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Can Leopard Install pull User Profiles from an external USB HDD?

KindredMAC

KindredMAC

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
I want to put a new HDD in my MacBook.

I have an external 2.5 SATA to USB enclosure kit. Will Leopard see my original HDD that will be connected via USB to the MacBook as I install Leopard onto the newer, larger HDD that I will install? That way I can pull the user settings and put them on the newer HDD during install?

I've only done it using FireWire Target Disk Mode and going from one internal to another internal in my PowerMac G5.

Thanks!
 
I believe so, though I've never tested it.

The worst-case scenario is that you can always overwrite the contents of the folders later from the external. Copying over the Library folder can be quite time consuming as some folders inside the library folder aren't overwritable but it is doable. The documents/music/movies/pictures are easy and just involve dragging the contents from those folders on the external to those folders on the Mac.
 
If you had used Time Machine on the external you could just restore everything from the old drive to the new.
 
Yep, it works

I recently upgraded my 12 Powerbook to a larger HDD. I put the new HDD in the system and the old one one a USB enclosure. The install started and right away noticed another volume with user configurations on it and asked me it I wanted to migrate it all over to the new drive. I selected yes and in about thirty mintues I had a clean install that looked exactly like my machine looked when I started.

Very slick!
 
LanPhantom said:
I recently upgraded my 12 Powerbook to a larger HDD. I put the new HDD in the system and the old one one a USB enclosure. The install started and right away noticed another volume with user configurations on it and asked me it I wanted to migrate it all over to the new drive. I selected yes and in about thirty mintues I had a clean install that looked exactly like my machine looked when I started.

Very slick!
Click to expand...
Excellent to know. I had a feeling it would work since, when upgrading to Leopard, I copied my Tiger install to a new external hard drive and Leopard's migration assistant migrated all of my settings over as well. It seriously looked exactly like my old install (with iTunes, iPhoto, system preferences, etc) with the exception of the Leopard goodies (menubar, Spaces, etc). I was very pleased with Apple. It was seriously an infinitely better upgrade experience than what I've been accustom to in Windows ... basically had to reformat and reinstall.
 
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