Mac Lists

5 Essential Steps to Take Before Updating Mac OS X

Apple just released the Mac OS X 10.5.6 update and I thought this would be a good time to give my advice to users who want to install the update. I've been using Mac OS X since its early starts and I always use caution when installing updates. The extra time I've invested in being careful has paid off - I've never had an update go wrong and I've installed more than 25 updates in that time span. If you follow my advice, you, too, should have nothing but successful updating experiences.

1.  Download Combo Update and Save to CD

The main reason I suggest downloading and using the combo update is that people who have had problems with updates have usually been those who used Software Update or the single update file. Last night, I checked the Apple discussion boards and, sure enough, there were several people who had installed the latest update with Software Update and they were complaining about "hanging" computers and other disasters. Even though the combo updates are huge (the latest one is over 668 MB), I always take the time to download it and save it to a CD before doing anything else. Saving it to a CD ensures that I'll always have it available if, for any reason, I decide to reinstall Mac OS X 10.5. It also makes transferring the update file to my second computer easier and quicker.

2.  Repair Disk Permissions

It's always a good idea to repair disk permissions on your boot drive before installing an update. After all, you want the new, updated system to be as clean an update as possible. I've noticed with Mac OS X 10.5 that disk permissions often seem to change, especially certain printing permissions, so the few minutes it takes to repair permissions can possibly prevent problems with the new update.

3.  Back Up Drives and Partitions

Back up all partitions on your boot drive to an external hard drive. This step is perhaps the most important because it will save you if something goes wrong with the update. It is especially important to have a bootable clone of your drive. I recommend using either Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! for your backup. I also back up the data partitions on my boot drive, just in case an update corrupts my entire boot drive. This is not likely to happen, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

4.  Dismount and Disconnect External Devices

Dismount and disconnect all unnecessary external devices, including drives, iPods and cameras. If the device is not needed for the update, it's safer to disconnect it before applying the update. You can easily reconnect the devices once the update has been completely installed. Always remember to dismount an external device (i.e., drag it to the trash can) before disconnecting it.

5.  Remove All "Hacks"

If you have installed third-party system enhancements, it's usually a good idea to disable or uninstall these items before doing an update. For example, I use a Safari plug-in called SafariStand and I usually remove it prior to installing an update. I also disable login applications like Virus Barrier, just to be on the safe side.

Once you've completed these five simple steps, launch the Mac OS X combo update and install it. In a few minutes, you should be running that new Mac OS X update without any hitches.