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machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
Hey everyone,
I don't really know if this is the right category, but whatever. Well to make a long story short I want to replace the eMac in my sig with a iMac G5 off eBay that is new. The only problem is that I dont have enough money to keep the eMac and buy the iMac. I need the money from the eMac to buy the iMac. So I was wondering if there was any kind of software or hardware that you can completely take everything off your computer and store it (kind of like Migration assistant). Is there a program that can move everything to a firewire hard drive? Because I can afford something like that. I would have the other computers in my sig to use in between computers. Any help or advice is appreciated.
 

EvilDoc

macrumors 6502a
machobson said:
Hey everyone,
I don't really know if this is the right category, but whatever. Well to make a long story short I want to replace the eMac in my sig with a iMac G5 off eBay that is new. The only problem is that I dont have enough money to keep the eMac and buy the iMac. I need the money from the eMac to buy the iMac. So I was wondering if there was any kind of software or hardware that you can completely take everything off your computer and store it (kind of like Migration assistant). Is there a program that can move everything to a firewire hard drive? Because I can afford something like that. I would have the other computers in my sig to use in between computers. Any help or advice is appreciated.

How much crap do you need to move of the emac? you could use the ipod? or just buy and external harddrive
 

javiercr

macrumors 6502
Apr 12, 2005
419
0
London
connect them both via a firewire cable, start the iMac pressing the T key, it will make it a firewire drive for the iMac, you can copy all the emac stuff to the imac.
 

wordmunger

macrumors 603
Sep 3, 2003
5,124
3
North Carolina
I believe if you clone the eMac's hard drive using carbon copy cloner, then when you install the new iMac, you can use Apple's migration assistant (I think that's what it's called. It starts automatically when you set up the computer) to move all your apps and files to the new computer -- just substitute plugging in the hard drive for connecting the computers in firewire transfer mode.
 

machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
risc said:
If I am reading this correctly the OP can't afford to keep the eMac, and will be selling it before they can afford the iMac? If you want to clone the eMacs HDD to a FW drive get a copy of either SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.
YES! your the only one who understands. I cannot transfer using FireWire because I won't have the eMac. I need to transfer all of my data (almost the full 80gb of the hard drive) to something that is portable (FireWire hard drive).
 

machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
wordmunger said:
I believe if you clone the eMac's hard drive using carbon copy cloner, then when you install the new iMac, you can use Apple's migration assistant (I think that's what it's called. It starts automatically when you set up the computer) to move all your apps and files to the new computer -- just substitute plugging in the hard drive for connecting the computers in firewire transfer mode.
Are you sure it won't work on my eMac? It has the 80gb stock that came in it new.
 

machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
Also, if I used Carbon Copy Cloner, how would I move all of my stuff to the new iMac when I get it?
 

Dont Hurt Me

macrumors 603
Dec 21, 2002
6,055
6
Yahooville S.C.
My best advice on a new iMac is get the Applecare, Midplanes,Midplanes and more Midplanes. Thats my advice. Now you want a computer to last years and years Powermac's are tuff to beat. My old Quicksilver though upgraded is for the most part still current :) Powermacs are long time computers.
 

machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
Dont Hurt Me said:
My best advice on a new iMac is get the Applecare, Midplanes,Midplanes and more Midplanes. Thats my advice. Now you want a computer to last years and years Powermac's are tuff to beat. My old Quicksilver though upgraded is for the most part still current :) Powermacs are long time computers.
Thank you for your advice. All Macs I had have been really stable and longlasting. The eMac that I am thinking of selling is 2 years old and I have never had a problem the entire time I have owned it and it has never crashed. And believe me it has been used good (internally-wise I mean).
 

wordmunger

macrumors 603
Sep 3, 2003
5,124
3
North Carolina
machobson said:
Are you sure it won't work on my eMac? It has the 80gb stock that came in it new.
I'm not sure what you're getting at. You said you wouldn't have the eMac when you get the iMac. Carbon Copy Cloner will work on your eMac. Then you'll have everything on your FW hard drive. When you get the iMac, you just plug in the cloned HD and your iMac will recognize it, no problem. The problem comes in integrating your old apps into your new system. If you have all your installation CDs, etc, then it's best to just reinstall those on the iMac. Then you could just copy all your files over manually.

Alternately, you can use the migration assistant as I described above. I think all this should answer your second question, too.

I DON'T think it will work to clone your old HD onto your new iMac. You need to install that system separately, using the install DVD that comes with it.
 

Makosuke

macrumors 604
Aug 15, 2001
6,661
1,242
The Cool Part of CA, USA
machobson said:
Also, if I used Carbon Copy Cloner, how would I move all of my stuff to the new iMac when I get it?
Two choices: If you use an external drive and clone your data to it, you can then connect it and use the Migration Assistant with the new computer to transfer all your files over. That usually works just fine, and will have no problems with a firewire drive.

The other option is, when the new computer arrives, to boot from the firewire drive, clone your old data back over to the new computer (wipe the drive), and then reinstall the OS (while preserving users) on the new computer, which should get you up and running. Actually, technically, since you're already using Tiger, if you're updated to 10.4.2 then it should just run without reinstalling anything--OSX installations are, I think, universal--but it's safer to do the reinstall.

Oh, and if the data is at all important, I'd also burn it to CD so you've got two copies, just to be careful, particularly with a mildly tricky operation like what you want to do.

And Dont Hurt Me--he's asking about how to transfer files, not which computer to buy.
 

machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
wordmunger said:
I'm not sure what you're getting at. You said you wouldn't have the eMac when you get the iMac. Carbon Copy Cloner will work on your eMac. Then you'll have everything on your FW hard drive. When you get the iMac, you just plug in the cloned HD and your iMac will recognize it, no problem. The problem comes in integrating your old apps into your new system. If you have all your installation CDs, etc, then it's best to just reinstall those on the iMac. Then you could just copy all your files over manually.

Alternately, you can use the migration assistant as I described above. I think all this should answer your second question, too.

I DON'T think it will work to clone your old HD onto your new iMac. You need to install that system separately, using the install DVD that comes with it.
I see, thank you.
 

machobson

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2005
107
0
Makosuke said:
Two choices: If you use an external drive and clone your data to it, you can then connect it and use the Migration Assistant with the new computer to transfer all your files over. That usually works just fine, and will have no problems with a firewire drive.

The other option is, when the new computer arrives, to boot from the firewire drive, clone your old data back over to the new computer (wipe the drive), and then reinstall the OS (while preserving users) on the new computer, which should get you up and running. Actually, technically, since you're already using Tiger, if you're updated to 10.4.2 then it should just run without reinstalling anything--OSX installations are, I think, universal--but it's safer to do the reinstall.

Oh, and if the data is at all important, I'd also burn it to CD so you've got two copies, just to be careful, particularly with a mildly tricky operation like what you want to do.

And Dont Hurt Me--he's asking about how to transfer files, not which computer to buy.
I would be sure to back up. But to boot up off the FireWire drive, it needs to be able to boot OSX right? I have heard that some do not boot OSX. And would you just select the FireWire hard drive in Migration assistant on the iMac when I get it? Thanks alot.
 
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