Essentials to Move from one MBP to another?

[jason.weaver]

Hello everyone,

My personal computer is an Oct2008 unibody MBP. For the last 90 days I have been using a brand new MBP at my new job, and I while I have already installed some needed apps and moved my iTunes library over - I am needing to move over the rest of my files, photos, mail, and prefs.

Is there a list out there of the essentials that need to be moved from one MBP to the other? I have a link to (what I think was) such a list from someone named Manny, but it is a dead link.

Also, am I correct in doing it manually instead of using Migration Assistant?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Peace,
Jason

 

[Hansr]

Go with Migration Assistant.

 

[-tWv-]

If you want everything moved over, it's going to be easier to use migration assistant. It'll get all the settings and everything over so your new Mac works exactly the same as the old one.

 

[jason.weaver]

Thank you both for your replies!

One more question -- in looking through the process of the Migration Assistant, it looks like there isn't a lot of detail in how you choose what to bring over.

There looks to be a box you check for Mail, but nowhere to say which accounts you want.

So what happens if I say bring over mail, and I already have two of my four accounts on the second computer? Will I have doubles? Will the same go for my iTunes library?

Should I copy the Sent folders on my new computer to an 'On My Mac' folder, and then erase the accounts? Should I also swipe my iTunes before asking MA to bring everything over?

Thanks again!
Jason

 

[Hansr]

Depends on what you want to do, it might be a good idea to leave those out of Migration assistant and finish moving those over manually given you've already started doing it (that is Mail and iTunes).