Macbook Pro 2009 Sierra - reullaqanumar1974’s diary

Hi rthomaslyons,
Thanks for posting your question in the Apple Support Community! I understand you have questions about updating your MacBook Pro! I always like to make sure my MacBook Pro stays up-to-date, so I'm happy to share some info with you.
In order to update to macOS Sierra, you need to have one of the computers listed on on the compatibility website:
How to get macOS Sierra

If your Mac is not able to update to macOS Sierra, you may be able to update to El Capitan. You can find the details on that here:
Upgrade to OS X El Capitan
Take care.

MacBook (late 2009 and later) iMac (late 2009 and later) MacBook Air (2010 and later) MacBook Pro (2010 and later) Mac Mini (2010 and later) Mac Pro (2010 and later) Here's the patch tool by dosdude for High Sierra, Iused his former patch to do the Sierra upgrade. It also tells you how to install it. It is reported to work on theses unsupported. MacBook (late 2009 and later) iMac (late 2009 and later) MacBook Air (2010 and later) MacBook Pro (2010 and later) Mac Mini (2010 and later) Mac Pro (2010 and later) Here's the patch tool by dosdude for High Sierra, Iused his former patch to do the Sierra upgrade. It also tells you how to install it. It is reported to work on theses unsupported. Download Apple MacOS Sierra for Mac to rediscover your best photos, shop faster and conveniently online, and even Siri makes its debut on the latest OS update for Mac. IMacs and MacBooks from.

@mayer - Apple lists 2010 or later for the MacBook Pro's so the installer may not let you. I think you should be able to cheat by using a different system to prep up the HD. The only thing I can think would be if the video drivers are missing in the build. MacBook Pro 15' Unibody Mid 2009. Apple MacBook Pro 'Core 2 Duo' 2.8 15' (SD) Specs. Identifiers: Mid-2009 15' - MB986LL/A - MacBookPro5,3 - A1286 - 2325. It has a 64 bit Architecture and therefore should be able to take Sierra. But then so does my early 2009 MacPro and I had to do a firmware hack to make it think it was a 2010 before I could install.

Power adapters for Mac notebooks are available in 29W, 30W, 45W, 60W, 61W, 85W, 87W, and 96W varieties. You should use the appropriate wattage power adapter for your Mac notebook. You can use a compatible higher wattage power adapter without issue, but it won't make your computer charge faster or operate differently. If you use a power adapter that is lower in wattage than the adapter that came with your Mac, it won't provide enough power to your computer.

Mac notebooks that charge via USB-C come with an Apple USB-C Power Adapter with detachable AC plug (or 'duckhead'), and a USB-C Charge Cable.

Mac notebooks that charge via MagSafe come with an AC adapter with MagSafe connector and detachable AC plug, and an AC cable.

The images below show the style of adapter that comes with each MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. If you're not sure which model Mac you have, use these articles:

USB-C

Apple 29W or 30W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable Play free blackjack against computer.

MacBook models introduced in 2015 or later

Apple 30W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable

MacBook Air models introduced in 2018 or later

Apple 61W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable

13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2016 or later

Apple 87W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable

15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2016 or later

Apple 96W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable

16-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2019

Make sure you're using the correct USB-C charge cable

For the best charging experience, you should use the USB-C charge cable that comes with your Mac notebook. If you use a higher wattage USB-C cable, your Mac will still charge normally. USB-C cables rated for 29W or 30W will work with any USB-C power adapter, but won't provide enough power when connected to a power adapter that is more than 61W, such as the 96W USB-C Power Adapter.

You can verify that you're using the correct version of the Apple USB-C Charge Cable with your Mac notebook and its USB-C AC Adapter. The cable's serial number is printed on its external housing, next to the words 'Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.'

If the first three characters of the serial number are C4M or FL4, the cable is for use with an Apple USB-C Power Adapter up to 61W.
If the first three characters of the serial number are DLC, CTC, FTL, or G0J, the cable is for use with an Apple USB-C Power Adapter up to 100W.
If the cable says 'Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China' but has no serial number, you might be eligible for a replacement USB-C charge cable.

MagSafe 2

85W MagSafe power adapter with MagSafe 2 style connector

15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2012 through 2015

60W MagSafe power adapter with MagSafe 2 style connector

13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2012 through 2015

45W MagSafe power adapter with MagSafe 2 style connector

MacBook Air models introduced in 2012 through 2017

About the MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter

If you have an older MagSafe adapter, you can use it with newer Mac computers that have MagSafe 2 ports using a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter (shown).

