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Mac OS FAQ |
Updated: 31 December 2023
1. What Hardware is compatible with Mac OS?
You need a Apple iMac or MacBook that has a Dual Core Intel, 64 bit Intel i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor, and supports 64 bit EFI. Later Macs, will support the Apple Silicon (ARM) processor.
For memory, you need at least 4 GB of RAM (8GB recommended). For hard disk space, you need at least 14 GB of free space to install Mac OS.
For additional requirements, see Apple's Technical Specs.
To see what your current system setup is like, select About my Mac, and select System Report and check out the following information: System: Processor, Memory, Display, Network, Storage, Battery, Wifi, USB devices and so on.
2. How do I install Drivers for Hardware in Mac OS?
Apple provides all the drivers you need for running your Mac, updated drivers are supplied with Mac OS updates via the App Store program.
You may need to download and install drivers or software for third party items such as Printers, Scanners and Cameras attached to your Mac.
See the Apple downloads page, printer drivers, the manufacturer's website for the drivers.
3. How do I install third party drivers to Mac OS ?
Unlike Windows which has a Device Manager tool, Mac OS X can only install drivers via publicily available installation packages provided by the Manufacturer. To add other drivers, you need to add a Kernel Extension, also known as a kext package, to Mac OS X's /System/Library/Extensions folder with a driver and Info.plist which is a XML file with details about the device.
See OSx86 web page on how to do this.
How to install a custom kernel extension.
Developing kernel drivers and extensions.
4. What are System Extensions?
System Extensions replace the older Kernel Extensions from macOS Catalina or later. They work similarly like Kernel Extensions except that they work in User Mode rather than Kernel Mode and thus are more secure than Kernel Extensions. Legacy extensions may bring up an alert, they can be enabled or blocked via the Security and Privacy System Preferences. System extension files can end with dext, networkextension or systemextension.
5. How do I update the Firmware?
The Firmware does two functions: provide some low level functions to configure the hardware, provide some minimal input/output functionality for the display and keyboard and load the operating system from disk. This information can be updated by what's called 'Flashing the ROM' which means replacing the code in the ROM chip with new code. Firmware updates are available from Apple Downloads.
Firmware updates for Mac Desktops.
Firmware updates for Mac Notebooks.
6. How to reset VMRAM, run Diagnostics, or Eject devices?
You need to use these special key combinations to access these features, usually after pressing the power button to start up the Mac:
12. What kind of monitor can I attach to my Mac Pro, Mac Studio or Mac mini?
Most modern Macs now support monitors with HDMI (High-definition Multimedia Interface), older Mac Pros support Mini Display Port connectors and a DVI port (Digitual Visual Interface) port.
13. What external connectors are supported on the Mac?
The Mac Studio has 4 Thunderbolt ports, a UTP Ethernet port, 2 USB-C ports, HDMI, a SDXC port for memory cards and a Headphone socker.
The Mac Pro 8 Thunderbolt ports (2 of which are at the front), 2 HDMI ports, 2 10Gb Ethernet ports, 2 USB-A ports, and a Headphone socket.
The iMac has two Thunderbold / USB 4 ports with support for Display Port, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 or 4 and Hhunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA with optional adaptors, and headphone jack.
14. What network connectivity does the Mac support?
All Macs support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet (1GB or faster) connectivity to networks.
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