Optional Upgrade to Catalina on Macs

Apple has released macOS 10.15 Catalina, Apple’s newest operating system, and is an optional upgrade for Mac users. If you use specialized software, please verify with the vendor that it will be compatible with Catalina before upgrading, or contact LTS for assistance with this. Our Catalina page has the latest information about known software incompatibilities. All classroom Macs will remain on macOS 10.14 Mojave for the rest of the academic year (2019-2020).

Important for faculty and staff: Our automatic backup software Code42 requires you to give access to backup your files after upgrading to Catalina: follow these instructions to update your privacy settings and ensure files and folders from critical locations continue backing up, including files in: Desktop, Contacts, Photos, Documents, and Downloads. If you are considering upgrading for the first time in a couple years, please note Microsoft Office 2011 is not compatible with Catalina. Please contact the Computing Help Desk if you are interested in upgrading to Microsoft Office 2016.  

Before any upgrade, we strongly recommend that you perform a backup of all your data.  Please contact the Computing Help Desk for assistance.

Required Adobe License Upgrade (for Faculty and Staff)

Do you use Adobe software? Our current College license for Adobe Creative Cloud expires on November 30, 2019. To avoid interruption and to access the latest versions of the Adobe apps, upgrade the Adobe license on your College-owned computer using our instructions. New benefit! The new license allows faculty and staff to access Adobe programs on a personal computer for free! See our FAQs here.

Required Upgrade from Windows 7 (for Faculty and Staff)

If your College-owned computer is running Windows 7 *, contact the Help Desk to schedule an upgrade to Windows 10, or see our self-upgrade instructions. Microsoft is ending security updates for Windows 7 in January 2020.  Any remaining Windows 7 computers will be removed from the network thereafter due to security concerns. 

* You have Windows 7 if you see a Start button in the lower left of your screen that looks like this:

To: Everyone
From: Lori Parmet, LTS, 781-283-2171
More info: Computing Help Desk, LTS, 781-283-3333 (faculty and staff); 781-283-7777 (students)