MagSafe 'L' and 'T' shaped adapters

60W MagSafe power adapter with 'T' style connector

13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2009
MacBook models introduced in 2006 through mid 2009

60W MagSafe power adapter with 'L' style connector

13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2010 through 2012
MacBook models introduced in late 2009 through 2010

85W MagSafe power adapter with 'T' style connector

15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2006 through 2009
17-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2006 through 2009

85W MagSafe power adapter with 'L' style connector

15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2010 through 2012
17-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2010 through 2011

45W MagSafe power adapter with 'L' style connector

13-inch MacBook Air models introduced in 2008 through 2011*
11-inch MacBook Air models introduced in 2010 through 2011

* Adapters that shipped with the MacBook Air (Original), MacBook Air (Late 2008), and MacBook Air (Mid 2009) are not recommended for use with MacBook Air (Late 2010) models. When possible, use your computer's original adapter or a newer adapter.

Learn more

You can get extra or replacement adapters with AC cord and plug at the Apple Online Store, an Apple Reseller, or an Apple Store.

A replacement adapter might not be the same size, color, shape, or wattage as the original adapter that came with your computer. But it should power and charge your Mac like the adapter that originally came with your computer.

If you need help using your MagSafe adapter, see Apple Portables: Troubleshooting power adapters.

If you're looking for a PowerPC-based power adapter, see PowerPC-based Apple Portables: Identifying the right power adapter and power cord.

Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans.

Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and veteran software engineer, I hope my opinion worth something.

TLDR; The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2019-2020 it is macOS Catalina. However, users that need to run 32-bit applications on Mac should not go with Catalina because it only supports 64-bit apps. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra because this is the earliest operating system for which Apple still releases security updates.

Update: On WWDC 2020 Apple announced a new macOS Big Sur, which is said to have the biggest UI redesign and the biggest Safari update. New Safari will run 50% faster than Chrome and use less battery. It also has new limitations: Big Sur will require at least MacBook Pro late 2013, MacBook Air 2013, and Mac Mini 2014 or later to run. Big Sur will be released in the fall of 2020.

How to Tell Which macOS You Are Running

To find out which macOS is currently running on your Mac, follow these steps:

Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the menubar
In the dropdown click on the first item: About This Mac
The first line in the Overview tab is the name of the current OS.

What Version of OS Can My Mac Run?

Not all Macs can be upgraded to the latest OS version. For instance, old Macs powered by PowerPC CPUs cannot run OS intended for Intel-based computers. Also, some versions have hardware limitations.

For instance, Mojave cannot be installed on MacBook Pro earlier than Mid 2012 model.

Check below to know exactly what version of OS your Mac can run.

Which OS is Best for my Mac

Anytime someone asks me which OS is best for them I always suggested going with the latest. Things have changed recently, however.

Should I Upgrade to macOS Catalina?

While personally I like macOS Catalina and have it installed on my MacBook Pro, Catalina comes with serious breaking changes. If you have old 32-bit apps, they will not run in the new OS. macOS Catalina and newer can only run 64-bit apps.

If you wondering whether you should upgrade to macOS Catalina, first verify that you don’t have any 32-bit apps. But first, take a back up, so you can go back in case something breaks after upgrade.

For instance, I had to remove uTorrent after upgrade. And I didn’t know that uTorrent is 32-bit!

How to Know If App is 32-bit or 64-bit

To find out whether the app on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit follow these steps:

Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the Mac screen
Click on About This Mac option
Click on System Report button in Overview tab (first one)
Scroll down to Software -> Applications
Find the app and check Kind

Which macOS Should I Use

If you have an older Mac which is not eligible to upgrade with some latest software or hardware, I’d suggest upgrading at least to Sierra for the following reasons:

Sierra is still supported by Apple, and it gets security updates
APFS file system is available
It supports Siri
Significant security improvements

The most important point when choosing the best OS is the ability getting security updates. While Apple generally does not announce the OS end of life dates, it is possible to know when they stop releasing security updates from this page.

For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan’s end of life date was August 2018.

Snow Leopard Myth

I know that some users on forums believe that the best OS version for Macs was Snow Leopard. But that is a myth. And I know how such myths get created.

Once I worked in the company, which was selling a 20-year old product. And customers were still using and didn’t want to switch to new versions, because the old one was rock solid.

I then talked to the engineer who worked on the project, and he revealed that the product was a total disaster when it was first deployed. Engineers had to work on-site for almost a year in order to fix all bugs.

After five or so years of polishing the product, it becomes virtually bug-free, and nobody now remembers how bad it was when it was first rolled out. A similar thing happened Snow Leopard, and it was recognized as best mac os version after some time.

