Show HN: OS X Mavericks Forever

Post by aspenmayer » Fri, Aug 22, 2025, 7:48 PM UTC

brewmarche wrote: post #180

aspenmayer wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are multiple boot-time recovery options, but you might not have a required firmware update to use them. Per everymac, all 2014 MBA’s should be able to run up to Big Sur? What is offered to install when you do this? https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-macos-recovery-... > Option-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Use this key combination to reinstall macOS and upgrade to the late…

I don’t know, I’ve performed numerous updates from the pre-installed Mavericks (Yosemite, El Capitan, High Sierra, Big Sur are the ones I remember, might be more), but the default recovery still goes into Mavericks for me

Post by aspenmayer » Fri, Aug 22, 2025, 8:13 PM UTC

brewmarche wrote: post #182

aspenmayer wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might need to update the firmware for your Mac in order for the Internet Recovery to support updating to Big Sur. The firmware updates are installed at upgrade time usually, but you may be able to install them separately. > About EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Mac computers https://support.apple.com/en-us/101198 I would see if you can access this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-big-sur/id152687…

Big Sur Recovery mode works for me with Option+Cmd+R, so if needed I can install that. What I meant is that the other goes into Mavericks Recovery mode. And I’m happy about that actually :-) Edit: if you were referring to Option+Cmd+R anyway, I guess I misread Edit2: by other one I meant Shift+Option+Cmd+R, just Cmd+R actually goes into Big Sur, you are right!

Post by aspenmayer » Fri, Aug 22, 2025, 8:32 PM UTC

brewmarche wrote: post #184

aspenmayer wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, there are a few keyboard combinations that do different things. https://support.apple.com/en-us/102655 > On an Intel-based Mac: > If you used Command-R to start up from the local Recovery system, you get the current version of the most recently installed macOS. > If you used Option-Command-R to start up from Internet Recovery, you might get the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac. > If you used Shift-…

There is another one, you can hold Option while booting and it will show disks to boot from. But there is also a SSID dropdown to do internet recovery like Shift+Option+Command+R.

Post by brewmarche » Fri, Aug 22, 2025, 8:45 PM UTC

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #30

brewmarche wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it depends on what was the current version when your model came out. Should have said mid-2014 like OP, sorry

> Should have said mid-2014 like OP, sorry I don't want to belabor the point, but just to be clear—I am referring to a mid-2014 MBA, anything newer and Mavericks wouldn't work! (There is no "late 2014" MBA as far as I'm aware.) Mine offers to install Yosemite in recovery mode. It may indeed be based on when that specific computer came off of the assembly line or something, I have no idea, but for that exact model of…

Post by itsthejb » Fri, Aug 22, 2025, 9:42 PM UTC

Raed667 wrote: post #43

latexr wrote: post #26

> Don't you love how hackable everything is? Removing stock apps from the Applications folder is completely safe—nothing will break—and this is your computer, so you should make it your own. You can always restore apps later using Time Machine. Just don't delete System Preferences, or anything in the Utilities folder. This was pretty funny. “You can do anything, and you should be able to do anything, nothing will bre…

running a funky chmod command recursively on my root dir and then learning how to fix it, probably taught me more about how linux works than any tutorial or article i've ever read. have fun! break things!