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I'd keep a (small) OS X partition around for firmware updates. Unfortunately, it has to be on the internal drive. I haven't had much luck using an external driv
by abrowne 13y ago
I'd keep a (small) OS X partition around for firmware updates. Unfortunately, it has to be on the internal drive. I haven't had much luck using an external drive to install firmware updates†, even when set as the startup disk.
† Other OS X software updates install fine on an external.
- mfincham 13y agoI'm pretty sure sometime shortly after buying this machine I was able to install a "firmware update" from a USB-booted OS X install, but don't quote me on that :) I'm somewhat unfamiliar with Apple's software generally (I have always just run Debian) - do they release firmware updates often? What kind of things do they fix?
- abrowne 13y agoI repairs Macs at work, so I boot a lot of machines via external drives. I think some firmware updates will work via external drive and some won't. I remember trying to get an iMac to install one, hoping it would fix an issue, and the internal drive was encrypted. I had to erase/reinstall on the internal drive to get the update to install. (Note to university computer lab admins: if your Thunderbolt isn't working, try installing the "Thunderbolt Firmware Update" that Software Update prompts you to install before requesting a new logic board ;-) Firmware updates aren't uncommon, when a machine or architecture is new. I can remember firmware updates for EFI (added internet recovery when Lion came out), Thunderbolt, Magsafe/power, SSDs, and Wifi across all types of Macs.