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  • If you have at least 50 GB of free space on your machine and Mac OS Big Sur still complains there isn’t enough space, Time Machine is likely the culprit. Time Machine stores snapshots of your.
  • Other Mac startup problems are triggered by OS X updates that went wrong. OS X update failure usually happens when a power hiccup or a power outage occurs during the installation process. The result could be a corrupted system that does not boot or a system that is unstable. Which troubleshooting tip works best?
  • While Command-R at startup always installs whatever the most recent version you installed on your Mac, holding down Command-Option-R brings down the very latest compatible version that can be.
  • Use Mac’s Safe Boot Option. One of the easiest and most straightforward methods to diagnose.
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There are many ways in which Big Sur can run into problems. Thankfully, there are also lots of solutions. If you work through them step by step, you should be able to fix the problem. And using automated fixers, like CleanMyMac X, can help make the whole process much quicker and funnier. Grey screen with mouse pointer on Big Sur.

After summer comes macOS. This long-standing tradition started by Apple is the most exciting moment of the year — seeing your Macs improve and gain new bells and whistles. In 2019, we're welcoming Catalina, the 10.15 version of macOS named after Catalina island in California. Apparently, it's hot.

The operating system boasts a whole lot of new macOS features like Sidecar, iOS apps porting, and major Photos update. To try the features right away, you can install Catalina from the Software Update tab.

However, be prepared for some troubleshooting. The acquaintance with the new macOS doesn't always go smooth — and with macOS 10.15 deeming support for lots of software, many things will not go smooth. We've collected the key macOS Catalina issues you may encounter, along with the ways to fix them.

macOS 10.15 Catalina problems and their fixes

Giving up Catalina is a decision you can choose to make. But before rolling back, ensure you use every bit of advice as to how you can fix the common problems. Sometimes, a quick fix can solve your concerns.

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Problems with macOS Catalina you can solve:

macOS 10.15 Catalina won't install

This is the classic problem that arises with every macOS release: The installation won't start or you face the 'Catalina installation stuck' problem — when it freezes and you see no progress on the install. No matter how many times you start over, you keep getting an error trying to install Catalina.'

How to fix:

  • Apple recommends to reset SMC. Shut down your Mac, and hold Shift + Ctrl + Option + Power button for about 10 seconds, with your cable plugged in. Click on the power button and wait for your Mac to start up.
  • Try resetting NVRAM or PRAM. Shut down your Mac, and hold Option + Command + P + R for about 20 seconds. Wait for your computer to restart.
  • Reinstall from macOS recovery. Hold Option + Command + R to reinstall. Once you see the startup screen, start the installation again.
  • Some users reported they were prompted to enter administrator password several times to complete the installation. So it might be something for you to try as well.
  • In most cases, macOS Catalina cannot be installed on Macintosh HD, because it doesn't have enough disk space. If you install Catalina on top of your current operating system, the computer will keep all the files and still need free space for Catalina. So the easiest fix would be to clean up your system with CleanMyMac X before upgrading. All the system junk, app leftovers, and unneeded files will go away in a minute.
  • Backup your disk and run a clean install. This will wipe away your current system files, leaving space for macOS Catalina — so yes, this option is for the brave. If you use a solid backup solution, you'll keep your data safe, though. Get Backup Pro is a nice way to do it — unlike Apple's Time Machine, the app allows running bootable backups.

Say you've cleared up and backed up your disk. But your Mac still gets stuck at the installation and shows 'not enough space' error, so you can't get out of the cycle. In this case, there's another fix you can try:

  1. Reinstall Mojave. No worries, this won't delete your disk. Reboot your Mac and hold Command + R to enter the Recovery Mode. Click Reinstall macOS.
  2. Restore from your backup. If you have a Time Machine backup, enter the Recovery Mode again and select 'Restore from Time Machine Backup.' Select the backup from the list and restore your files. Check out how to use apple time machine.

Some users also report they tried to reboot into Safe Mode and take the installation from there; the others used a newly created admin user — but most attempts have been unsuccessful.