How to Update to the Latest Version

There are two ways to update to the latest OS version on Mac:

From the Software Update section in System Preferences
Use a download link

Macbook Pro 2009 Battery

Using Software Update

This is by far the best option, but it only available if you have Yosemite, or later OS installed already. If you enabled automatic updates, then Mac will inform you that the next macOS is available.

Just open System Preferences, go to Software Update and click on the Upgrade Now button.

This method is also best if wondering how to check if you have the latest version of OS installed on your Mac. Only the version compatible with your hardware will appear here.

For instance, my the latest version for Mac Mini 2012 is Mojave, I can’t install anything newer than that.

Using download links

For older systems or in case you need to downgrade, you have to download a standalone installer in DMG format. DMG stands for disk image, similar to ISO, just different formats.

After downloading the installer, just double click on it and follow instructions. Again, do not forget to take a backup before the upgrade.

Mac OS Comparisons: Requirements, Features, Compatibility, Download Links

Following is a high-level description of all Mac operating systems as early as Mountain Lion.

You can refer to those descriptions when deciding which operating system is best for your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or MacBook.

With each OS description, I included a list of Macs supported. However, you can use Mac OS compatibility checker for more detailed information.

macOS 10.15 Catalina

macOS v10.15 (codename Catalina) is the latest version of the operating system for Apple computers.

Release date: October 7, 2019

Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement increased from 2GB to 4GB.

Features

Introduced Sidecar, which allows for Macs to use an iPad as an external display.
iTunes was replaced by separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV.
Find My Mac and Find My Friends have merged into one app.

Software Compatibility Issues

macOS Catalina is the first Mac operating system that does not support 32-bit applications. Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Catalina.

How to install

There are two ways to install Catalina: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Catalina

MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac models (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (All models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)

macOS 10.14 Mojave

Release date: September 24, 2018

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 18.5GB free space on disk

Features

The main feature of Mojave is “Dark Mode”
FaceTime adds group feature which allows chatting with up to 32 people
News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home apps were ported from iOS to Mac.

How to install

If your Mac is eligible to update to Mojave, then the easiest way to install it is by enabling automatic updates. Downloading a standalone Mojave installer could be a little tricky.

Macbook Pro 2009 High Sierra

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Mojave

MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (All models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013 and 2010-2012 models with upgraded GPU)

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Release date: September 25, 2017

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 14.3GB free space on disk

Features

APFS (Apple File System) becomes the default file system in High Sierra. It’s a significant upgrade from the older HFS+ in terms of speed, size, and security
iCloud support of Messages which allows sync messages of the account across multiple devices
Mail app uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS High Sierra

MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

How to install

Here is a High Sierra download link.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

This is the first macOS version. Previous OS versions for Macs were called OS X (X stands for 10).

Release date: September 20, 2016

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

Siri was introduced to Macs
Optimized storage with iCloud sync
Auto-lock feature allows unlocking MacBook with paired Apple Watch
APFS preview available
Disk Utility can manage RAID sets again
Significant security improvements

How to install

Here is a Sierra download link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Sierra

MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Last OS X version.

Release date: September 30, 2015

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

System Integrity Protection – a security feature that protects even when the root user executes the process
Performance improvements: open PDF files four times faster, Mail is twice faster, launching apps 40% faster
Notes app similar to the app in iOS

Macs compatible with OS X El Capitan

same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

Here is El Capitan download link.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Release date: October 16, 2014

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Macs compatible with OS X Yosemite

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

Features

Major user design overhaul
Introduction of Handoff and Continuity features
Photos app replaced iPhoto and Aperture

How to install

Here is Yosemite download link. https://downxfil656.weebly.com/cleanmymac-v330-for-mac.html.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

First free Mac OS. Previous OS versions vary from $19.99 to $129.

Release date: October 22, 2013

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

Macbook Pro 2009 Sierra 2500hd

Compressed Memory feature automatically compresses inactive apps when approaching maximum memory capacity
Timer coalescing is a feature that reduces CPU usage by up to 72 percent
App Nap puts apps that are not currently visible to sleep

Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

OS X Mavericks installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install Mavericks.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Must be purchased. Fixed many bugs introduced in OS X Lion.

Release date: July 25, 2012

System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

New apps: Notification Center, Notes, Messages, Game Center
AirPlay mirroring allowed to mirror Mac screen to Apple TV
Application updates automatically install from the App Store

List of Apple computers compatible with OS X Mountain Lion

iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)

How to install

Mountain Lion installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install OS X Mountain Lion.

List of older Mac OS Versions

Following Mac OS versions are still running on older Macs, but Apple does not support them anymore, and there is no point to upgrade (or downgrade) to them:

OS X 10.7 Lion
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah