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Apple Sequoia ‘trashgrade’

RogerS

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And off to pastures new
Regular readers may remember the trauma at the last upgrade. Just tried or is that ‘fried’ to upgrade to 15.4.1 and now I have a brick. Totally. Anyone done this OK on an Intel chip Mac? Perhaps Apple don’t bother to test properly on old chip Macs?

Thank God for the iPad.
.
 
No. Apple keep prompting me and I keep putting it off. Apple "upgrades" these days mainly suit them not users. Their mission is lock us in to the Apple ecosystem with everything synced so that you can never escape.
 
I upgraded my 2020 MacMini and 2024 MBP to 15.4.1 last night with no problems. These are newer machines and I have no regrets about getting rid of the older 2009 and 2012 machines earlier this year.

This might not be practical for you, but if you have an Apple store nearby, you might try taking it in to see if any of the experts can roll back the OS or unbrick your machine.
 
I know you do not want to know but FWIW works fine on my mini M2 chip. Maybe time to upgrade the hardware.

edit: yep agree with Mike, my late 2009 iMac was well past it's sell by date
 
Well Apple should give me a job. It was exactly like the last time and I noticed that the lights on the backup drives were lit which meant the PSU was fine. So I persevered with trying to get it to load and eventually I got the Apple logo and a message saying ….finishing your upgrade etc. But it is buggy as hell on my IMac. Mice (tailed and untailed) stop working. You have to quit or close the current in focus window. Then they start working until ……. In other words these last two upgrades are NBG for my version of a Mac and so I’ll not upgrade again.

Rolling back to the earlier version
 
Why upgrade Apple iOS when you know it'll be a faff or even a disaster on such an old machine. Install a Linux OS and your problems will be over
Duncan
 
I upgraded my 2020 MacMini and 2024 MBP to 15.4.1 last night with no problems. These are newer machines and I have no regrets about getting rid of the older 2009 and 2012 machines earlier this year.

This might not be practical for you, but if you have an Apple store nearby, you might try taking it in to see if any of the experts can roll back the OS or unbrick your machine.
My iMac is 2020 but will have a differentchip set to either of your machines. I've now had this sort of problem twice. First time upgrading to Sequoia. Now this upgrade of Sequoia. That tells me that there is some quirky issue that will be impossible to fathom out. So I'll not be upgrading again.
 
I haven't done mine yet, also on a 2020 mac. When the Mac was a lot newer, still in warranty JUST, I did an update as soon as it was released and it literally killed my machine. New board or whatever they're called, luckily done under warranty. I tend to be slow upgrading now, but do need to do this latest one.
 
I just let everything update as and when Apple says to do it and have never had a problem. Have I just been lucky to date?
 
I'm on Monterey and my late 2015 iMac won't take any version after this, so looks like I'm sticking with this until it does what my 2010 iMac did and the integrations and sync started to fail. I bought this 2015 model second hand in great nick so will stick with it until it's on its way out then work out what to do...
 
My older machines with the Intel chips worked fine, and would likely still be working had I not scrapped them. All were well past their end of life for OS upgrades, but I could not use new applications, such as Fusion 360 and the new Microsoft Office suite. I will be happy if I have the same 16 years out of the new machines.
 
Well despite what I said yesterday my desktop IMac Pro from 2017 (Xeon maxed out spec at the time) updated itslef last night because I accidentally clicked on "try later tonight" when prompted to upgrade. It all went fine though.

It has delivered some new features that I neither want nor need, such as automatic categories in Mail. iPhone Mirroring was there before, but they have tweaked it. However, it's still useless and pointless. They are just keeping developers and marketing people in a job with pointless things to do :rolleyes:
 
This is not my original idea and I do not know who to thank, but I wrote this particular version and have sung it a few time at Open Mic nights. If you understand, you understand.

The IT Engineer's Lament
Yesterday, I thought backups were a waste of pay,
Now my database has gone away,
Oh, I believe in Yesterday.

Suddenly, there's not half the files there use to be,
There's a virus hanging over me,
The Server crashed so suddenly

I clicked something wrong,
What it was, I couldn't say,
Now my spreadsheet's gone and I long for Yesterday.

Yesterday, I was writing emails all the day,
But now there's a ransom I must pay,
Oh, I believe in Yesterday.