We must agree that macOS 10.15 is one of the slowest systems in terms of installation. But if you use the hacks described above and have a little patience, you'll be able to get to the 'Catalina installed' point.

Find more information about how to update mac os the right way.

If you can't login after upgrading to Catalina

There's a known problem of failing to login after the installation. Unfortunately, the only way to fix it — at least for now — would be to roll back to Mojave:

  1. Clean up your Mac with CleanMyMac X and backup your data.
  2. Save passwords to ensure you don't lose license keys and settings.
  3. Create a bootable installer of Mojave (after Catalina goes public, you can download Mojave here).
  4. Delete macOS Catalina: Apple menu > Restart > Command + R > Disk Utility > your startup disk > Erase.

One of the things Mac users are particularly excited about is the new Sidecar feature. It comes as a handy solution for those wanting to expand their workspaces. You can either mirror your Mac's screen to iPad or use your iPad's screen as an extension of a Mac.

If the only reason you're here is because you want Sidecar, we have to warn you it might not work with your new macOS. Reddit is full of user reports about the feature unavailable on macOS Catalina. Most likely, this is the issue of compatibility.

How to fix:

Here are the ways to fix Sidecar problems:

  • Get the new iPadOS 13. Unfortunately, macOS Catalina doesn't work with iPadOS 12. So basically, you have to use the recent operating systems if you want to try Sidecar.
  • Make sure your Mac is one of the compatible devices. Sidecar works on:
    • 2019 Mac Pro
    • Late 2018 Mac mini +
    • Late 2018 MacBook Air +
    • 2017 iMac Pro
    • Mid 2016 MacBook Pro +
    • Early 2016 MacBook +
    • Late 2015 iMac +
  • Try connecting your iPad with a cable. With Sidecar, you should be able to connect your iPad wirelessly. If this doesn't work, the cable might solve the issue.

Battery drain on macOS Catalina

Many of the previous macOS releases were known for battery life concerns — greedy apps, Safari and Chrome draining battery, or power-saving not working. There has been no major battery drain issues reported by the Catalina users so far.

How to fix:

Just to make sure you don't encounter the problem as well, here are a few precautions:

  • Check for apps that use significant energy. For a quick insight, check Apple's in-built Activity Monitor. It shows the 'Energy impact' for every application — calculated based on CPU, network usage, and other factors.
  • Have a solution for battery health monitoring. iStat Menus is a perfect fit if you need detailed analytics on disk activity, CPU usage, battery life, memory load, and much more. The app shows all the data right in your menu bar. Plus, you can customize what's being monitored flexibly.
  • Use Screen Time to limit the use of apps. This is the brand-new app on macOS Catalina, which helps you live a healthier Mac user life. Set time limits for the use of specific apps or app categories and schedule downtime. The main goal is to track how much time you spend on the computer, but you can also use it to optimize battery life on Mac.

Apps not working on macOS Catalina

In the attempt to speed up your Mac's performance, Apple is killing 32-bit app architecture with the release of Catalina. This means you have to switch to 64-bit, for good. You might see the messages like this when trying to launch an app:

The chances are it's one of the oldies.

How to fix:

CleanMyMac X can pretty much solve every app problem on macOS Catalina.

Uninstall all 32-bit apps in a click

No more digging through the settings. Download CleanMyMac X and batch uninstall every outdated app on Mac.

  • Use Updater to search available app updates. Maybe the app is not working, because it needs upgrading. If you've missed the update notification, you won't know about this. To solve the issue, CleanMyMac X will show you the full list of apps with available updates from developers. The best thing is you can run a batch update right in the app.
  • Uninstaller gives you an easy way to reset or get rid of 32-bit apps. The Apple way of checking for 32-bit applications is quite easy: access About This Mac > System report > Applications. However, once you find apps with the outdated architecture, you'll have to go and uninstall each of them separately. The Uninstaller feature in CleanMyMac X simplifies things for you — filter by 32-bit and get rid of each of them.
  • If there's no particular reason an app misbehaves, try resetting it. Guess what, CleanMyMac X has it covered too. In Uninstaller, click on the arrow button next to the app and choose Reset. As easy as that.

