The task of updating software on your Macintosh can be a variable
experience, ranging from mundane to annoying to catastrophic, depending
on what gets updated and how successful the process is. Some people
never update, some live on the bleeding edge, and most just live with
default auto-update and nothing else.
Understanding when it is and isn't necessary to update your
computer, and doing so in a methodical and reliable fashion, can ensure
that you remain both relatively current and continuously working with
your Macintosh.
When Should You Update?
I'm not a fan of updating for updating's sake. I don't like being an
unwilling beta tester, and I don't want existing features in my
software to stop working just because a new version exists. Computers
are tools; they need them to remain stable and productive. Updating
more than you need to has a downside besides potential cost: It
increases the potential for things to go wrong.
The key to update sanity is knowing when an update is really
necessary. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the update add a feature or capability I need?
- Does the update fix a bug or problem I have?
- Does the update address a major security concern?
If you answer yes to any question, backup your
system, then update (see below).
If you answer no to all questions, if it ain't
broke don't fix it! (My favorite tech support motto.)
A prudent update strategy to maximize stability with any software is
to avoid "Point Oh" releases (e.g., Mac OS X 10.4.0,
iTunes 7.0). If you don't need the features or fixes of a major
update immediately, wait until a few subsequent minor updates have been
released before taking the plunge. Instead of installing Mac OS X
10.5 upon it's release, waiting until 10.5.2 (or so) is available
ensures that any early release bugs get fixed and applications can be
updated for compatibility as needed. Early releases are often public
beta tests by another name.
A related strategy with Mac OS X is to update to the last point
release of your flavor of OS X when the next major version is
released. On the day that Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is released, the
final release of Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" (rumored to be 10.4.11)
will be the most stable and compatible version of Tiger ever to be
available. 10.5.0 is a "point oh" release with lots of bugs and
incompatibilities. Give Leopard some time; the last version of Tiger
will be supported for years to come.
Regardless of how you decide when it's time to update, do so on
your schedule and needs, not based on marketing or Auto-Update
mechanisms. Computers are not automatically obsolete in 18 months time,
nor is software, but certain components may need updating on a regular
basis
Types of Updates
There are three main types of software updates you can perform on
your Mac:
Major System Updates
Major System Updates include Mac OS X Full Version Updates
(10.3 to 10.4, 10.4 to 10.5, etc.) and QuickTime Full Version Updates
(6.x to 7.x, etc.). These updates add significant functionality to your
Mac but may require more RAM, more disk space, and/or a faster
processor than your current system has. Major Mac OS X updates are
$129 ($199 for a 5-user "family pack") and must be purchased at retail.
QuickTime updates are free and downloadable, but a new QuickTime Pro
key is required at $29 with each full version change. Having a backup
of your data - preferably your whole system - is essential before
performing major system updates. (See Part 3: Effective Backup Strategies for Mac
Users.)
For OS updates, you must decide if the feature set of the new OS is
worth the cost and how well it will run on your Mac (if at all).
Hardware that just barely meets the minimum requirements for an OS
update, especially with slower CPU speeds, may be better served by
continuing to use a previous OS release. I tend to keep Mac OS 9
on systems running below 300 MHz, Mac OS X 10.3.9 on faster G3s
and slower G4s, and Mac OS X 10.4.x on everything newer. When Mac
OS X 10.5 is released, I will probably keep my G4s running 10.4
and evaluate how well the new OS runs on G5 systems before updating.
Intel-based Macs can all handle 10.5, but some may need more RAM before
updating.
Minor System Updates
Minor System Updates include Mac OS X point releases (10.4.9 to
10.4.10), Mac OS X Security Updates, QuickTime point releases
(7.1.3 to 7.2), Java, AirPort, and related Apple components. Most minor
updates are bug fixes, security patches, or address new hardware
released by Apple. There is typically no cost for these updates, and
almost all of them are available through the online Apple Software
Update mechanism or for download from the Apple website.
