Clean install plus Time Machine?

[ctobola]

When doing a clean install on a new Mac, can I connect the Time Machine drive from the old computer to retrieve individual files for the new computer?

(I'm NOT using Migration Assistant -- I plan to do a clean install of application on that machine. I just want to use Time Machine to access specific files I may need that were backed up to Time Machine from the old Mac.)

It seems like I did this in the past, but there was some preparation required. As I recall:

• Username on the new computer has to be identical to the username on the old computer.
• The primary/backed-up hard drive on both Macs must have the same name.

Will that work? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks!

 

[mmomega]

Bare with me please. Just so I am getting the information straight, for me.

So you are going to do a clean insteall on a machine. 100% wipe the drive or install new drive, whatever the case may be, that drive will be formatted, not updated? Correct?

If you do not want migration assistant to handle your files, skip the portion of setting up the mac that asks you to allow migration assistant to help.
Continue to set up as a new machine.

Once this is done and you are logged in, you will now see your Time Machine drive, as an external drive, and you can open it with Finder and search through all of the files that were backup.
You can drag certain one's out of the backup file and manually place it where you want.
Some files and types, just know what you are doing if you are putting them in non-default folders.
Just know the names and password for the accounts/folder that you want to pull from Time Machine.

Migration Assisstant just recreates all of the folder and file structure you had at last successful backup and recreates that exact structure on to a new machine or fresh drive.

I am very much a do it manually person while my wife is, "I just want everything the same from my old computer to my new computer and I don't want to have to mess with it."
I am a "I like messing with it" person, on my own machines.

Hopefully that may help you.

 

[ctobola]

Bare with me please. Just so I am getting the information straight, for me.

So you are going to do a clean insteall on a machine. 100% wipe the drive or install new drive, whatever the case may be, that drive will be formatted, not updated? Correct?

...

Hopefully that may help you.

Thanks for your reply.

My question has to do with properly configuring the new computer so it can read the Time Machine archive from the previous computer.

 

[Taz Mangus]

When doing a clean install on a new Mac, can I connect the Time Machine drive from the old computer to retrieve individual files for the new computer?

(I'm NOT using Migration Assistant -- I plan to do a clean install of application on that machine. I just want to use Time Machine to access specific files I may need that were backed up to Time Machine from the old Mac.)

It seems like I did this in the past, but there was some preparation required. As I recall:

• Username on the new computer has to be identical to the username on the old computer.

When you create a user account, MacOS assigns the first user ID 501, the next user ID 502, etc. The important thing is that the user IDs for the user are the same. You can see the user ID for the account in System Preferences->Users & Groups. Select the user, right-click with the mouse, select Advanced Options...

• The primary/backed-up hard drive on both Macs must have the same name.

Will that work? Am I forgetting something?

Thanks!

You can access the Time Machine back directly and manually copy over the files. The structure follows the directory structure of the machine being backed up. I don't use Migration Assistant myself, I just drag and drop the files from the Time Machine backup to the computer I am setting up. I find it easier than going through the Time Machine interface.

 

[meandmymac]

Once this is done and you are logged in, you will now see your Time Machine drive, as an external drive, and you can open it with Finder and search through all of the files that were backup.
You can drag certain one's out of the backup file and manually place it where you want.
Some files and types, just know what you are doing if you are putting them in non-default folders.
Just know the names and password for the accounts/folder that you want to pull from Time Machine.

I was told that tis is impossible since the 'new machine' won't be recognised by the time machine back-up. but maybe I am misunderstanding something.

This is my issue... After 16years of merging systems (and probably making some mistakes along the way) I feel like there is a lot of junk on my Mac.

Therefore I want to do a clean install of my OS, reinstall all applications and only copy those files that I am actually using.
I am running High Sierra on my 15" MBP late 2013. I have recently upgraded my SSD to 1TB.

I DONT want to do a restore from Time Machine, but I want to be able to access my old files within the Time Machine back ups. Is that possible? How?

 

[mfram]

That's what Migration Assistant is for. It will allow you to select parts of a Time Machine backup from other computer. You can have it select your Documents, but not Applications, for example. It's probably going to be the easiest way to do it.

 

[meandmymac]

That's what Migration Assistant is for. It will allow you to select parts of a Time Machine backup from other computer. You can have it select your Documents, but not Applications, for example. It's probably going to be the easiest way to do it.

Thank you! Do you know which files are vital for time machine to recognise that its the same machine? I would like to add as little as possible, all I want is to retain access to my old backups.