Macworld Forums

Mountain Lion was released on the Mac App Store today, have you upgraded yet?

We'd love to know whether you had any trouble downloading Apple's new operating system.

For those of you not upgrading, we'd love to know why. Is it because you are still running Leopard or earlier and therefore don't have access to the Mac App Store? Or perhaps you don't like the look of Mountain Lion or are content with the OS X you're currently running.

Let us know here.

Ashleigh Allsopp,
yep, did it this afternoon, no probs. Lost track how long it to download, but installation took about 20 -25 mins. New Safari, nice little touches. Safari a lot faster. iChat gone replaced by Messages. A few new little features. Had Lion before. New apps for iWork, iPhoto, iMovie, OK small added Mountain Lion features. Working my way around it all. Very pleased. Well worth £14. Not as a big as the added list of features in Lion. So glad Apple did us a deal for £14. Nice similarities with iOS6 and iOS5. Looking forward to getting my iPhone 5 or just iPhone in Sept/Oct 2012. I like to have the latest software, be it apps or OS. Hence my purchase, running on a 4 year old iMac.

Ashleigh Allsopp,
I have Leopard 10.5 and keep getting error messages in attempts to upgrade. Also no way of getting to a Snow L. or Lion upgrade, which are prerequisite. Apple site locks in a loop so no way of downloading. I also learn SL, Lion and ML are coming under hacker attack so the new included "Gatekeeper" software is essential. Silent Malware is getting into Apple apparently due digitally signed software being hacker adjustable - me who knows nothing just picking up net vibes. So, for those who have OSX 10.5 still on their machine, it seems tricky to get ML online.

lion&mouse,

Well you do have options to get ML on your Mac (assuming it can run it, which it probably can but double check).

1. Wait for Apple to start selling a Mountain Lion USB stick (probably coming soon).

2. Pick up a Snow Leopard install CD from Ebay; do the updates then install Mountain Lion from app store

3. Borrow a Snow Leopard install CD from a friend and then buy Mountain Lion. Although it's a cheeky not-exactly-legal way I think you can claim enough moral ground as you're going straight a purchase and just skipping the middle OS.

4. Not sure if this one will work. --> Purhcase a copy of Mountain Lion on a friends App Store Mac (wiht your account) then copy the Install Mac OS X Mountain Lion app (4.2GB) to a hard drive, transfer it to your Applications folder and take it from there.

Anybody else got any thoughts for Leopard owners?

Ashleigh Allsopp,
Sadly my little MacBook is only just that little bit too antiquated to run Mountain Lion.

Then again, it is an early 2008 13inch White Plastic MacBook with a 2.1Ghz Core-2-Duo, 4GB Ram, and a 144MB Intel GMA X3100 graphics card so its not exactly a big shock to me! I did manage to upgrade to Lion a few weeks ago so I'm about as up-to-date as I think I'm going to get with this particular Mac.

For me Lion has been a wonderful upgrade. I've had no problems what so ever with it so at this point in time - despite how much I'd love to have all the new features of Mountain Lion - I'm actually a fairly happy little camper.

I'm still amazed at just how well this Mac is holding up. My partner has blown through several Windows machines in the time I've been using my MacBook and she's already looking to buy a new PC again in the not too distant future! Mine is still going strong!

Although I'd love a new Mac - the rMBP or next years Mac Pro in particular - its more about wanting one than needing one. I reckon that, if I needed to, I could probably get another couple of years out of this thing yet!

Ashleigh Allsopp,
Yes I have updated to Mountain Lion yesterday. It went smoothly and so far no problems.

My 2 year old Mac mini server used as a desktop replacement cannot be upgraded. I was going to upgrade to an iPhone 5 when they come out (design being acceptable) but if iOS 6 needs ML then I'll be stuffed. I'm not going to replace a computer I've had for less than a year just to get some bells and whistles most of which I don't need. The hardware that can use ML is just too narrow.

Not pleased about that at all.

Tried, but alas, no ML on my Mac Pro 1,1

I can install via a workaround, (having searched Google), but it's just too much effort!

Hopefully Apple will release a firmware upgrade at some stage?