Whether or not to apply minor system updates is a tough question.
Apple's default settings encourage you to do so regularly by enabling
Auto Update in System Preferences and checking weekly. But as a support
tech it's not uncommon for me to get calls from clients who auto update
their Mac overnight - and the next morning the computer won't boot.
These problems can usually be avoided by updating manually and having a
backup, as described below, but Macs are not Windows machines, and in
my experience they perform best when updated as needed rather then
regularly.
Security Updates warrant a special mention. Apple releases new
security updates only for the most current point release of Mac
OS X, along with (sometimes) the last point release of the
previous major version; e.g., as of this writing (Sep 2007) Apple will
release security updates only for 10.4.10 and 10.3.9. If you are
running an older version of 10.4.x, not all new security updates will
be available to you.
I disagree with Apple's strategy on this issue. There are many valid
reasons why a user may stick with an older point release of Mac
OS X: a key application isn't yet compatible with newer versions,
some OS X releases are more stable than others, people haven't had
time yet to backup, etc. I believe Apple should support all versions of
their current operating system with security patches and provide the
Auto Update mechanism with a preference to handle security updates only
if desired. Microsoft has a more flexible policy in this regard than
Apple.
If you feel it is imperative to always have the latest Apple
security patches, you must keep your system current. In practice I have
found that most Mac security issues cause relatively few problems for
typical users, far fewer problems than the auto-updating itself causes,
so I perform minor system updates every few versions and keep
up-to-date backups.
Application Updates
Application updates also include major new versions (iTunes 6.x to
7.x) and minor point releases (iTunes 7.4.1. to 7.4.2). As with System
Updates, new versions typically introduce many new features and
capabilities, while point releases primarily address bug fixes and
occasionally a few features. The same guidelines apply to updating
applications as system software (both Apple and third party
programs):
- Does the update add a feature or capability I need?
- Does the update fix a bug or problem I have?
- Does the update address a major security concern?
Yes to one of these? Backup, then update.
No to all? If it ain't broke don't fix it!
How to Update Reliably
I have never lost any data or rendered my Mac unusable after an
update by following these steps:
(1) Backup your Mac before updating. If possible use a clone or
bootable backup.
I can't stress this highly enough - backup before updating! If
things go wrong and you have a backup, you can copy from or boot off
the backup and restore your old system. At the very least make sure you
have a copy of your important data. Better yet are fully bootable
backups (clones) that let you revert to an older system or keep working
immediately if problems happen at critical times. See part 3 of this series for more info on
Bootable Backups
(2) Restart your Mac and Repair File Permissions.
Restarting quits any running (or crashed) programs and ensures that
everything is running as smoothly as possible before you start
updating. You don't want to run other applications or multitask while
updating, just let the installer do it's thing.
Incorrectly set file permissions can cause problems with OS updates
not completing successfully. Use Apple's Disk Utility application
(inside Applications --> Utilities) to select your boot drive,
choose the First Aid tab (if necessary), then click Repair Permissions.
Let the process run completely before continuing.
(3) Run a Disk Utility if necessary.
If your disk is behaving poorly, programs are crashing frequently or
files aren't opening properly, run a disk utility on the boot drive
after backing up but before applying the update. Trying to update
already damaged or corrupt software can often make problems worse. My
tool of choice for this task is DiskWarrior; see
part 2 of this series for more info on fixing
disk problems.
(4) Obtain and install the update.
To repeat, don't use your Mac for other tasks while updating - let
the installer do it's work. It's especially important not to make
changes to your files while the installer is optimizing your
drive; using the drive while this step is in progress can often
lead to an unbootable Mac.
For Mac OS X Major Version Updates you must install from
a CD or DVD. The installer will reboot your Mac, or you can boot off
the CD/DVD directly by restarting with the disc in the drive and
holding down the C key. The installer will give you a choice of which
drive to install Mac OS X onto - typically your internal hard
drive. Before proceeding past this page, click on the Options...
button in the Installer window and (if possible) select Archive and
Install as your update method and enable Preserve Users and
Network Settings. This method replaces your existing installation
of OS X with a fresh copy rather than updating the old install
while keeping your user data intact.
