Forced Shutdown mid-update - okay?

Hi,

I was wondering whether I do any damage or everything is okay (as it should be)?

I shut down my mac whilst it was doing mid-update. Is macOS designed to be safe to turn off whilst doing a software update? It was running Mojave then. 10.14.6 i think. Not sure what update it was doing.

Does mac has like a install resume feature and verification that the process was done correctly at the end of the software update installation?

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Details below:

1) I have a 2015 Macbook Pro, yesterday morning I woke the mac at 6 o'clock and the computer just stuck on black screen. I wait for another hour thinking it must have been updating.

2) 1 hour later, it still the same black screen, tried to close the lid (hoping it might trigger something), noticed the screen is actually turned on, just the screen is blank.

2a) Is the computer frozen in this case?

3) I decided to invoke a forced shut down by holding the power button.

3a) Did I do the right thing?

4) Computer reset, and it was indeed doing the update. Update resume as normal. the bar was ¾ filled.

5) Eventually (about 15 minutes later) the mac boot to desktop and a pop up saying computer was restarted to complete update or something was displayed.

I am worried that I do any damage to the OS.

Thank you for your time.

W

 

Ah also,

After this debacle, I upgraded the system to Catalina (through the software update).

Will this fix whatever issue that could have come forth from the previous mishap (force shut down mid update)?

As in, when upgrading the system like this, does the new OS displaces the old OS like a clean install. Or does it re-use the old OS and just updates modules or something (sorry not a software engineer, my knowledge is limited). In which case, any error/s that was made with the previous install is of no consequence since it was erased and replaced.

Many Thanks

W

 

You'll be fine after doing the Catalina Update since it will re-write most of the OS.

I would do an NVRAM Reset and and SMC Reset though just to freshen things up:
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How to reset NVRAM or PRAM:

If your Mac has issues related to settings stored in NVRAM or PRAM, resetting it might help.

Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. You can release the keys after about 20 seconds, during which your Mac might appear to restart.

• On Mac computers that play a startup sound, you can release the keys after the second startup sound.
• On Mac computers that have the Apple T2 Security Chip, you can release the keys after the Apple logo appears and disappears for the second time.

Source

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How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC)

Spoiler: What the SMC does

The SMC is responsible for these and other low-level functions on Intel-based Mac computers:

Spoiler: What the SMC does

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    
    • Responding to presses of the power button
    • Responding to the display lid opening and closing on Mac notebooks
    • Battery management
    • Thermal management
    • Sudden Motion Sensor (SMS)
    • Ambient light sensing
    • Keyboard backlighting
    • Status indicator light (SIL) management
    • Battery status indicator lights
    • Selecting an external (instead of internal) video source for some iMac displays

Spoiler: How to know if you need to reset the SMC

These symptoms might mean that an SMC reset is necessary:

Spoiler: How to know if you need to reset the SMC

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    
    • Your computer's fans run at high speed, even though it isn't under heavy usage and is properly ventilated.
    • The keyboard backlight behaves incorrectly.
    • The status indicator light, if present, behaves incorrectly.
    • Battery indicator lights, if present, behave incorrectly on Mac notebooks with a non-removable battery.
    • The display backlight doesn't respond correctly to ambient light changes.
    • Your Mac doesn't respond when you press the power button.
    • Your Mac notebook doesn't respond properly when you close or open the lid.
    • Your Mac sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly and you can't turn it back on.
    • The battery doesn't charge properly.

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    
    • Your MacBook or MacBook Pro doesn't charge through its built-in USB-C port.
    • Your MacBook or MacBook Pro doesn't recognize external devices that are connected to its built-in USB-C port.
    • The MagSafe power adapter LED, if present, doesn't indicate the correct charging activity.
    • Your Mac performs unusually slowly, even though its CPU isn't under an abnormally heavy load.
    • A Mac that supports target display mode doesn't switch into or out of target display mode as expected, or it switches into or out of target display mode at unexpected times.
    • The illumination around the I/O ports on a Mac Pro (Late 2013) doesn't turn on when you move the computer.

Spoiler: Before you reset the SMC

Try each of these steps in this order before you reset the SMC. Test the issue after each step to see if the issue still occurs.

Spoiler: Before you reset the SMC

1. 
   
   
   • 
     
     
     • If your Mac isn't responding, press and hold the power button until it shuts down. You'll lose unsaved work in any open applications. Then press the power button again to turn on your Mac.
     • Press Command-Option*-Escape to force quit any application that's not responding.
     • Put your Mac to sleep by choosing Apple () menu > Sleep. Wake the computer after it's gone to sleep.
     • Restart your Mac by choosing Apple menu > Restart.
     • Shut down your Mac by choosing Apple menu > Shut Down, then press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

If you're using a Mac notebook that's having power or battery issues, follow these steps:

1. 
   
   
   • 
     
     
     • Unplug the power adapter from your Mac and the electrical outlet for several seconds, then plug it back in.
     • Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
     • Remove and re-insert the battery if it's removable.
     • Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

If the issue still isn't resolved, you might need to reset the SMC using the steps below.

How to reset the SMC on Mac notebooks without a T2 chip:

If the battery is non-removable:

1. 
   
   
   • 
     
     
     • Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
     • Press Shift-Control-Option on the left side of the built-in keyboard, then press the power button at the same time. Hold these keys and the power button for 10 seconds. If you have a MacBook Pro with Touch ID, the Touch ID button is also the power button.
     • Release all keys.
     • Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

If the battery is removable:

1. 
   
   
   • 
     
     
     • Shut down your Mac.
     • Remove the battery. If you need help removing the battery, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store.
     • Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
     • Reinstall the battery.
     • Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

Mac notebook computers with the T2 chip

Try this first:

1. 
   
   
   • Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
   • Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.
   • Release the power button, then wait a few seconds.
   • Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

If that doesn't resolve the issue, follow these steps:

1. 
   
   
   • Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
   • Press and hold the right Shift key, the left Option key, and the left Control key for 7 seconds. Your Mac might turn on and show the Apple logo on its display. Keep holding those keys while you also press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds. If your Mac turned on when you first pressed the keys, it turns off at this point.
   • Release all three keys and the power button, then wait a few seconds.
   • Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

Source