Help for an OS updating ignoramus
September 26, 2024 10:07 PM Subscribe
I really need to update the OS for my iMac. I’ve been putting it off for a long time and it’s still on Big Sur. Unfortunately, I have a weird setup that’s made me too afraid to do it for a long time.
One of the main reasons I still haven’t updated is that I don’t know what to do for a computer that has…I’m not sure what to call it, two accounts? Or two names? Or maybe they’re drives?
Basically, when I first got this computer, I installed from a backup on my Time Machine external hard drive. For a long time I thought it hadn’t worked and I was devastated, thinking I’d lost everything, but eventually I figured it out and I realized that it had created a second … I don’t know, account or whatever you would call it.
When I boot up, I have a drive that comes up automatically and it’s called kitten, and then I hit an arrow and it shows me the second account, which I called old kitten because I didn’t know what else to call it and I’m silly. Old kitten is where all my stuff from my previous computer that died went, all from the Time Machine backup, and it’s the one I use exclusively.
So if I install the new macOS on this computer, will it install to old kitten if I’m doing the backup from within it? Or will it just automatically install it to that original drive called kitten that I don’t use?
I don’t know how this actually works, obviously. And it was probably really stupid to leave it with the two separate accounts, I guess, but I just don’t know what I’m doing and I figured I’d just leave it as is once I knew I hadn’t lost all my backup content. I’m really ignorant with computers already, and cancer and treatment have left me with absolutely zero spoons. Thanks so much for helping me try to bring my computer into 2024.
One of the main reasons I still haven’t updated is that I don’t know what to do for a computer that has…I’m not sure what to call it, two accounts? Or two names? Or maybe they’re drives?
Basically, when I first got this computer, I installed from a backup on my Time Machine external hard drive. For a long time I thought it hadn’t worked and I was devastated, thinking I’d lost everything, but eventually I figured it out and I realized that it had created a second … I don’t know, account or whatever you would call it.
When I boot up, I have a drive that comes up automatically and it’s called kitten, and then I hit an arrow and it shows me the second account, which I called old kitten because I didn’t know what else to call it and I’m silly. Old kitten is where all my stuff from my previous computer that died went, all from the Time Machine backup, and it’s the one I use exclusively.
So if I install the new macOS on this computer, will it install to old kitten if I’m doing the backup from within it? Or will it just automatically install it to that original drive called kitten that I don’t use?
I don’t know how this actually works, obviously. And it was probably really stupid to leave it with the two separate accounts, I guess, but I just don’t know what I’m doing and I figured I’d just leave it as is once I knew I hadn’t lost all my backup content. I’m really ignorant with computers already, and cancer and treatment have left me with absolutely zero spoons. Thanks so much for helping me try to bring my computer into 2024.
Best answer: It is possible that you have two MacOS installation, but from your description I believe that is unlikely. It's more likely that you have one install of MacOS with two user accounts: Kitten and Old Kitten.
It is easy to check this. Go to Apple Menu => System Settings => Users and Groups. Do you see two users listed? If so, you are all set. Just install the new version of MacOS.
If you do have two installs of MacOS, updating is a little more complicated, but not super hard. I think that's very unlikely, though.
Once you get the update done, the next thing you should do is learn how to switch between your accounts without rebooting ("Fast User Switching"), or even better, bring over your data and files from the old account to the new one.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:22 AM on September 27 [4 favorites]
It is easy to check this. Go to Apple Menu => System Settings => Users and Groups. Do you see two users listed? If so, you are all set. Just install the new version of MacOS.
If you do have two installs of MacOS, updating is a little more complicated, but not super hard. I think that's very unlikely, though.
Once you get the update done, the next thing you should do is learn how to switch between your accounts without rebooting ("Fast User Switching"), or even better, bring over your data and files from the old account to the new one.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:22 AM on September 27 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks so much! It does look like you're right, Winnie, that it's just one install with two user accounts, so hopefully that will make my attempt easier. (Part of the reason I'm so nervous is that twice, I've been trapped in an installation loop where my laptop was completely disabled and would not stop trying to install a new OS, and partly it's because I always end up losing something valuable when an app won't function anymore, even though it's not on the list of incompatible programs.)
I should have been clearer, too, I realize--I usually leave my desktop on in sleep mode, and only occasionally shut it down, so I'm not rebooting that often, but things happen. I don't usually have to switch between anything, but I can definitely set it up to do that. I would love to get rid of the other account, but that's for another day, I think, when there are a few more spoons in the drawer.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 3:13 PM on September 27
I should have been clearer, too, I realize--I usually leave my desktop on in sleep mode, and only occasionally shut it down, so I'm not rebooting that often, but things happen. I don't usually have to switch between anything, but I can definitely set it up to do that. I would love to get rid of the other account, but that's for another day, I think, when there are a few more spoons in the drawer.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 3:13 PM on September 27
Best answer: Yeah, Winnie's idea is solid: you can merge both accounts into one. Things in Documents, on the Desktop, apps, etc. will either be merged or unaffected, as long as you the right options. This is one way to do it: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3862590?sortBy=rank This is another (more complicated but more likely to get all stray files) https://www.maketecheasier.com/merge-two-macos-accounts-into-one/ Another method is, from within the Old account, to move all the files you want to the cloud: iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or whatever. Then log into New account and yank them back off the cloud. https://support.apple.com/en-us/109344
posted by Mo Nickels at 9:08 AM on September 29
posted by Mo Nickels at 9:08 AM on September 29
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
You can update each independently from Settings -> Software Updates or -- assuming you trust your Time Machine backup again -- use Internet Recovery to create a new installation of the latest macOS available for your hardware, plus use its Disk Utility to reclaim all the storage before starting the installation and then also restoring your Time Machine backup.
posted by k3ninho at 1:03 AM on September 27