Recovery mode. If your device is older than the machines listed below, check the Apple firmware updates list here.

  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
  • MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
  • iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
  • iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
  • MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2010)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch and 17-inch, Mid 2010)
  • iMac (21.5-inch and 27-inch, Mid 2010)
  • MacBook Air (11-inch and 13-inch, Late 2010)

If you wish to reinstall the Mac operating system, your network must use DHCP and WPA/WPA security methods. All authentication methods listed below are incompatible with macOS installation via Internet Recovery. If your network uses one of the methods listed, change the setting to a compatible configuration (at least for the purpose of the installation process).

Mac Mini Mid 2011 Upgrade To Catalina Os

  • WEP
  • WPA-Enterprise
  • Certificate-based authentication / 802.1x
  • Proxies (where specific proxy servers must be configured in network preferences)
  • Captive Wi-Fi networks (where you click an “Agree” button to access the Internet)
  • PPPoE (where there is no router handling the PPPoE connection)

Reinstall operating system by using Internet Recovery mode

When you are sure that the Mac is able to access Internet Recovery mode, there is another important task before installing the fresh operating system version. After a successful reinstallation process, the computer will contain only the default software (which is delivered with macOS). All personal data and applications that you have manually applied to the hard disk will be erased. To protect your personal data, create a backup with Time Machine or similar software. Finally, when you are ready to reinstall the operating system, click the Apple logo in the menu bar at top of the screen and select Restart or Shut Down. Once the system starts booting and you hear the startup chime, hold down the combination of Command, Option (Alt), and R.

Mac Mini Mid 2011 Upgrade To Catalina Update

Keep holding these keys until the animated globe appears with the message below stating 'Starting Internet Recovery' and 'This may take a while'. Note: If you are using a Mac laptop, use the built-in keyboard to access Internet Recovery Mode, since keystrokes might not register properly on external keyboards.

Next, select the Wi-Fi network. If you are not using an Ethernet network, click the drop-down menu and select the desired network. You must confirm access to a Wi-Fi network by entering the password. Then press Return on the keyboard or click the checkmark symbol on the screen to continue.

After successful authentication to achieve the network connection, the Mac will begin to download a recovery system image from Apple's servers. You will see a progress bar monitoring the status of the download. Depending on your internet connection, this process may take some time. Ensure that the computer is connected to the power adapter.

Mac Mini Mid 2011 Upgrade To Catalina Desktop

When the image is downloaded, the OS Utilities window will pop-up, giving access to the usual features, such as Restore from Time Machine Backup, Reinstall OS X, Get help online, and Disk Utility. From this point, the process will be similar to the reinstallation via recovery partition. Detailed information about how to install the macOS can be found in this article.