While app notarization takes time, you can expect many apps being unavailable after the release of Catalina. This doesn't mean they are gone for good, though. Contact developers or follow official developer announcements to find out about compatibility plans.

OneDrive client problems on Catalina

Due to Catalina's new security settings, Microsoft's OneDrive may have a problem accessing your drive — even if you allow a full access. This is because macOS 10.15 comes with two disk volumes by default.

How to fix:

There are no surefire fixes just yet, but you can try to troubleshoot OneDrive by setting it up from the very beginning. This worked for some users, according to the Reddit discussion:

  1. Unlink your account and quit OneDrive.
  2. Remove OneDrive client from your Mac and delete the folder.
  3. Set up OneDrive again and make sure you allow full disk access in Security & Privacy.

iCloud problems on macOS Catalina

The most common issue with iCloud is that users are unable to download their folders. You can try downloading iCloud files separately — but that's going to be a pain if you have an extensive library.

How to fix:

The best fix would be using Forklift app for your file management. The app is Catalina-ready and allows connecting local drives, Dropbox, iCloud, and tons of other storage sites.

If you're setting up iCloud, there might be another issue standing in your way: Not being able to agree to the Terms and Conditions. The window will just keep popping up on your screen. An easy way to fix this would be to access System Preferences > Internet Accounts and then click on the iCloud icon. You'll see a static Terms and Conditions window — click Accept and you're good to go.

Replacing iTunes on Catalina

The new macOS 10.15 brought along the end of iTunes and the birth of the new Music app. Basically, it looks the same — but with music-only content. There's a huge difference for people who rely on syncing Apple Music with third-party apps. The new app doesn't support XML file support, which makes playlist syncing impossible across many apps. So if you use Apple Music for DJing, you'll definitely have a problem.

How to fix:

The only fix to suggest here would be to stay away from Catalina if you need your XML apps to work with iTunes.

Music library issues

New Music app keeps freezing

There have been reports about the new music app freezing on Mac. Well, it's the first splitting of iTunes, so it's no wonder it doesn't go smooth. In most cases, your Mac will keep showing the 'library updating' status.

How to fix:

  1. Create a backup of your entire music library.
  2. Move your music out of the music folder.
  3. Go to ~/Library and remove every file related to 'Music' and 'iTunes.'
  4. Delete music caches in ~/Library/Caches.
  5. Restart your Mac and try to access the library again. It should be working now.

Memory usage problems with Apple Music app

Another problem you may come across is the Music app eating too much of your space. One user wrote the app used over 30GB of memory on his Mac.

How to fix:

Apparently, the problem is related to the memory management of Album Art. It is getting better, though. According to user reports, memory usage goes back to normal after restarting the app.

Mail search is broken

According to forum posts, your mailbox might get pretty messy after the upgrade — with no search functionality whatsoever. So if you try searching by keywords or recipient/sender name, the app will keep showing the numerical number of results. The reason could be the new Spotlight integration.

How to fix:

  1. Open System Preferences > Internet accounts and remove your mail account.
  2. Restart your computer and once again add your mail account to the app.
  3. Try searching through your emails — it should be working now.

There have also been some early reports about emails missing from the Mail app — so you might want to wait for it to get fixed before upgrading, especially if you rely on Apple Mail.

Slowing down and overheating macOS Catalina problems

So here's the thing: macOS Catalina should be faster than Mojave. 32-bit architecture was one of the things slowing an operating system down. It's gone, and so are the issues with slow apps. Unfortunately, you can expect your Mac go slow and overheat anyway.

