Updating an obsolete version of MacOS - I'm quite pleased with myself :)

[mikeymikec]

Needless to say I don't consider myself to be any kind of Mac expert...

A customer has a MacBook Pro 2017 which hasn't been updated from the original OS (High Sierra). The laptop now can't do https to save its life (certificate errors etc), which means the App Store doesn't work properly as well as any web browser, and the install package for Mojave was had previously been downloaded (automatically I assume) was corrupted.

On my PC I googled for how to download / install Mojave in the hopes of downloading an installer and transferring it via USB but of course Apple is Apple so the best they can do is an App Store link and of course the App Store app isn't showing results properly from a straight search or rendering correctly either (it looks very Internet circa 1995 down to the default-to-Serif font and all the images are broken).

What I ended up doing was to delete the corrupted install package then I opened the obsolete version of Chrome and fed it the macappstores:// URL by hand for the Mojave page, resulting in a prompt to open it in the App Store app, which loaded enough of the 'Install Mojave' page to allow me to choose to download it.

This whole business of the tech sector deciding that everything has to be done in https is just plain dumb and I wonder if it's intentional to help make older tech obsolete quicker, I've seen a good few Android devices stop being useful because of this too.

- edit - the package wasn't corrupted, it was another certificate error and an incorrect error message. An Internet suggestion to change the date back to when Mojave was released did the trick.

 

[manly]

HTTPS isn't the reason older devices have bad support. The actual reason is that the device manufacturers (including Apple, sometimes) suck.

There's no technical reason why a 2017 era MacBook couldn't run a recent macOS; but Apple needs to continue selling hardware to make more profit. (The same applies for Windows 11 official system reqs.)

Personally I'm not a fan of subscription-ware, BUT I could make an exception if the OS vendors charged a small annual fee for security updates. A la Windows extended support, which will cost $30 for just one year (and one year only, for consumers).

Quite frankly I'm well past the point where I care about the "latest and greatest" Android, but if Samsung wanted $10 a year just for security updates, that would be worth it. It's a moot point now that Google and Samsung have instituted 7 years of support for flagship devices, but the point remains that we're creating a lot of e-waste just because the tech giants need to keep everyone on the hamster wheel.

CPU/hardware advances have gotten so incremental that as time goes by, forced obsolescence gets a little worse.

(Looks like 2017 MBP can run Ventura, which will be EOL within a year? There's still OpenCore Legacy Patcher )

 

[mikeymikec]

@manly

https - I didn't say it's the only reason, I suggested that its shortcomings are weaponised for profit.

It took the upgrade to Ventura from Mojave without any shenanigans. I briefly tested Mojave and thought that Chrome might be happier about the OS update, but it still complained that the OS was out-of-date

Judging by the OCLP page, it might be able to wangle another OS update out of this MBP.

The rest of your post - that's capitalism for you, isn't it. Got to sell more junk faster, perpetual growth, etc.

 

[Eug]

All the 2017 MacBook Pros can run macOS 13 Ventura AFAIK. Ventura hits end-of-life fall of 2025, but typically applications like Chrome, etc. will support the OS for several years after that (with the caveat that it will no longer be getting security updates after 2025).

If Recovery Mode doesn't work, you can find the link through Google to download the Ventura install package from Apple directly.

There are also instructions online to make a bootable USB installer from that package.

Ironically, I have an old 2009 MacBook Pro that just blew up its macOS install, and I will have to run a hacked installer (again) to install even just 10.13 High Sierra on it. It officially only supports up to 10.11 El Capitan.

 

[tcsenter]

If Recovery Mode doesn't work, you can find the link through Google to download the Ventura install package from Apple directly.

There are also instructions online to make a bootable USB installer from that package.

Can you provide those links? Last time I was in a situation similar to OP, I was unable to download any install bits from Apple without an Apple Account AND had to be using a supported Mac. This was five or six years ago. I was trying to get a friend's Macbook fixed/running and did not have any other Mac to use. The 'restore/recovery' boot dialogue was borked, would not connect to Apple servers, just gave me error. I was stuck with no way to obtain anything from Apple. I was told this is the norm. You have to have some kind of authorized reseller or service tech account to get it. Friend ended up taking it to an Apple Store and they recovered it, to their credit, did not charge him anything even though it was way out of warranty.

 

[Eug]

Ventura download links - I clicked on the 13.7.6 download link and it works

Direct Ventura 13.7.6 link (12.2 GB) - Direct from Apple's server

To make a USB installer - Note that you'll need a functioning Mac to make that USB installer