Updating to Sierra from El Capitan, had a few dumb questions so I don't create a dumb situation

[schmoppa]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've updated my Hackintosh...

I'm running with a Gigabyte z97x-Gaming 7 board with nVidia GeForce 970.
Currently Running OSX 10.11.6 with whatever was the appropriate nvidia driver for this release.

Ever since the last major iOS update for my iPhone I haven't been able to back up my iPhone, so I figure it's about time to update to Sierra. I see there's a new release, and from the news item in tonymac86 it says for supported systems"built-in Software Update functionality through the Mac App Store, or by using the standalone installer available from Apple.com." How would I know if I can use the built-in update functionality?

Before I run the update, should I update all the drivers and Clover with the latest Multibeast or is that something to do after running the Sierra update?

I am currently using CCC to back up my current system to an external, bootable drive, and I already have an older MacOSX system on an internal, bootable SSD, but I still want to avoid any screw-ups if possible.

Thank you!

 

[P1LGRIM]

Profiles need to contain at least your primary system to assist others with helping you

 

[bobdude]

As a general rule of thumb, even though I prefer to use the built in App Store functionality since it's the most "Apple like" experience, I still create a Unibeast sourced bootable installer in case something goes wrong and I can use the Unibeast as a boot helper. You can still opt to keep everything in place like your documents and settings with a Unibeast install - you don't have to do a clean wipe. Even without knowing your exact specs, the general order of operations is:

1) Backup your currently working, Clover EFI. Sometimes this partition DOES NOT get captured by CCC or SuperDuper when making your primary disk backup. It is usually best to employ another USB stick to copy it to so that it is yet another boot option. You know this works now, so keep it in case something breaks and you want to revert.

2) Update Clover to test that the update works. If this doesn't work, you should revert back to your bootable USB that you created in step 1. You should update Clover first if you want to use the built in App Store installer. You can do it later with Multibeast if you install from Unibeast.

3) Proceed to install Sierra. This can be done either way you deem most seamless, either by App Store or from the Unibeast installer, whichever you prefer. Use the relevant guide on this website based on which one you choose to do. I recently performed the latter since I could not even download via App Store. (had to use another genuine Mac to create Unibeast).

4) Perform Post-Installation tasks with Multibeast. Do this last since the drivers get moved around during the Sierra installer. Multibeast makes sure that based on your system specs all the relevant drivers get put back where they need to for stuff to work. Install Clover with Multibeast in case the update in step 1 didn't work.

This is the order I prefer that isn't necessarily spelled out since there are two ways of getting to the latest macOS. I'm sure other people have other methods or steps they prefer. Not one way to slice it. Hope this helps.