Getting a new Mini, suggestions on best way to move data?

[dvdchance]

Not sure if migration assistant would be the best choice in my case.

I currently have a 2011 running High Sierra. It boots from an external SSD connected via Thunderbolt. The internal HD is unreadable. All of my storage is either NAS or external drives. It's main purpose is as an always available Plex server, but also servers as a general purpose computer in my media room.

Is migration assistant the best way to go in my case? Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading.

 

[getrealbro]

By “new Mini” do you mean a 2018 Mini? If so it will come with Mojave installed. And require some updating to bring it to 10.14.6 Supplement 2 and an additional security update.

There are lots of ways to get from a 2011 Mini running High Sierra to a 2918 Mini running Mojave or Catalina, FWIW I prefer to do a Clean Install and Rebuild when jumping several macOS releases on new hardware. This reduces the cruft and assures that I’m running the latest release of the OS and any apps.

FWIW I’ve just completed a Clean Install and Rebuild on our new 2018 Mini. My procedure was to build a USB thumb drive with all the macOS updates, fresh downloads of all of the apps, copies of registration #s and prefs/customizations of key apps (e.g. My Places for Google earth Pro, etc.). I built the USB thumb drive prior to delivery of the new Mini. so that I could hit the ground running.

BTW I also added a new 8 GB Seagate for Time Machine for the new Mini.

GetRealBro

 

[dvdchance]

By “new Mini” do you mean a 2018 Mini? If so it will come with Mojave installed. And require some updating to bring it to 10.14.6 Supplement 2 and an additional security update.

There are lots of ways to get from a 2011 Mini running High Sierra to a 2918 Mini running Mojave or Catalina, FWIW I prefer to do a Clean Install and Rebuild when jumping several macOS releases on new hardware. This reduces the cruft and assures that I’m running the latest release of the OS and any apps.

FWIW I’ve just completed a Clean Install and Rebuild on our new 2018 Mini. My procedure was to build a USB thumb drive with all the macOS updates, fresh downloads of all of the apps, copies of registration #s and prefs/customizations of key apps (e.g. My Places for Google earth Pro, etc.). I built the USB thumb drive prior to delivery of the new Mini. so that I could hit the ground running.

BTW I also added a new 8 GB Seagate for Time Machine for the new Mini.

GetRealBro

Thanks for the reply. Yes new as in a brand new 2018 base i3.

I also just noticed a new issue I hadn't counted on. My current boot drive (external SSD) is connected with Thunderbolt 1. It also daisy chains to my external MyBook Thunderbolt drive to my display. The 2018 doesn't have a Thunderbolt 1 port right? And the current Thunderbolt 3 is a different connector entirely. Do they have TB1 to TB# cables or adapters?

 

[getrealbro]

There are adapters for USBc to Thunderbolt 2. For example...

https://smile.amazon.com/Apple-Thun...bolt+3+to+thunderbolt+1&qid=1575636628&sr=8-3

And Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the same Display Port style connector

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202488

https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/Thunderbolt-1-vs-Thunderbolt-2-vs-Thunderbolt-3.html

GetRealBro

 

[dvdchance]

There are adapters for USBc to Thunderbolt 2. For example...

https://smile.amazon.com/Apple-Thun...bolt+3+to+thunderbolt+1&qid=1575636628&sr=8-3

And Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the same Display Port style connector

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202488

https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/Thunderbolt-1-vs-Thunderbolt-2-vs-Thunderbolt-3.html

GetRealBro

Thanks Bro, yea I saw that adapter available but I'm wondering if I will even need it. I can connect my monitor via HDMI and I'm pretty sure the WD MyBook Thunderbolt external drive also supports USB3 to connect. Since its basically storage for my Plex server that would work fine. So all that would be orphaned that I have now is the SSD I have in my Seagate desktop adapter. Since it won't be the boot drive anymore not too critical that it gets connected via TB.

Do you know if any cheaper adapters would work mainly just for this 1 device? Its this one: https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Back...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B009HQCAPQ

 

[getrealbro]

Unless your SSD is something pretty special, I'd replace it with a Samsung T5 which comes with USBc and USB3.0 cables.

