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I'm getting an error when I try to update to catalina

I know I'm a dinosaur but trying to update from Yosemite to Catalina and getting an error.


"Downloading installer information to the target volume failed" ?

iMac 21.5″, OS X 10.10

Posted on Aug 17, 2020 12:53 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 17, 2020 10:31 PM

When downloading any OS from Apples Servers it is best to use a cabled connection,

do not use your mac while downloading or any other devices that share the same

internet connection. The Catalina download is 8.24GBs.


Upgrading from Yosemite directly to Catalina is a very large jump, have you prepared yourself.


Before upgrading make a full back up of your Mac.


Check that third party apps you use have updates available for the new OS.

https://roaringapps.com

Check that your printers/ scanners etc have updated drivers and software available for the new OS.


If you are considering upgrading to Catalina be warned that it does not support 32bit apps.

Your Mac is probably running 32bit apps and these will need to be updated to 64bit apps,

some updates may be free, some may be paid. Use this app to discover which apps you have

are 32bit, https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/. Once the list has been created you can then

contact the developers of the apps to see if they provide 64bit updates. 


The official Apple line is that you can upgrade directly to Catalina from Yosemite, but a lot of people have found that the

installation can stall. This is probably due to the conversion from the older file system (HFS+) to the newer APFS filesystem.

With that in mind I would recommend doing an intermediate upgrade to High Sierra before proceeding to Catalina.


High Sierra can be downloaded from here, open your Safari browser, do not use Firefox it will not work.

How to upgrade to macOS High Sierra - Apple Support

Go to Section 4 and click on Get macOS High Sierra

this will redirect you to the App Store High Sierra download page.

It should say Get or Download.


If the App Store says ‘Open’ then it is detecting a previous download of the install app

go to the Applications folder locate Install macOS High Sierra.app.

Move it to the Trash, empty the Trash.

Restart, click on the link again, the App Store should say ‘Get' or 'Download'.

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 17, 2020 10:31 PM in response to stevehalljr

When downloading any OS from Apples Servers it is best to use a cabled connection,

do not use your mac while downloading or any other devices that share the same

internet connection. The Catalina download is 8.24GBs.


Upgrading from Yosemite directly to Catalina is a very large jump, have you prepared yourself.


Before upgrading make a full back up of your Mac.


Check that third party apps you use have updates available for the new OS.

https://roaringapps.com

Check that your printers/ scanners etc have updated drivers and software available for the new OS.


If you are considering upgrading to Catalina be warned that it does not support 32bit apps.

Your Mac is probably running 32bit apps and these will need to be updated to 64bit apps,

some updates may be free, some may be paid. Use this app to discover which apps you have

are 32bit, https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/. Once the list has been created you can then

contact the developers of the apps to see if they provide 64bit updates. 


The official Apple line is that you can upgrade directly to Catalina from Yosemite, but a lot of people have found that the

installation can stall. This is probably due to the conversion from the older file system (HFS+) to the newer APFS filesystem.

With that in mind I would recommend doing an intermediate upgrade to High Sierra before proceeding to Catalina.


High Sierra can be downloaded from here, open your Safari browser, do not use Firefox it will not work.

How to upgrade to macOS High Sierra - Apple Support

Go to Section 4 and click on Get macOS High Sierra

this will redirect you to the App Store High Sierra download page.

It should say Get or Download.


If the App Store says ‘Open’ then it is detecting a previous download of the install app

go to the Applications folder locate Install macOS High Sierra.app.

Move it to the Trash, empty the Trash.

Restart, click on the link again, the App Store should say ‘Get' or 'Download'.

I'm getting an error when I try to update to catalina

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