Complete copy of macbook pro disc

[peejack]

Hi,

I have just received a new macbook pro as a replacement for my old one, I want to copy the entire drive from the current laptop to the new one I have an external drive, how do I go about this? How do I create and image them load on the new laptop?

Thanks is advance.

 

[Tallest Skil]

String a FireWire cable between them and run Migration Assistant.

 

[peejack]

String a FireWire cable between them and run Migration Assistant.

Oh cool how do I do that?

 

[peejack]

Oh cool how do I do that?

Dont think i have a firewire lead I have ethernet.

Is there anyway to create an image anyway? Be good to have a backup.

EDIT: I I see I can do it through computers on my network too?

When I use Time Machine I have to have blank HD? cause I have stuff on the external I dont want to delete.

 

[sickmacdoc]

Well first off Migration Assistant will not do a complete image of the hard drive as you have suggested you want as it does not copy everything.

Since you have an external drive, you can certainly use Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to literally "clone" your existing drive to the external and then do the same thing from the external drive to the new internal- after which the new internal drive will be identical to the original.

EDIT: BTW- At least Carbon Copy Cloner will let you clone to a folder on your external drive, thus preserving data already on it. Time Machine automatically backs up to a folder so it works on a drive that already has data on it too-- but in either case the drive must be previously formatted for Mac use as "Mac OS Extended" with a GUID partition map for Intel Macs. If the drive is currently formatted (as many drives are when new) in a PC format you will not be able to use it for Carbon Copy Cloner, SuperDuper or Time Machine as it stands.

 

[5855997]

just a short related question: what if the new MBP (for example) is a newer generation, with a new mainboard and graphics card. That would need other drivers. So you couldn't just copy everything over with Carbon Copy Cloner or the drivers and such would get overwritten.

EDIT: It seems that the Migration Assistant will take care of that for you.

I just found a great article about the Migration Assistant, might help you: http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/05/17/tiger.html.

With Leopard, it seems that you can also migrate from a bootable external hard drive. So you don't really need a firewire cable (which you probably don't have anyway). Just make a complete copy with Carbon Copy Cloner, hook it up to your new machine, and let the migration assitant do it's magic!

Well first off Migration Assistant will not do a complete image of the hard drive as you have suggested you want as it does not copy everything.

Do you know what exactly it doesn't copy over?