What the problem was, I don't know, it didn't say,
Just a 404,
IT WAS THERE!
Just Yesterday!

Yesterday, I thought all my work was here to stay,
Now I only want to cry today,
Oh, I believe in Yesterday.

Mmm, mmm, mm-mmm, mmm, mm-mmm.
 
IMG_1286.jpeg

Talking of disruptive updates, this is my HP printer after a firmware update. It effectively bricked it because I wasn’t subscribed to their now-compulsory Instant Ink programme.

After three hours trying to reverse or circumvent it, just to print one page, I retained enough self control to carry it out to the barn before lobbing it at the wall.

It was always a horrible thing to use anyway; if planning to print something, I’d have to set aside 45 mins, including a lie-down afterwards. The Brother I bought to replace it works just fine.
 
View attachment 33305

Talking of disruptive updates, this is my HP printer after a firmware update. It effectively bricked it because I wasn’t subscribed to their now-compulsory Instant Ink programme.

After three hours trying to reverse or circumvent it, just to print one page, I retained enough self control to carry it out to the barn before lobbing it at the wall.

It was always a horrible thing to use anyway; if planning to print something, I’d have to set aside 45 mins, including a lie-down afterwards. The Brother I bought to replace it works just fine.
Funny you should mention HP printers. I recently had words with my HP Color Laserjet. It flashed up and error message ...which numbnuts here didn't think to write down...and a message to 'Turn the printer off then back on'. I did that. But it never came back on. Dead as a dodo. I looked into getting another colour laser printer but then saw the price of a set of cartridges ...Mid £250 !! So I am now the proud owner of an Epson ET-2850 ecotank and rather impressed with it.
 
You can blame Mr Gillette for the marketing principles that HP and other printer manufacturers use
It was he who, reputedly, first came up with the idea of selling the tool (hand held razor handles) cheaply them charging a relative fortune for the razor blades. There is something wrong with a world where ink cartridges can cost more than a new printer.
 
I’ve spent so much more time trying to get home printers to print than I ever have actually printing. A couple of years ago we decided to outsource our limited printing needs to professional print shops. Even with travel time, I’ve saved so much time and money. If you’re like me and only print in bursts every 6-9 months, print shops are the answer.
 
You can blame Mr Gillette for the marketing principles that HP and other printer manufacturers use
It was here who, reputedly, first came up with the idea of selling the tool (hand held razor handles) cheaply them charging a relative fortune for the razor blades. There is something wrong with a world where ink cartridges can cost more than a new printer.
I was working a special project in Italy and needed a printer. My sponsor bought an inexpensive HP color ink jet printer at the military exchange for $50 that worked great. A few weeks later, the the tri-color cartridge was nearly empty but the black cartridge had plenty to get me through the next reporting period, or so I thought.

The printer would not function if either of the cartridges were empty, regardless of the amount of ink remaining in one. When the color cartridge was empty, the printer stopped working so my sponsor and I went back to the exchange to buy a color cartridge identical to the cartridge that came with the printer. We were amazed that the price for the single cartridge was $65. He bought another printer and I tossed the first printer in the recycling bin.

Over the course of the project, he bought eight printers because it was less expensive than buying the cartridges. We tried a refill kit from a local computer shop, but the printer refused to work with the refilled cartridge once it had reached its printing capacity.
 
I was working a special project in Italy and needed a printer. My sponsor bought an inexpensive HP color ink jet printer at the military exchange for $50 that worked great. A few weeks later, the the tri-color cartridge was nearly empty but the black cartridge had plenty to get me through the next reporting period, or so I thought.

The printer would not function if either of the cartridges were empty, regardless of the amount of ink remaining in one. When the color cartridge was empty, the printer stopped working so my sponsor and I went back to the exchange to buy a color cartridge identical to the cartridge that came with the printer. We were amazed that the price for the single cartridge was $65. He bought another printer and I tossed the first printer in the recycling bin.

Over the course of the project, he bought eight printers because it was less expensive than buying the cartridges. We tried a refill kit from a local computer shop, but the printer refused to work with the refilled cartridge once it had reached its printing capacity.
Usually new printers will come with smaller or partially filled ink cartridges.

