When
Should You Update?
Types
of Updates
How to Update Reliably
Disable
Auto-Update
Written
By: Adam Rosen
This article was published in the Adam's
Apple column on Low End
Mac
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 goes. 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 am
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 to work and remain stable and productive. Updating more than you
need has a downside besides potential cost, it increases the potential
for things that could go wrong. The key is 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
really 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 OSX 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" (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, disk space 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 if you're using QuickTime Pro
a new 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.
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
which just barely meets the minimal 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
300MHz, 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 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 (7.1.6 to 7.2), Java, Airport
and related Apple Components. Most minor updates are bug fixes, security
patches or address new hardware released from Apple. There is typically
no cost for these updates and almost all are available through the online
Apple Software Update mechanism or 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
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 OSX 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 article, Maintaining
Your Macintosh - Backup Strategies
for more information
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;
for more info on fixing disk problem see part 2 of this article, Maintaining
Your Macintosh - Disk and Hardware
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 disk. 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 OSX 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 OSX 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 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 comes in 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/Mac OS X/apple/Mac OS X_updates/
For QuickTime (all releases) it's also best to use downloaded
installers, for the same reasons. QuickTime is a major system component
and is notorious for breaking software with new releases, so be wary
of updating QT 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 3rd 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!
Adam Rosen
