Migration Assistant

Hi there,

I used migration assistant last month. Migration will not delete any files, it will only copy them to the new computer. However, when I migrated the files, it did create another user account on the receiving computer and put all of the files there.

mediotanque said:

Hello there, I need to transfer the files from my old Mac Mini 2010 to my new rMBP. I'm planning to use the migration assistant as my main tool to do it.
Does the MA delete the previous files that I have in my rMBP after transferring all the files? (iTunes library, Lightroom catalogue, user preferences and apps)
Thanks for the help guys

Click to expand...

It leaves the files on the source computer alone. The best time to do the Migration is when you start up the new computer for the first time during setup and it asks if you want to migrate data from a computer or backup.

rufftackle said:

Hi there,

I used migration assistant last month. Migration will not delete any files, it will only copy them to the new computer. However, when I migrated the files, it did create another user account on the receiving computer and put all of the files there.

Click to expand...

Did you use migration assistant during the setup of the computer or after it had been set up. If you used it after setup, a second account will usually get created,.

I don't want to make any new account to the new rmbp I will get.
When I will boot the new rmbp for the first time, will it run automatically the 'setup'? With no new account creation?

Can I point an external hard disk with a cloned osx image from my older mac, to migrate everything to the new environment?

Weaselboy said:

That is correct. When you first boot the new Mac it will auto run a setup assistant where you select a language etc then tell it you want to import data and you will get a window like this to pick the data source. This will import your old account and all data and apps from the cloned disk.

Then once the setup is done your old account will be there on the new machine with all your settings and data already there.

Image

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If I want to migrate from Time Capsule, what option should I select?

I want to migrate from a superduper image in external hard disk.
The right option is 'from another disk'?

Weaselboy said:

Yes, you would both choose "From Another Disk".

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Many thanks.

I would like to know what I should expect that will not be transferred from my external hard disk, during migration.
One question is 'what is the most' I can migrate (or what elements are included in the migration), but mainly I also want to know the usually undocumented 'what the migration omits'.
An generic answer like 'everything else' would not help much.
It may take me days, to fully explore everything in the new system, transferred with the help of migration assistant.
So it would be helpful to know what should I expect, and what it is not going to be transferred to the new system in any case at all.

cool11 said:

I would like to know what I should expect that will not be transferred from my external hard disk, during migration.
One question is 'what is the most' I can migrate (or what elements are included in the migration), but mainly I also want to know the usually undocumented 'what the migration omits'.
An generic answer like 'everything else' would not help much.
It may take me days, to fully explore everything in the new system, transferred with the help of migration assistant.
So it would be helpful to know what should I expect, and what it is not going to be transferred to the new system in any case at all.

Click to expand...

Sorry I can't be precise, but I just this myself late last week (using a Time Machine backup). If there's something that wasn't transferred that ought to have been transferred, I haven't found it yet.

It'll transfer all User accounts - every folder.
It'll transfer all apps, applicable system preferences, desktop layout, all the junk lying around on the desktop, keychain....

Basically, when my new machine rebooted, it looked just like my old machine (other than the step-up from 21" to 27" display). Everything was where I expected to find it, from menu bar to dock (including the aforementioned mess that is my desktop).

It does NOT transfer the operating system, or hardware-specific configurations (it's going to setup for the mouse you have, not the mouse you used on the old machine). As far as I know, it does NOT duplicate partitions - Setup Assistant only handles the startup volume. You'd have to create the additional partitions on the new machine using Disk Utility, and use another method for transferring the contents of those other partitions (target disk mode, for example).

I am thinking to transfer everything.
Can I suppose that in an hour, I will have my new mbp completely setup-ed, the way I had my older mbp?

ApfelKuchen said:

It'll transfer all User accounts - every folder.

Click to expand...

This got me thinking. I plan to buy my wife a new MacBook. Currently she's a user B on my MacBook, as you would expect. But she will be a user A on her own machine. How do I migrate her data from our Time Machine backup?

[[ Currently she's a user B on my MacBook, as you would expect. But she will be a user A on her own machine. How do I migrate her data from our Time Machine backup? ]]

Run Migration Assistant as you normally would.

On the NEW Macbook, log into your wife's account.

Now, DELETE -YOUR- account (account a). Choose the option to completely erase it, rather than just "archive" it.

Remove any other data you have saved on the drive (OUTSIDE of your account) that want to "clean off".

Done.

One proviso:
To do this, your wife's account must be an ADMINISTATOR account.
If it's not, I believe you can "upgrade" her account while still signed into your old account.
So... do that first.

Fishrrman said:

[[ Currently she's a user B on my MacBook, as you would expect. But she will be a user A on her own machine. How do I migrate her data from our Time Machine backup? ]]

Run Migration Assistant as you normally would.

On the NEW Macbook, log into your wife's account.

Now, DELETE -YOUR- account (account a). Choose the option to completely erase it, rather than just "archive" it.

Remove any other data you have saved on the drive (OUTSIDE of your account) that want to "clean off".

Done.

One proviso:
To do this, your wife's account must be an ADMINISTATOR account.
If it's not, I believe you can "upgrade" her account while still signed into your old account.
So... do that first.

Click to expand...

If I understand you correctly, after migration there'll be 2 accounts just like in the old MacBook? And all I need to do is deleting "my" (user A) account, and upgrade her account to be Administrator (in effect make her a user A instead of me)?
That doesn't sound too hard. . Thank you.

Weaselboy said:

There is no need to migrate her account at all. If her account is not now an admin account just make it one on the current machine then update the Time Machine backup so the account comes over as an admin on the new machine, then migrate only her account like I described in my previous post.

Click to expand...

Weaselboy said:

When you get to this screen on Mrs. Matrix's new Macbook you will see two users here. Just uncheck your account and check mark her account and that will import only her account to the new machine and she will be all set.

Click to expand...

Wow! Much simpler, Apple style.

Many thanks.

cool11 said:

I am thinking to transfer everything.
Can I suppose that in an hour, I will have my new mbp completely setup-ed, the way I had my older mbp?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't begin to guess how long it would take - that depends on how much needs to be transferred, the method you're using to transfer... but yes, the point of Migration Assistant is a painless transition to a new machine.

Migration assistant is a great tool from Apple.