*** The Official macOS Catalina thread ***
- Thread starter Feek
- Start date
Yes, it's fine to do it that way. I just prefer the Combo because it overwrites any files which may have changed from the original .0 release rather than just updating from the previous point. It's like a belt-and-braces way to update.
I've been trying to download it too, and it was failing. Now works however - my internet connection is joyous 
Anyway, I've not experienced the SMB crashes with sleep enabled since the live 10.15.3 - I was experiencing on the last edition beta. Essentially I had to leave Amphetamine running all day and shut the machines down when I'd finished. Very irritating. If I didn't, on waking the machine would go sluggish and eventually crash. Didn't crash if I disconnected all the NW drives first.
Anyway, I've not experienced the SMB crashes with sleep enabled since the live 10.15.3 - I was experiencing on the last edition beta. Essentially I had to leave Amphetamine running all day and shut the machines down when I'd finished. Very irritating. If I didn't, on waking the machine would go sluggish and eventually crash. Didn't crash if I disconnected all the NW drives first.
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 10,994
Not seeing any updates yes sadly, also 15.3 combo update download 15.2, any direct links ?
Apple finally fixed the 10.15.3 combo update link.
"iCloud Drive folder sharing from Finder"
Finally a good use for the 2Tb I pay for! This will help when sharing files to my brother.
Finally a good use for the 2Tb I pay for! This will help when sharing files to my brother.
macOS 10.15.4 Supplemental update is available, get it here.
Soldato
Can you explain to me what the difference or advantages to updating via combo vs software update please?
I have always just updated via software update but the latest 10.15.4 has been a bit rubbish at times for me, in terms of performance, get the occasional unresponsive/slow down and sometimes beachball.
Wondering when the next update comes If I update with the combo it might help.
Aldo Is it easy to install via combo.
Thanks
I described the Combo in a previous thread as a 'belt & braces' method. When you install via software update, only system components which have changed in that update get replaced. If any older components of macOS have somehow become damaged then those damaged files remain and can cause odd problems.
There's also a chance that the latest update didn’t ‘take’ fully, and some of the updates weren’t installed properly, or simply weren't installed at all. As macOS protects all its files using SIP, you can’t (easily) use a tool like Pacifist to re-install just some components like the Mail app. Worse, many apps like Safari are intimately connected to huge parts of macOS, such as WebKit.
A Combo update replaces all the components which have changed since the initial major release, which is inevitably greater. A Combo update is therefore more likely to fix problems which have arisen because of damage to macOS components. It can also rectify incomplete updates - Although these should never happen, they sometimes do, leaving subsystems in a a bit of a mess.
You could just install it now, it won't harm anything. The 10.15.4 combo is here and it includes the supplemental update. It's very easy to install, you download it, mount the dmg and run the pkg inside it.
My process for updating is always the same:
Download the Combo.
Reboot.
Install the Combo.
Reboot.
I reboot first just in case anything is running in the background which might lock some files and then I reboot afterwards just because I think that a reboot after a major update is always worth doing.
Soldato
This sounds easy enough to do, I already have 10.15.4 installed. I will try the combo update method with the next release for sure.
Thanks
Even if you already have 10.15.4 installed, you can still install the 10.15.4 combo, it won't cause any problems and may solve the issues you have. The only thing you have to lose from installing it is the time taken to download it and install it.
Soldato
Oh ok good to know, so it will just overwrite it.
I may see how I go if I get any issues, like the unresponsive/slow down I occasionally get, if that happens again I will re-install.
Soldato
@Feek
I installed the combo in the end as I had the unresponsive slow down occur again today, didn't take long to install, which was good, I think I will continue to get the combo in future, hopefully its fixed the issue. Cheers
I installed the combo in the end as I had the unresponsive slow down occur again today, didn't take long to install, which was good, I think I will continue to get the combo in future, hopefully its fixed the issue. Cheers
Associate
- Joined
- 25 Jul 2019
- Posts
- 85
So Catalina is a turd then. I've got the same issue across 3 Catalina installs (watchdog, CPU panic).
Wish I would have stuck to Mojave
Wish I would have stuck to Mojave
I've just about got mine stable now. 16" Pro 10.15.4, 2018 Mac Mini 10.15.4 with Turbo Boost Disabled, iMac Pro on 10.15.5 beta.
Wish I'd have not started on the path at all tbh, everything was just fine on Mojave. Have a separate VM running with Mojave just for my iTunes library that Catalina seems to utterly ruin. Sure I can fix it just haven't had the chance to sort.
Associate
- Joined
- 25 Jul 2019
- Posts
- 85
You and me both buddy. I was completely stable on Mojave, and we were putting it off internally at work due to known issues. However we recently got the OK from some of our QA team with feedback from the developers. I didn't test it personally myself but now I wish I did as I need consider the logistics of downgrading over 50 new MBP's (Apple have been utterly useless from an Enterprise Support perspective).
I've just patched one of my own to 15.4 after it crashing constantly on 15.2. In an hour I've had 2 kernel panics on 15.4
How this got past internal QA/QC @ Apple is literally beyond me