How to fix:

  • Too many login items often cause your Mac to go slow. To eliminate the problem, disable apps from launching at startup. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items. Check the apps you don't want to run at startup and click on the minus button.
  • Reset SMC. This is a universal fix that helps solve the issues with overheating, battery life, slow Mac, and more. The process is pretty simple and doesn't impose any risks of losing your data. To reset, shut down your Mac, but leave a charger plugged in. Hold Shift + Ctrl + Option + Power button for about 10 seconds. Click on the power button and wait for your Mac to start up.

Dock disappearing on macOS Catalina

On the Apple forum, people mentioned Dock disappearing from their screen after upgrading to Catalina. The nature of this mistake is unknown — some users connect it to PRAM resetting, the others say they had the issue when trying to work across two screens.

How to fix:

Try Option + Command + D. If it doesn't work for you, do the following:

  1. Go to Settings > Dock
  2. Change the Dock's size so that it starts flickering
  3. Change the hide/show settings
  4. Customize the Dock's position on screen (you can do it randomly).
  5. Close the window and check whether it's working now.

Internet not working after upgrading to Catalina

If you're putting macOS 10.15 over your current system, you're likely to encounter Internet connection problems.

How to fix:

The radical way would be to clean install macOS Catalina — it's healthier for your Mac and will probably fix the issue. If you're not ready to take a risk, try rebooting your Mac.

There has been a user report saying that Sophos caused the problem of network connection. So uninstalling it may be a fix as well.

Bluetooth not available on macOS Catalina

Well, that's a problem. Definitely a huge one if you use AirPods. Deleting your Bluetooth.plist files might be the way to solve this.

How to fix:

  1. Open Finder > Go > Go to Folder
  2. Type Library/Preferences
  3. Find a file with the name 'com.Apple.Bluetooth.plist' and delete it.

Safari extensions not working

While Apple is trying to transition to iOS-compatible extensions, it gradually deems support for many web extensions formats. On Catalina, you'll face the problem with .safariextz files not working.

How to fix:

Just like with 32-bit apps, there's no way to fix the missing extensions. If you can't find a good alternative, you can switch to Chrome or another browser.

Storage filling up too fast

If you notice unusual storage filling up progress, this might mean your Mac captured too many redundant files during the Catalina installation. In most cases, these are APFS files and Time Machine backups.

How to fix:

If you can use a good Time Machine alternative like Get Backup Pro throughout the upgrade, do it. Otherwise, you can remove Time Machine leftovers after installing Catalina with CleanMyMac X. In the Maintenance tab, select 'Time Machine snapshots thinning,' and run a cleanup.

To remove snapshots manually, use the following Terminal commands:

  • To view the list of snapshots:
    tmutil listlocalsnapshots / tmutil listlocalsnapshots /System/Volumes/Data
  • To delete snapshots:
    deletelocalsnapshots

Here's a quick review of all mentioned fixes, which you can take with you:

Is macOS Catalina stable?

There Are Always Problems Mac Os Catalina

The short answer is yes — if you use it right. So before you decide to downgrade back to Mojave, make sure you've done the following things right:

  1. Backup your Mac with Get Backup Pro or any other reliable tool before running an installation.
  2. If you still need some of the Mojave functionality that won't be available in Catalina, install the new macOS on partition.
  3. Make your Mac as clean as possible before upgrading.
  4. Get iPadOS 13 if you want to use the Sidecar feature.
  5. Get rid of 32-bit applications, even if this means killing your darlings.
  6. Backup your Music and then empty the folder along with music-related Library caches. The new Apple Music app is still pretty much unpredictable, so you need to ensure you don't lose your playlist.
  7. CleanMyMac X is a solution for many Catalina issues, so you need it — badly. To cut the cost, you can get it through Setapp and receive extra tools like Get Backup Pro and Endurance.

If you want to dive more into macOS Catalina bugs fixed, check out the Reddit discussion.

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This is the process I used to make a bootable USB drive of the Mountain Lion Operating System on my Macbook Pro. My Macbook was the Macbook Pro 13″ inch 2012 model. This process for making a boot drive can work for other Macbook types too. Difficulty rating 2/10, maybe even 1/10, super easy!