I can live in hope I guess

Ashleigh Allsopp,

Yes, both my 2009 MacBook Pro and 2007 iMac have been "upgraded" to Mountain lion. Download took six hours, install was about 30 -45 mins.

For the most part , things are running smoothly.

However, I am having MAJOR problems with Logic Studio as regards key commands, lag and third party plugins.

I've sent screen shots and vids to Apple describing my problems which of course they can't "reproduce" and blame the third party plugins. Third party party plugins blame Apple.

Usual Apple BS Zzzzzzzz

Perhaps if they spent a fraction of the time concentrating on existing "Pro Apps" as they do selling iPads and iPhones to tagging and text obsessed teenagers, we wouldn't have this problem!

RIP Logic Audio

I finally install the OSX last night due to the problem I had for many days that I cannot download OSX with an error message showing below

'The product distribution file could not be verified. It may be damaged or was not signed.'

I tried several help website and support and find faults could lies within third party softwares like anti virus, security etc. Try connect with ethernet instead of wireless.

I can download any other apps from Apple Store but never OSX. I tried delete the Apps temp and also disabled security. Still won't work.

Finally I can download through Safe mode. This will by-pass all the third party and download without an error message. Had download in less than 9 mins.

To find the file you had download is stored under Application and not in download folder. I make a copy of it
as well copy to memory stick.

“SwissMac: My 2 year old Mac mini server used as a desktop replacement cannot be upgraded. I was going to upgrade to an iPhone 5 when they come out (design being acceptable) but if iOS 6 needs ML then I'll be stuffed. I'm not going to replace a computer I've had for less than a year just to get some bells and whistles most of which I don't need. The hardware that can use ML is just too narrow.”

That's just not true. I have a 2010 Mac mini and it's running Mountain Lion perfectly. What makes you think it can't?

It's also true that iOS 6 does not need Mountain Lion any more than it needs any other Mac OS.

Ashleigh Allsopp, I have just downloaded it from the app store onto my Mac pro. Everything is running fine and i am enjoying it.

King regards

MacProKing

Ashleigh Allsopp,

On Sunday, decided to download Mountain Lion, currently have Lion. So far I have 857.55 MB of the 4.34GB's. At this rate the new 'whatever' will be around and I'll still be trickling along waiting for ML to download. I use Safari, have been told by Apple that there are discussions going on between Apple and BT!!! Someone told me not to download ML from Apple website, but from their app store.

WOW, now up to 867MB!!!

Gadgetgran

GadgetGran,

Apple are rapidly turning into a complete and utter joke... All they are interested in is iphone and iPad sales.

Logic audio under "Mountain Lion" has so many bugs it beggars belief... its unusable.

I could understand this given their usual third party stance, but Logic Audio IS OWNED BY APPLE..

Can they not sort out and take responsibility for THEIR OWN "Pro" apps???

Can the powers that be stop catering to the children using iPhones and iPads and address the adults using and PAYING for pro apps that we've paid through the nose for?

Apple are rapidly turning into a joke and alienating their once loyal fanbase by spreading themselves too thinly...

Mark Hattersley,

It is possible to install Mountain Lion on any Mac that meets the hardware requirements, regardless of its current version of the OS.

You'll need a Hard Drive that is large enough to take a clone of your existing hard drive, a copy of CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper!, an 8gb USB stick, a copy of LionDiskMaker (http://www.macupdate.com/download/39701/Lion_DiskMaker2.zip), installers for ML compliant versions of all your software and a purchased copy of the Mountain Lion installer from the App Store on your Desktop - in other words, don't try to run the installer after the download.

1. Clone your existing hard drive to the external drive.

2. Use LionDiskMaker to convert the USB stick to a Mountain Lion Installer.

3. With the USB stick connected, restart holding down the 'alt' key and select the USB installer to boot from.

4. Select English as the main language then select Disk Utility and repartition your internal hard drive. Quit Disk Utility.

5. Select Reinstall Mac OS X and install OS X.

6. With the cloned disk attached go through the initial setup then Migrate ONLY your User Accounts as required and System Settings.

7. Install compliant versions of all your required applications, utilities and drivers.

Think you for this.