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Just bought 2.4MB today..How will I transfer old data from my current MB w/o Firewre?

Z

znewton

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Any ideas here. With the FW port being non-existent now this would have been my mode of choice for transferring all of my data to my new computer. Will I have to burn DVDs with all of my data and do it that way??? That will be a big PITA if that is the case. I have many gigs of music that I need to transfer over.

Thanks,
Zach
 
Ethernet would be faster.. both macbooks have gigabit ethernet and AUTO MDI/MDX capable jacks.. meaning a patch cable or a cross-over cable can work for creating a two computer network between them.

alternately, if you have a time machine backup of your old mac, you could just use that and tell the setup assistant to transfer your files and programs from a time machine backup.
 
lancestraz said:
Network both computers with ethernet.
Click to expand...

Probably a stupid question, but does that just mean you plug one end of the ethernet cord into your old mac and the other end into your new macbook? Then what? Automatically starts transferring files? Or will you have to move things over manually?

I remember when my boyfriend got a new (old) macbook last year, he used firewire and everything transfered over automatically. Is that the same with ethernet?
 
urmom said:
Probably a stupid question, but does that just mean you plug one end of the ethernet cord into your old mac and the other end into your new macbook? Then what? Automatically starts transferring files? Or will you have to move things over manually?

I remember when my boyfriend got a new (old) macbook last year, he used firewire and everything transfered over automatically. Is that the same with ethernet?
Click to expand...

You need a crossover cable. That way the proper wires and connections are made.

I suspect that it'll let you do it over wireless like the Air does.
 
if you have an ipod, like a classic or something atleast 32Gb storage you can do it that way. just like a giant flash drive. works really fast. thats what i did.
 
You actually don't need a crossover cable if the ports are Auto MDI/MDX.. which I think the macbook's ports are. One of them will act as one end of a cross-over cable and the other will act in the opposite way automagically 🙂


Yep.. from the Macbook user manual..

Macbook User Manual said:
Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000Base-T)
Connect to a high-speed Ethernet network, a DSL or cable modem, or another computer.
The Ethernet port automatically detects Ethernet devices and doesn’t require an Ethernet crossover cable.
Click to expand...
 
So connecting with ethernet will allow me to manually move files over? It wont just automatically do it?

I guess I'll just use my external hard drive then.
 
urmom said:
So connecting with ethernet will allow me to manually move files over? It wont just automatically do it?

I guess I'll just use my external hard drive then.
Click to expand...

You should be able to use ethernet for the Migration Assistant when you're setting up your new machine. The MacBook Air can use ethernet with it's adapter, can even do it wirelessly but that is slow as all hell.
 
Chundles said:
You should be able to use ethernet for the Migration Assistant when you're setting up your new machine. The MacBook Air can use ethernet with it's adapter, can even do it wirelessly but that is slow as all hell.
Click to expand...

Awesome, that's what I wanted to know. I just didn't know what that program/process/thing was called. I'm still using Jaguar, I see that was introduced with Tiger.

Thanks everyone
 
So can you use Migration Assistant when you are transferring your files from a pc to a mac?

And does the new mac automatically place the files where they should go?
 
Pardon my supreme ignorance to this issue, but what in the world uses FW?

Seriously, I've seldom used it (I've only used it to dump video from my camcorder a few times), nor have I known anyone to use FW. Yet I have read quite a few posts today about people going on about losing the FW port.

I had no idea it was this popular to the point it'd be missed this much.
 
Many (most?) audio interfaces use FW (including mine). Many of us stayed away from the plastic macbooks due to graphics/performance. I was so pumped about the udpates...but no FW makes it a deal breaker for me.


These audio interfaces are expensive (almost the price of the plastic macbook in some cases), so it isn't as easy as 'go buy a USB version'.

Not to mention that many (most?) DV camcorders are FW only (you have to either go down in quality for USB or up in quality for quasi-HD (and up in price) to go USB).

I have to agree with many others complaining about no FW....seems they did that to force us up to the MBP. Strange that the lowest level laptop and the highest level laptop have FW, but none of the in-between models.

So, for many musicians/producers and many DV video users, these new macbooks are like salt in a wound...we finally get the updates we've been wanting, but now we can't use the machine.
 
midiotlv said:
Many (most?) audio interfaces use FW (including mine). Many of us stayed away from the plastic macbooks due to graphics/performance. I was so pumped about the udpates...but no FW makes it a deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...

Indeed, This is very irritating. I don't mind when apple ditches old things for something new and better (like... in a roundabout way floppies for email etc.) but firewire has no replacement, at least, not one that the macbooks will ever have. The connectivity of this thing is simply abysmal. TWO USB ports?! No firewire? NO express card? (not that I was expecting that...).

In the UK these things are mega-expensive (exchange rate, whatever). For the same kind of money one can get some serious tech from other mfrs. Or for less one can get something similar... then spend the rest on rebuying software for windows.
 
Warbrain said:
You need a crossover cable. That way the proper wires and connections are made.

I suspect that it'll let you do it over wireless like the Air does.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm wrong since it's been so long since I purchased the cable, but isn't the cable that connects a router to a cable modem a crossover cable?
 
southerndoc said:
Maybe I'm wrong since it's been so long since I purchased the cable, but isn't the cable that connects a router to a cable modem a crossover cable?
Click to expand...
No, that is not a crossover cable, you have a normal patch cord. Any Intel Mac can use ordinary patch cords, such as you have, to transfer data with the migration assistant. The ethernet ports automatically handle the configuration. Crossover cables are a thing of the past that should never be needed again by Mac users after the 2nd gen iBooks. 😀
 
BanjoBanker said:
No, that is not a crossover cable, you have a normal patch cord. Any Intel Mac can use ordinary patch cords, such as you have, to transfer data with the migration assistant. The ethernet ports automatically handle the configuration. Crossover cables are a thing of the past that should never be needed again by Mac users after the 2nd gen iBooks. 😀
Click to expand...

I'm not networking expert, and it's been a while since I purchased it (almost 10 years ago). Just thought it was a crossover cable. Guess not.
 
Doesn't look like Migration Assistant will work. My new macbook is telling me to open up Migration Assistant on my old powerbook, which doesn't have it. Any ideas?

I'd like to avoid moving everything over manually with my external hard drive if possible.
 
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