Always

This is the process I used to create a bootable USB drive of Mountain Lion OS X for my Macbook pro.

Why Make A Bootable USB Install Drive for Mac Mountain Lion OS?

The main reason to make the bootable USB drive is to not have to download the 4GB file every time you want to do a reinstall of the Mountain Lion operating system.

The second reason to make a bootable USB OS drive is it makes reinstalling the operating system faster. Using a USB drive method without the downloading makes a full reset take 30 minutes. Without the USB drive it will take hours.

Tools you will need:

  • Macbook Pro. I have not tested this with other Macs, it should work 9/10.
  • Internet Connection to download the 4GB Mountain Lion install file from Apple.
  • OS DOWNLOAD USB DRIVE. 12GB or more USB Flash Drive. I used a 32GB USB drive, 12GB is the minimum amount of Geebees you need. More is okay, like 32GB is fine.
  • OS BOOT USB DRIVE. Optional 8GB or more Flash drive for a permanent USB drive, or you can reuse the OS DOWNLOAD DRIVE. This is optional because you can copy the files onto your hard drive and then on to the OS DOWNLOAD USB flash drive again whenever you need it. I used a separate 8GB USB Flash drive for my OS BOOT DRIVE to keep a permanent solution. I got my 8GB USB drive from Ebay for $6.

No extra Mac software is required to make or use the USB boot drive method.

Preparing the USB drive

Turn the Macbook pro ON. Insert the OS DOWNLOAD USB Flash Drive into the Macbook Pro.

Open the Disk Utility Program. (Hold the CMD key and press space bar -> Type “disk utility” without the quotes -> select disk utility from the list that is shown).

Now we will partition the OS DOWNLOAD USB drive and make it bootable. In disk utility, select your OS DOWNLOAD drive on the left panel by clicking on it. Make sure you click on the part of it that is most to the left on the left panel. Not the sub heading of it, the main heading. The main part that might say something like “28.36 GB NAMEOFCOMPANY”.

Now in the big panel on the right choose partition at the top, it should be the middle tab, between Erase and RAID. If you do not see the option to partition you did not click the correct drive on the left or clicked the sub heading. Make sure you clicked the main entry for the Flash drive.

In the partition area first click on the “choose” above the big box (in the “volume scheme” area) and change it to “1 partition”. Then click options just below this box and select the GUID partition table option, then click OK.

Now on the right of this area enter a name for your drive, like “OS X Installer” and change the format to “Mac OS Extended (Journaled). When you’re happy choose Apply and agree to the question that asks if you are happy to erase the Flash drive. Check to make sure it is the correct drive before agreeing! I am not responsible for your mistakes here!

There Are Always Problems Mac Os X

There Are ALWAYS Problems Mac OS

Once it is complete you will have a clean USB drive ready for the Lion Operating system download.

End of formatting and partitioning the OS DOWNLOAD USB drive procedure.

Downloading the OS Install Files From Apple

Now with the formatted and partitioned OS DOWNLOAD USB DRIVE inserted shut down the macbook pro. Once the Macbook pro is off hold the CMD and r keys. Now turn on the Macbook pro while keeping hold of the CMD and r key. This will activate the Macbook Pro restore feature. Every Macbook Pro has this feature to reinstall the operating system at anytime.

Once it has loaded, release the CMD+r keys and choose the second option – “Reinstall Mac OS X”, and hit continue. Now it will ask for verification through your internet connection. Agree to this and select YOUR USB FLASH DRIVE AS THE LOCATION to install. This is important because we want to download the files from Apple onto our USB drive. Once you agree, it will start the download.

IMPORTANT PART!

Once the download is complete you must pull out the USB Flash drive as soon as the black screen shows. If the screen is black, pull out the flash drive! Don’t wait, just pull it out. If you wait it will start the installation and delete the files from the USB and you’ll have to do it all again. You need these installation files to create a bootable USB Lion drive. So, once the timer is close to 0 BE READY. A few seconds after the timer goes to zero seconds remaining the the screen will turn black. Remove the USB at the black screen! Not before, and not after.

