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Downgrade iMac from Catalina to Mojave

Last year I upgraded my late 2012 iMac13.2 OS from a version earlier than Mojave to Catalina. Now I find that most installed apps don't work because Apple changed the bit format starting with Catalina which is incompatible with my older iMac. I am told that I need to downgrade to OS Mojave to restore all functions. Going online I find the instructions for this downgrade formidable for me - beyond my limited computer savvy. Apparently there are lots of complex steps to this downgrade process. Can anyone help me get the assistance I need from a knowledgable Apple computer Guru? I am in N. CA near Los Altos/Palo Alto. Any comments, suggestions or recommendations for in-store or in-home computer support?

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jan 6, 2022 3:05 PM

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Posted on Jan 6, 2022 3:32 PM

Downgrade OS X operating system


However in all honesty it is MUCH MUCH more wise to update or upgrade your legacy applications to 64 bit apps. If you are unsure of which applications need updating please use the following article to learn what tools are available to you: https://www.macworld.com/article/232735/how-to-check-if-mac-software-is-32-or-64-bit.html


By the way, I used to live in the Portola Valley area years ago, I am now in Folsom.

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Jan 6, 2022 3:32 PM in response to Jerry06iMac

Downgrade OS X operating system


However in all honesty it is MUCH MUCH more wise to update or upgrade your legacy applications to 64 bit apps. If you are unsure of which applications need updating please use the following article to learn what tools are available to you: https://www.macworld.com/article/232735/how-to-check-if-mac-software-is-32-or-64-bit.html


By the way, I used to live in the Portola Valley area years ago, I am now in Folsom.

Jan 7, 2022 10:59 AM in response to Jerry06iMac

1) Your printer does not require any Brother software. I own a Brother MFC-L8900CDW that works just fine. Please follow the steps below.

      

  1. Uninstall all Brother software, put in the Trash and empty the Trash.
  2. Please reset the printing system per Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem
  3. Next, follow the instructions in Adding a printer


2) Turbotax comes out with annual updates that work in 64 bit. You can also use Turbotax's online version to do your taxes. I Googled and found for example: TurboTax Deluxe 2021 Federal E File and State For PCMac Disc Or Download - Office Depot


3) You have an extremely old version of Office for Mac. Upgrade to either Office 365, Office for Mac 2019 or 2021 (get the home edition) retail price <$100 or use a free version online substitute such a Libreoffice


In short all of your objections have pretty simple solutions. Again, trying to live in the past is not recommended and will lead to MAJOR issues.

Jan 7, 2022 10:46 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks for your reply. However, the key applications I need do not have 64 bit upgrades. My All-in-One Brother printer, Turbotax & Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.) do not work with Catalina. I have no choice but to downgrade to Mojave but the steps are too complicated for me to do myself. I need help, but where to get it reliably & at a reasonable cost?

Jan 7, 2022 2:07 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks again for your helpful reply. I have a Brother All-in-One Duplex MFC-8910DW with fax, scan & copy, & it does require Brother s/w to do all the functions beyond simple print & copy (which both work fine now). But all the other functions like scan & fax, etc., require Brother-provided s/w. I went to the Brother website to try to get a 64 bit upgrade, but there is none. S/w I have is latest available.

All of my TurboTax Premier copies of prior years’ filings will not open with Catalina & desktop icons of them do not display as they should, indicating a s/w problem of some kind. I desperately need access to the prior year (2020) s/w copy of filing on my iMac to do this year’s taxes because this s/w copy contains many pages of depreciation items which normally will fill in on the current year s/w but won’t even open with Catalina. I suspect this may be due to the Word s/w that won’t work with Catalina, but I’m only guessing that as a possible problem.

Bottom Line: (1) printer functions beyond copy & print don’t work w/Catalina (2) prior year filed tax s/w copy on my iMac is needed for fill-in for this year’s taxes (many, many pgs. of detailed depreciation schedules-way too many to insert by hand) prevent me from doing this year’s taxes either online or from 2021 TurboTax CD with Catalina.

I believe I have no choice but to downgrade to Mojave from Catalina, a formidable task!

What I think I need is advice on how to do that so all printer functions, all MS Office Suite ( Word, Excel, etc.) & all tax s/w will work again.

Downgrade iMac from Catalina to Mojave

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