Easiest Transition from Mac Pro 2009 to 2010

[mism]

I received my 2009 Mac Pro the day before the new models were announced. Today I've arranged for its return so that I can get a 2010 model.

I'm trying to work out the easiest / fastest way to get up and running on the new machine. Currently I have:

Internal:
Original 640Gb drive: system and user folders. This needs to go back to Apple.
1TB drive: about 300GB of work stuff. This is mine and is not going back to Apple.
1.5TB drive: a Time Machine of the other two drives. This is mine and is not going back to Apple.

External 2TB USB2 drive.
A Super Duper copy of the system drive (I haven't actually done this yet but will overnight tonight).
A Super Duper copy of the work drive (I haven't actually done this yet but will overnight tonight).


Option 1:
Use Super Duper to copy my current system from the USB drive to the new Mac.
Stick the other two drives in and I'm good to go.
BUT, is this a bad idea, will the system be okay on a different model Mac Pro?

Option 2: Use migration assistant to transfer my stuff from the USB drive?

Option 3: Use migration assistant to transfer my stuff from the Time Machine backup?
But will it be confused by Time Machine having been used to backup two volumes?
Can you even use migration assistant from an internal drive?

Option 4: something else?


Finally, probably a stupid question, obviously I need to erase the system / user disk before returning it to Apple, am I expected to put a system back on there?

Thank you.

 

[xgman]

Just take one of your spare USB drives out of the usb case and temporarily put it in your current mac. If you can clone your current OSX 10.6.4 install to a separate drive, then when the new box comes in all you have to do is use the dvd to install over the old OSX install and it will prompt you for transfer data etc., so it is like a repair install to get all the new drivers on board. Then once all of that is done, you an boot to the new install DVD that comes with your new MP and go top disk utility and copy the drive back to the new hard drive and then put your temp drive back in the usb enclosure and do whatever you want with it.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

If you use SuperDuper to clone your boot drive (the one you will return to Apple) to the external that is all you need to do. When you get your new Mac just run SuperDuper again to copy the cloned drive to the new MP's boot drive.

 

[johnnymg]

I don't think you want the system files from the 09. The 2010 will have new drivers and such so just copy your data files and move on.

congrats on the new machine
JohnG

 

[Wehrwolf]

I wouldn't use SuperDuper to clone the '09 drive to the '10. The OS on the '10 model will be a specific build for the new Mac Pro; there may be drivers required that will not be present on the '09 build.

You can, of course, use SuperDuper to copy back your data files, but I wouldn't clone any '09 system files to the new tower.

 

[mism]

Cheers guys. I was suspicious of using the '09 system, it seems rightly so.

xgman, I have to admit to being somewhat confused by your solution, and somewhat reluctant to open up my external which doesn't have a screw to be seen. Am I right in thinking that I'd basically be 'pretending' to re install the system over the existing one, a repair install as you say.

Will migration assistant let me transfer from the super duper clone on the USB drive? That way I get the correct system but all of my data, email, contacts etc. It may take a while to copy, it took over two hours from my MacBook Pro last week, but it all worked perfectly.

 

[xgman]

The beauty of the mac pro is multiple drives in and out with no effort. Even if you don't have an extra drive, how much is your time worth? Buy a cheap drive if you have to. I can't see installing all my apps and settings from scratch. I'll simply boot to the new DVD, go to disk utility in the DVD menu and copy the old OSX drive to the new one. Then do a upgrade install to keep all my settings, apps etc but get the new drivers. This is the same way I did it when I bought the 2008 MP that came with a pre-leopard install and a snow leopard upgrade disk in the box. Nothing to it. In this way you still have a working 2009 drive in tact just in case something goes wrong you can start over.

 

[mism]

I'll have a look at this. I can easily copy everything from my work drive to my system, there is plenty of space. That free's up the work drive so I can clone my system to it, send the original back to Apple and be ready to go.

I definitely don't plan on re-installing anything, other than the OS!

 

[Inutopia]

Surely we are making this more complicated than it needs to be...

Just boot the new machine from the OS disc, choose to restore from time machine.. Done.

Time machine doesn't backup system specific files such as kexts anyway so no worries there.

 

[mism]

Surely we are making this more complicated than it needs to be...

Just boot the new machine from the OS disc, choose to restore from time machine.. Done.

Time machine doesn't backup system specific files such as kexts anyway so no worries there.

Thanks Inutopia. My only question about restoring from time machine is that it currently backs up two volumes, my system disk and my work disk. I only need to restore the system disk as work is staying with me, can I do this.

Either way I'm currently backed up via TimeMachine to an internal disk and via SuperDuper to a external one. I should be covered.

Mac goes back on Friday, the promise of ordering on Monday better be true!

 

[xgman]

Surely we are making this more complicated than it needs to be...

Just boot the new machine from the OS disc, choose to restore from time machine.. Done.

Time machine doesn't backup system specific files such as kexts anyway so no worries there.

I think I feel better via the clone method. More settings and preferences I would think will stay in tact. I don't trust time machine for complete system restores. Updating leopard to snow leopard this way without a hitch, although I realize new drivers will change this some. In any case, the beauty of the extra drive is if one doesn't work the way you want, you can re-do without any loss.