Installin El Cap - Partitions and Such

[rhino89]

My rMBP13 running Yosemite is my main machine. I want to try out Yosemite to make sure that all of my work applications are compatible with El Cap, so I've been reading about installing it as a separate partition so that I can safely play with it.

Here's my question: if I do that and everything is okay, do I then just uninstall/delete the Yosemite partition? Or is there a way to combine them? I've never done this before so I want to make sure I am doing things right. Or is there a better way altogether?

 

[ramram55]

you can create 2 partitions first one for yosemite, second for el cap. Load the second partition with Yosemite, then upgrade the second one to el cap, then test the new os with the second partition. You
can keep 2 partitions as long as you want.

 

[rhino89]

you can create 2 partitions first one for yosemite, second for el cap. Load the second partition with Yosemite, then upgrade the second one to el cap, then test the new os with the second partition. You
can keep 2 partitions as long as you want.

Might be a dumb question, but having never done any partitions I don't know:

If I install El Cap on the second partition while Yosemite is on the other, will El Cap have access to all the installed programs and all the files on the Yosemite side?

And even though I can keep two partitions, I would actually like to combine them if the El Cap release works with all my stuff. Is it just a case then of deleting the Yosemite partition? Or upgrading Yosemite side once the public release comes out and then joining the partitions together?

 

[ramram55]

think of the 2 partitions as 2 hard drives. After partition, #1 will have your yosemite and #2 is the one you
want to test the new el cap. #1 drive will not be touched, since #2 you can boot up by system preference > start up.
first step is to partition the HD. From application folder using disk utility.
Sure, two partitions can be merged after you are happy with el cap.