macOS Catalina - should I upgrade??

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OnceBitten

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Ultimate Geek
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#288748 21-Jul-2021 08:33

I've got a 2012 MacBook and it hasn't been updated for some time.

the last 2 years it has gotten very slow, particularly to start up and get e-mails / google chrome open (I am planning on getting that looked at)

So last night I decided to look for any updates and it came up to install / update to macOS Catalina

But when I went to install it - a message came up saying 2 programs (1 being microsoft excel 2011) were not optimised and needed to be updated

Does this mean I won't be able to use excel after updating the MacBook with macOS Catalina??

I'm only asking because I an looking after my brothers finances (long story) and have everything documented on an excel spreadsheet and I don't really want to pay to update / upgrade excel if I can help it

Does anyone know if the macOS Catalina update will be suitable for a 2012 MacBook? and if so will I need to update / upgrade excel if I want to use it post update?

thanks in advance

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56 posts

Master Geek
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#2747484 21-Jul-2021 09:25

Catalina will run fine but they removed support for 32 bit apps. That's why Office 2011 won't work.

What are you running now? If you don't want to upgrade Office (fair enough, 2011 works perfectly fine) then you could upgrade to Mojave 10.14, the version before catalina, using the app store link here: macOS Mojave 10.14

I have a 2013 rMBP and it runs Mojave pretty smooth.

gazzerwgtn

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Master Geek
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#2747569 21-Jul-2021 11:28

If you're using Chrome and Gmail why not just use Google docs, Spreadsheet opens excel files and can save them either way. Do away with Microsoft forever.

OnceBitten

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Ultimate Geek
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#2747575 21-Jul-2021 11:44

gazzerwgtn:

If you're using Chrome and Gmail why not just use Google docs, Spreadsheet opens excel files and can save them either way. Do away with Microsoft forever.

Oh ok thanks - is Google Docs free?, and I will be able to open the spreadsheet in Google docs ok?

if so I'll use that

gazzerwgtn

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Master Geek
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#2747587 21-Jul-2021 11:52

Yes it's free called "Sheets" accessed from the 9 dots on Google page. Excel Files can be opened either in excel or sheets

RunningMan

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#2747659 21-Jul-2021 14:50

Or use Apple's spreadsheet, Numbers. Free from the app store.

gzt

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#2747818 21-Jul-2021 19:40

OnceBitten: Oh ok thanks - is Google Docs free?, and I will be able to open the spreadsheet in Google docs ok?

Free to anyone with a Google mail account. Try it and make sure it works exactly as you expect for any fancy functions you have. Overall it's very compatible.

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OnceBitten

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Ultimate Geek
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#2747867 21-Jul-2021 21:19

gzt:
Free to anyone with a Google mail account. Try it and make sure it works exactly as you expect for any fancy functions you have. Overall it's very compatible.

thanks - it works fine.... I'll have to figure out how to make the text / font smaller though so it all fits on the page and for if I need to print it out, but it looks good

I assume it automatically saves because I couldn't see a 'save' button on the menu - but I did make a minor change and bookmarked it as a favourite and when I reopened it, the change was still there

Newtown

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#2747872 21-Jul-2021 21:22

the last 2 years it has gotten very slow, particularly to start up and get e-mails / google chrome open

Do you have a hard drive or SSD? My MBP 2012 with SSD and 8 GB RAM is pretty fast. Mind you, Chrome is a bit of a memory hog, so use Safari or Firefox instead.

Does anyone know if the macOS Catalina update will be suitable for a 2012 MacBook? and if so will I need to update / upgrade excel if I want to use it post update?

Which macOS are you running? I'm on High Sierra and it works really well. I also have Catalina and Big Sur on separate partitions. You could do the same: create a new partition (APFS volume), install Catalina on that, then you'll be able to boot between the two systems and can keep using Excel.

OnceBitten

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Ultimate Geek
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#2747889 21-Jul-2021 22:04

Newtown:

Do you have a hard drive or SSD? My MBP 2012 with SSD and 8 GB RAM is pretty fast. Mind you, Chrome is a bit of a memory hog, so use Safari or Firefox instead.