Note that you need a full retail copy of Mac OS X to use
Archive and Install. An OS X Updater disc typically does not offer
this option, and you have to update rather than replace your existing
OS.
For Mac OS X Minor Version Updates, it's best to use
downloaded Mac OS X Combo Updaters rather than use the Apple
Software Update mechanism. Downloading updaters in advance ensures that
you don't need to worry about an interrupted network connection during
the update, plus the updater can be saved for future use. Combo
updaters tend to work more reliably than the Single Version Updaters
and include cumulative updates and patches so you can jump more than
one point level at a time if needed.
Mac OS X 10.4.x has separate updates for PowerPC and Intel
Macs. Make sure to get the Combo Update versions. You can find
these updates at <http://www.apple.com/downloads/
macosx/apple/macosx_updates/>
For QuickTime (all releases), it's also best to use
downloaded installers, and for the same reasons. QuickTime is a major
system component and is notorious for breaking software with new
releases, so be wary of updating QuickTime unless you truly need to
(and keep your backup current). QuickTime installers can be found at
<http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/>
For Other System Software (Security Updates, AirPort, Java,
etc.), the online Apple Software Update mechanism is the easiest (and
often the only) way to obtain these patches. Make sure to backup and
repair permissions first, and uncheck any boxes for Mac OS X
versions and QuickTime in the Software Update list, since you'll be
handling these manually. Apply any Apple miscellaneous updates like
these after any system software version updates are performed if
you're doing both at the same time.
For Application updates (both Apple and third party), most
patches today are available online. If you have the opportunity to
download a newer full copy of an application rather than updating an
existing copy, do that when possible. Next best is a standalone
updater. If neither of these choices are available, then you must use
whatever online mechanism the developer provides for updates.
I often find it helpful to make a copy of an application and that
application's data, support, and preference folders before updating it.
As long as the updater doesn't install any system or kernel extensions
(these items typically require a restart), it's easy to revert to an
older setup if the update doesn't work by replacing the newer files
with older versions. Check in the following locations for an
application's files (~ is a shortcut for your home directory):
- /Library
- /Library/Application Support
- ~/Library
- ~/Library/Preferences
- ~/Library/Application Support
- ~/Documents
- ~/Movies
- ~/Music
- ~/Pictures
(5) Repair File Permissions again.
After your update is done (and after a reboot, if required), run
Repair Permissions a second time with Disk Utility. This fixes any
permissions problems caused by the updater itself, some of which take a
lot of shortcuts.
Disable Auto-Update
Auto-Updating software is (after clueless users) the Computer Tech's
Bane of Existence. Due to security issues with some products and
platforms, it's become default behavior to have an auto-update
capability, but this feature is not always your friend. Updating one
piece of software, particularly an OS component, can affect many other
things; you may come in one morning to find your computer has been
updated and now something doesn't work or the Mac won't boot.
It can be even worse when QuickTime gets updated: Suddenly your
stable version of QuickTime 6.5.2 Pro becomes an unstable version of
QuickTime 7.0 Free, and you need to purchase your QuickTime Pro key
again! To prevent this, update only on your schedule. Turn off
the auto-update options for your OS, it's associated components, and
all applications.
For Mac OS X and other Apple software, use System Preferences -->
Software Update to disable the weekly check. For Applications you can
usually find an Auto-Update setting in the Application's Preferences or
in one of its Menus. Note that many System and Application updates
re-enable Auto-Update after updating, so check and make sure things are
still under manual control when you're done.
Have a headache yet? Yearning for an abacus or a paper notebook? The
attractions of Luddism have been known to make themselves apparent to
many computer users from time to time - you are in good company! 