END OF IMPORTANT PART!

You pulled out? great. Now you have a USB Flash drive with OS Mountain Lion! That was the hard part completed, now the easy stuff.

Keeping the OS DOWNLOAD USB drive OUT of the Macbook pro and start the Macbook. It will load as normal. Press CMD+SPACEBAR and type “disk utility”, then select disk utility from the list. Now insert your USB drive with the operating system on it. Copy all the files from it to any location on your hard drive. I copied them into the Download folder, but you can put them anywhere you like.

There Are Always Problems Mac Os Sierra

Now open the folder you copied onto your hard drive. Look inside and you will find a big 4GB file ending in .dmg. This is the main file you need.

Insert your OS BOOT USB DRIVE. You should have already partitioned this drive, with a GUID and with “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”. Use the usb guide above to do this. If you are reusing your OS DOWNLOAD DRIVE partition and format it again using the above procedure once you have copied the operating system folder to your hard drive (we just did this in the last paragraph!).

Click on this big .dmg file to open and it will mount the .dmg file. Now go back to disk utility. You should have your OS BOOT USB DRIVE attached to your Macbook Pro and you will see the “InstallESD.dmg” file shows as mounted at the bottom of the left panel of disk utility.

Click on the InstallESD.dmg file on the left. At the top of the right pane choose “restore”. It shows two area you need to enter. Source and Destination. Source should already be filled with InstallESD.dmg. If it is not, then enter that now by browsing to the big file and inserting it into the Source box.

For the destination we want our BOOT USB DRIVE. So drag and drop that from the left panel to the Destination part.

When you are happy click the restore button to start the restore process. This takes around 30 minutes. Once complete you have your complete USB BOOT DRIVE!

How To Use Your OS X USB BOOT DRIVE

To use the USB boot drive on your Macbook Pro, first insert the drive into the Macbook. Then shut down, or restart the computer. As it is turning on hold down the ALT key. This will show a special screen allowing you to select a startup disk drive. Select the USB drive (it is usually orange). The Macbook will shut down and restart using the USB drive as the Boss.

There was a problem installing Mac OS X, try reinstalling. If you get this error you will need to zap PRAM. This sounds bad, but it’s nothing really. Simple instructions for zapping P RAM below.

To zap PRAM shut down the Macbook Pro. Now hold down CMD+OPTION+p+r and turn on the Macbook Pro. OPTION is the “Left ALT” key and has a small bird symbol. It is near the CMD key on the left of a Macbook Pro keyboard.

When you turn on the Macbook Pro with the above keys held it will quickly reset and the screen will go to full brightness. This is the indicator that the PRAM has been cleaned. The PRAM holds simple hardware variables, like brightness level and it’s a safe procedure recommended on the Apple website. I take no responsibility if any of the advice here or on this website damages anything! I have completed every step here myself and have no fear doing it again, it is safe as far as I am concerned.

After zapping the PRAM insert the Installer USB Flash Drive into the Macbook Pro and turn off. Then turn on again while holding the ALT key on the left of the keyboard. Yes, just the ALT key and nothing else. The ALT key is near the Cmd key which is on the left of the space bar. Just hold this ALT key and start the Macbook Pro.

When it starts it will show you some hard drive options. Choose the orange Hard drive that represents your USB drive. Click it and it will take you to the install Lion screen. Now just follow the simple instructions to complete the installation of Lion! It takes about 8 minutes to prepare installation and 35 minutes to complete the installation process itself. You Macbook Pro will restart when the process is complete.

Congratulations! You have used a Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Mountain Lion OS X. You can now repeat this process at any time to reinstall OS X on your Macbook Pro without needing an internet connection. This process can work for other Macbook Pro versions too.

There Are Always Problems Mac Os Operating System

Leave a comment below if you found this guide useful or want to clear anything I missed, thanks

This is the end of the guide on how to make a bootable Mountain Lion USB Install Drive.