Upgrading from Sierra to Catalina - Best Method?

[CheyPalabra]

Hi,

Is there a "best method" to upgrading to Catalina from Sierra 10.12? I can't find a specific thread related to it.

For some backstory - I created my first Hackintosh back when Sierra first released via USB install. It's had it's numerous kinks but was mostly operable. Recently I've needed to update some programs that can only operate on a newer OS so I tried to upgrade to Catalina but it is not present in the App Store. The upgrade that did install was a security update for Sierra that has since knocked out my audio (Devices can no longer be found). I also updated Clover beforehand which now hides my Mac drives from the boot screen. Only my Windows ones now show initially, however, I'm still able to see my Mac drives by hitting F3 and access them that way.

So yeah, I have several issues right now but my main concern is, since I can't access Catalina via the App store, should I try a fresh install with USB and follow those instructions? Will that affect/erase the files I have saved on my current build? I already have it backed up on a separate drive in case things go south, I just want to know what to expect.

Current Hackintosh Specs:
MoBo: MSI Z270 Gaming M3
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
CPU: Intel i7-7700k

Thank you in advance for any insight!

 

[antieatingactivist]

This is a really big jump in OS versions, so it might be a good idea to back up your current drive and do a clean install. Its probably safe to say that your EFI/Clover is out of date too. Either get all of your kexts and clover updated or better yet, use OpenCore. You are also not going to be able to use your current GPU. You'll either need to switch to an AMD card or use your onboard graphics.

 

[CheyPalabra]

This is a really big jump in OS versions, so it might be a good idea to back up your current drive and do a clean install. Its probably safe to say that your EFI/Clover is out of date too. Either get all of your kexts and clover updated or better yet, use OpenCore. You are also not going to be able to use your current GPU. You'll either need to switch to an AMD card or use your onboard graphics.

@antieatingactivist Thank you for your quick response! I heard that Apple dropped Nvidia support and I got a new AMD GPU (Sapphire Nitro) It didn't work well with my current build so I tabled it for the time being.

I'll likely re-install it for the fresh build. I've already backed up my main drive. In terms of restoring the files to my fresh build, do you recommend I restore the entire volume? If so, would that override the new kexts/settings?

Or should I just restore folders instead? I used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone everything so my backup definitely contains the Old EFIs and extensions.

 

[antieatingactivist]

I'm a little confused on what you are asking. Is your "fresh build" a future PC that you are intending on building and transferring this Catalina install that your are working on right now for your current machine?

 

[CheyPalabra]

I'm a little confused on what you are asking. Is your "fresh build" a future PC that you are intending on building and transferring this Catalina install that your are working on right now for your current machine?

Hi - Sorry for the confusion. It's mostly the same build, except for the new graphics card. What I meant was with the fresh install, when I restore my main drive files from my back up, will that alter/override the new kexts?

 

[antieatingactivist]

Hi - Sorry for the confusion. It's mostly the same build, except for the new graphics card. What I meant was with the fresh install, when I restore my main drive files from my back up, will that alter/override the new kexts?

SO once you've done a clean install, you don't want to do any sort of "restore". What you'll want to do is copy just the contents of your home folder. Setting up a clean install is tedious but I think you'll be way less likely to end up with a broken system then trying to upgrade from several macOS versions back.

 

[CheyPalabra]

SO once you've done a clean install, you don't want to do any sort of "restore". What you'll want to do is copy just the contents of your home folder. Setting up a clean install is tedious but I think you'll be way less likely to end up with a broken system then trying to upgrade from several macOS versions back.

Gotcha! Thanks so much for your insight! I'll read up on OpenCore and take a swing at things. Thanks again!