My cannon needed new cartridge but I kept on forgetting, by the time I got one and fitted it the printer no longer printed, just went through the motions. I think the print head must of dried out. £30 wasted
 
A while back on my iMac, the OS updated itself and a little basic calculator appeared on the Task Bar, which we both found useful occasionally. The other day I was looking for it to do a bit of sums and it had gorn, disappeared, vanished. I guess some further upgrade decided it wasn't very Gucci and a bit un-Appleish so knocked it on the head. Weird - Rob

Edit - it's now in 'Launchpad' not on the Task Bar
 
A while back on my iMac, the OS updated itself and a little basic calculator appeared on the task bar, which we both found useful occasionally. The other day I was looking for it to do a bit of sums and it had gorn, disappeared, vanished. I guess some further upgrade decided it wasn't very Gucci and a bit un-Appleish so knocked it on the head. Weird - Rob
You do know that that little search icon ...like a magnifying glass...in the task bar is also a rudimentary calculator ?
 
Usually new printers will come with smaller or partially filled ink cartridges.

I thought the same, but the HP rep confirmed the cartridges included with the printer had the same capacity as the replacements. He told me a few customers returned for replacement cartridges only to return later to buy a new printer when the replacement cartridges were empty. He didn't understand the pricing difference and assumed the HP marketing department assumed no one would toss a perfectly good printer when the ink ran out.
 
A while back on my iMac, the OS updated itself and a little basic calculator appeared on the Task Bar, which we both found useful occasionally. The other day I was looking for it to do a bit of sums and it had gorn, disappeared, vanished. I guess some further upgrade decided it wasn't very Gucci and a bit un-Appleish so knocked it on the head. Weird - Rob

Edit - it's now in 'Launchpad' not on the Task Bar
I frequently use the calculator and pinned it to the Dock so it is always available with one click.
 
This subsription model for ink is a PITA for anyone who has to print once in a blue moon.

I have an ancient Epson XP 760. I bought it over 10 years ago, because it was one of the few machines available that would print directly onto DVDs.

The machine has a suicide chip in it, it stops working after so many prints, and it's not huge, 8450 prints. But there is a workaround. There is a utility called Epson Printer Reset Utility. It's a very crude interface, like we used to get on basic non-windows programmes. But one of the many options is to reset the Count. I am currently 1200 copies into its third life and the print quality is still excellent.

It's beginning to sound a bit clattery, if I'm honest and I don't know what I shall replace it with when the time finally does come.
S
 
A while back on my iMac, the OS updated itself and a little basic calculator appeared on the Task Bar, which we both found useful occasionally. The other day I was looking for it to do a bit of sums and it had gorn, disappeared, vanished. I guess some further upgrade decided it wasn't very Gucci and a bit un-Appleish so knocked it on the head. Weird - Rob

Edit - it's now in 'Launchpad' not on the Task Bar
I frequently use the calculator and pinned it to the Dock so it is always available with one click.

Likewise and easy enough to do. Open the calculator and it will appear in the dock, right click the icon in the dock and select Keep in Dock.
Much quicker and easier to access than via launchpad IMO


Screenshot 2025-05-06 at 11.53.01 am.png
 
I’ve spent so much more time trying to get home printers to print than I ever have actually printing. A couple of years ago we decided to outsource our limited printing needs to professional print shops. Even with travel time, I’ve saved so much time and money. If you’re like me and only print in bursts every 6-9 months, print shops are the answer.
All I wanted (before the printer accidentally brutally threw itself against the wall) was a circuit diagram printout for a DC brake I was playing with in the workshop. I ended up tracing it from the screen.

It’s just things like that, the occasional diagram, postage label or official document, probably no more than 50 pages per year. Options were a cheap mono-only laser printer, which won’t clog, or a Brother inkjet, and keep it printing a test page now and again. Those in the know specified Brother as the only maker with a modicum of customer ethics.

Print shops few and far between up here, I’m afraid.
 
Likewise and easy enough to do. Open the calculator and it will appear in the dock, right click the icon in the dock and select Keep in Dock.
Much quicker and easier to access than via launchpad IMO


View attachment 33321
You must have a different 'pooter and OS to me Andy 'cos my wireless Apple mice doesn't have a right click - Rob
 
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