I recently upgraded to Catalina but realised a few apps don’t work as they are 32-bit.
I have heard of dual boot system and did some googling. However I couldn’t find any help with what I wanted to do which is – have Catalina as my main OS but create a bootable Mojave on the same MacBook. So that I can switch between OS if I want to use 32-bit apps.
Can this be done?
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Rick
Which apps? I'm asking because the easier solution would be to replace those apps, not to go through the huge task of building a system where you could dual boot.
Dual booting from the same hard drive means partitioning the drive and distributing the space between two sections, each with an operating system installed. It is very hard to do and has some major drawbacks when it comes to drive space.
Lots to do and maintain. Not something I would recommend trying unless you really know what you are doing.
Even I wouldn't do it, especially omg a MacBook. No way I am giving up all of that precious MacBook storage space to a whole second operating system just to run some obsolete apps.
If they are that critical, then why not simply get new versions of them if they are available? Or if they are abandoned, replace them with a new app? Or if they are some critical app that just has neither of those options, then I would consider getting a second (old, used) Mac to run them instead of crippling my MacBook like that.
So which apps do you need?
Hi Gary, thank you for your reply.
The apps that I was hoping to use are actually 32-bit games from my Steam library. I updated to the new 64 bit version of Steam after upgrading to Catalina but then realised a lot of my older games were 32 bit and failed to load. Steam’s help documents mentioned the solution of creating a dual boot with Mojave installed, then use a 32 bit version of Steam so that the older games can run properly.
I do understand your points you made though. I too prefer a clean updated system with updated apps. I was just thinking if a solution was possible. I do have lots of HD space, that’s not an issue.
If you think that dual boot is a messy & difficult solution, I’m not against just ditching the old games library.
Rick: I'm surprised that they recommend dual boot. Maybe it is easy for them to say that, so why not? If I really had a Steam game I loved that was only 32-bit and no longer being updated, I would look at two possibilities before even considering dual boot. First, I would just run the game on an old Mac. Any app that old should run on something you have in your closet or maybe an old MacBook or Mac mini you can pick up for cheap. Second, I would buy a fast external drive (Thunderbolt or USB3, not a Flash drive though) and set that up as a bootable drive to run Mojave or earlier and install that game on it. That way I don't have to give up any storage space on my internal drive and I'm not messing around with partitions and such.
Thanks for your advice. I think the external drive idea sounds the best workaround. Also if I decide later it’s not worth it I can just stop using the drive.
Is there a step by step guide you recommend for creating a bootable Mojave drive?
Rick: I don't recall one at the moment, sorry. Just search for one and try it. Basically, you enter recovery mode and then choose the external as the drive to install to.