After 5 weeks of waiting, I finally got my 2012 iMac. I was so excited to use it, I put my time machine backup into the computer and expected everything to work perfectly. And. It. did. not.
Here's what I discovered:
1) Time machine will only restore the HOME hard drive. I was transferring from a 2012 iMac with a 256 SSD drive and a 2 TB drive. It only transferred the home drive of 256 SSD
2) itunes library transfer is a BITCH.
After MUCH consternation and about 10 applecare phone calls, I (think) I figured it out. I hope this is helpful to you!
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1) When you FIRST turn on your new computer, do NOT go to all the way to a desktop. As soon as it asks you if you want to transfer your files, do it. Otherwise, you get VERY bizarre permission errors (look up "fetch permission" and you'll know what I mean) Trust me on this. I had to do a clean install of my new computer. Connect your time machine disc and it will transfer everything over
2) Once that happens, your computer should look exactly as your old one did
3) But, what about the extra data (in my case 2TB) that is on your time machine? At this point, I created a new folder in my new computer's home drive called "Eric's 2nd Hard Drive" and I dragged and dropped everything in there (took about 8 hours)
4) itunes: Here's the "goocher." It's AMAZING that no one at apple care could simply tell me the following fact: Your itunes library will only "sync" if your itunes library is in the EXACT SAME relative location on both computers. IOW, if your itunes library is on an external drive, it needs to stay on an external drive. But, what if you have a brand new 2012 iMac with a 3TB fusion? Here's the solution:
5) Go into your OLD computer and change the itunes media directory to a folder on an external hard drive (if this is already the case, skip this step). Make sure BOTH boxes are checked in "advanced" (keep itunes folder organized and copy music to this folder). Then, still in your old computer, go to file/library/organize and check consolidate files. This took about 10 hours for me.
6) On your OLD computer, go into your user/music/itunes folder and copy EVERYTHING.
7) Disconnect external drive and connect it to new computer. First, replace all of the user/music/itunes folder with the files you just copied. Then launch itunes. It will recognize the library on the external drive, and your itunes should look exactly the same. BUT, you now need to get the files off the external and onto that beautiful fusion
8) So, you go into preferences and change the itunes media library to a folder on your NEW computer's hard drive (I chose users/music/itunes/itunes media). Nothing will be in that folder yet.
9) Now you have to again go to library/organize files/consolidate. Again, this will take about 10 hours.
BUT, your itunes library will be preserved!!!
Here's what I discovered:
1) Time machine will only restore the HOME hard drive. I was transferring from a 2012 iMac with a 256 SSD drive and a 2 TB drive. It only transferred the home drive of 256 SSD
2) itunes library transfer is a BITCH.
After MUCH consternation and about 10 applecare phone calls, I (think) I figured it out. I hope this is helpful to you!
-----
1) When you FIRST turn on your new computer, do NOT go to all the way to a desktop. As soon as it asks you if you want to transfer your files, do it. Otherwise, you get VERY bizarre permission errors (look up "fetch permission" and you'll know what I mean) Trust me on this. I had to do a clean install of my new computer. Connect your time machine disc and it will transfer everything over
2) Once that happens, your computer should look exactly as your old one did
3) But, what about the extra data (in my case 2TB) that is on your time machine? At this point, I created a new folder in my new computer's home drive called "Eric's 2nd Hard Drive" and I dragged and dropped everything in there (took about 8 hours)
4) itunes: Here's the "goocher." It's AMAZING that no one at apple care could simply tell me the following fact: Your itunes library will only "sync" if your itunes library is in the EXACT SAME relative location on both computers. IOW, if your itunes library is on an external drive, it needs to stay on an external drive. But, what if you have a brand new 2012 iMac with a 3TB fusion? Here's the solution:
5) Go into your OLD computer and change the itunes media directory to a folder on an external hard drive (if this is already the case, skip this step). Make sure BOTH boxes are checked in "advanced" (keep itunes folder organized and copy music to this folder). Then, still in your old computer, go to file/library/organize and check consolidate files. This took about 10 hours for me.
6) On your OLD computer, go into your user/music/itunes folder and copy EVERYTHING.
7) Disconnect external drive and connect it to new computer. First, replace all of the user/music/itunes folder with the files you just copied. Then launch itunes. It will recognize the library on the external drive, and your itunes should look exactly the same. BUT, you now need to get the files off the external and onto that beautiful fusion
8) So, you go into preferences and change the itunes media library to a folder on your NEW computer's hard drive (I chose users/music/itunes/itunes media). Nothing will be in that folder yet.
9) Now you have to again go to library/organize files/consolidate. Again, this will take about 10 hours.
BUT, your itunes library will be preserved!!!