Newtown:

Which macOS are you running? I'm on High Sierra and it works really well. I also have Catalina and Big Sur on separate partitions. You could do the same: create a new partition (APFS volume), install Catalina on that, then you'll be able to boot between the two systems and can keep using Excel.

Sorry - you're talking a bit above me technical wise

How would I find out if it has a hard drive or SSD or what macOS I'm running?

Under system settings it has start-up disc so I'm assuming it's a hard drive

I'd love to get the MacBook running a bit faster though

Newtown

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#2747958 22-Jul-2021 08:24

Can you bring up the About this Mac panel as per this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201260

And list the following:

Software + version
Processor
Memory
From the storage tab, if it's a normal hard drive or ssd

OnceBitten

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Ultimate Geek
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#2748021 22-Jul-2021 10:07

Newtown:

Can you bring up the About this Mac panel as per this link:
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201260

And list the following:

Software + version
Processor
Memory
From the storage tab, if it's a normal hard drive or ssd

thanks for that - the details are as follows

Software + version - Mac OC Catalina version 10.15.7
Processor - 2.5GHz Dual Core Intel core i5
Memory - 4gb 1600 DDR3
From the storage tab, if it's a normal hard drive or ssd - Macintosh HD

I installed the Mac OS Catalina last night - so far so good

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Groucho

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Ultimate Geek
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#2748067 22-Jul-2021 11:14

I only recently upgraded my 2012 Mac Mini to Catalina as took me a while to phase myself out of two 32bit apps.

No real issues with the upgrade. However the one thing I hadn't realised is the rebranding of the iTunes app to "Music", Apple also removed all the preloaded Internet Radio stations to encourage uptake of their paid Apple Music streaming service. I was annoyed as had a handful of those original stations I listened to regularly which were ad-free. Yes I could have just streamed via a browser but have a habit of quitting out of browsers when I've finished with them so that was never going to work.

If you or others are interested, with a bit of research I found someone had saved all the streamable URLs categorised at http://samsoft.org.uk/iTunes/InternetRadio.asp Simply copy the URL then in "Music" go File > Open Stream URL then paste it into the popup. It's then saved under a new Internet Radio playlist on the left.

outdoorsnz

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#2748070 22-Jul-2021 11:20

My mac is slightly older than yours. If you don't have a SSD then you really want to think about replacing the existing HDD with a solid state drive.

I found my mac just got slower and slower, and upgrading just made things worse. Formatting and fresh install might make a difference, but you will be blown away by the speed difference a SSD will make!

If you are not technical you might find a local geekzoner to help you out or use a local PC repair shop. Well worth the effort in IMO.

Newtown

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#2748076 22-Jul-2021 11:27

OnceBitten:

Software + version - Mac OC Catalina version 10.15.7
Processor - 2.5GHz Dual Core Intel core i5
Memory - 4gb 1600 DDR3
From the storage tab, if it's a normal hard drive or ssd - Macintosh HD

You definitely need more RAM, 8 GB at least.

In the Storage tag, can you tell me what the text under the icon says? My one say Flash Storage, see image below. I'm assuming that you have a hard drive.

I would replace the RAM and hard drive. If you're not that technical, I'd consider if it's worthwhile paying someone to do the upgrade or buy an used MBP off Trade Me. The 2013-2015 MacBook Pro retina models are pretty affordable.

Groucho

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Ultimate Geek
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#2748091 22-Jul-2021 11:37

Yes I should have added my 2012 Mini had an SSD installed as my Christmas 2019 present to myself as it was getting slower and slower. I had already maxed out the RAM to 16GB. I was contemplating buying a newer machine but the SSD made ALL the difference!

I kept the old HDD and bought a cheap USB enclosure for it. If for some reason I need to access one of my old 32bit apps I can boot from that HDD. I've done it once to test, performance isn't pretty over USB2 especially also being used to SSD speed but was good peace of mind for my upgrade anyway.

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