 

[dvdchance]

Unless your SSD is something pretty special, I'd replace it with a Samsung T5 which comes with USBc and USB3.0 cables.

Its about as far from special as possible, just a pretty generic PNY SSD circa 2015.

I'm really surprised at the price my Seagate TB adapter is getting sold for on eBay though. Looks like it would pretty much cover getting a new SSD like the one you mentioned. Sounds like a win there.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

I WOULD NOT BUY the thunderbolt2 to thunderbolt3 adapter, because I don't think it's going to work with a thunderbolt1 device.

See this page:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

It mentions thunderbolt2 ONLY, with NO MENTION of thunderbolt1.
It -might- be possible, but I wouldn't buy it until I had read other user reports of success.
Also, if your thunderbolt1 drive runs on "bus power" it won't work with this adapter, because it doesn't provide any power.

OK, having said that...

Is the thunderbolt drive you have now "openable"?
In other words, is it accessible so you could take the SSD OUT OF the enclosure?

If you can, you can put it into a USB3/SATA 2.5" enclosure, and connect it right to the 2018 Mini.
This way, you can use it for migration, and then re-purpose it afterwards.

BUT -- if you CAN'T easily open the drive, there are "other ways" to get at the data as well.

Do you happen to have a spare hard drive around?
Can be an SSD, could be a platter-based HDD, ANYTHING will do.
Only requirements are that it has to be USB, and has to be large enough to hold the contents of the thunderbolt1 SSD.

If you have something like this, you could do the following:
a. Download CarbonCopyCloner (FREE to download and use for 30 days)
b. Clone the contents of the thunderbolt1 SSD to the USB drive
c. Now connect the USB drive to the 2018 Mini and "migrate from there".

Re your other data:
The NAS and other external drives can work with the 2018 Mini as well as they work with the old one.
I'd just "leave them be" for now, and worry about migrating that data in the future.

Your first concern will be to get your apps/accounts/mail (etc.) from the thunderbolt1 SSD to the new Mini, and get your user account set up so you don't have permissions problems later on.

THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO is to boot the new Mini right away, create a "new" user account (usually with the same username and password as you used on the old one), and then try to "migrate" from there. It can lead to all kinds of permissions problems.

I'm not saying that one cannot do this.
But if one does, one had better understand HOW to work around the permissions issues.

 

[dvdchance]

OP:

I WOULD NOT BUY the thunderbolt2 to thunderbolt3 adapter, because I don't think it's going to work with a thunderbolt1 device.

See this page:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

It mentions thunderbolt2 ONLY, with NO MENTION of thunderbolt1.
It -might- be possible, but I wouldn't buy it until I had read other user reports of success.
Also, if your thunderbolt1 drive runs on "bus power" it won't work with this adapter, because it doesn't provide any power.

OK, having said that...

Is the thunderbolt drive you have now "openable"?
In other words, is it accessible so you could take the SSD OUT OF the enclosure?

If you can, you can put it into a USB3/SATA 2.5" enclosure, and connect it right to the 2018 Mini.
This way, you can use it for migration, and then re-purpose it afterwards.

BUT -- if you CAN'T easily open the drive, there are "other ways" to get at the data as well.

Do you happen to have a spare hard drive around?
Can be an SSD, could be a platter-based HDD, ANYTHING will do.
Only requirements are that it has to be USB, and has to be large enough to hold the contents of the thunderbolt1 SSD.

If you have something like this, you could do the following:
a. Download CarbonCopyCloner (FREE to download and use for 30 days)
b. Clone the contents of the thunderbolt1 SSD to the USB drive
c. Now connect the USB drive to the 2018 Mini and "migrate from there".

Re your other data:
The NAS and other external drives can work with the 2018 Mini as well as they work with the old one.
I'd just "leave them be" for now, and worry about migrating that data in the future.

Your first concern will be to get your apps/accounts/mail (etc.) from the thunderbolt1 SSD to the new Mini, and get your user account set up so you don't have permissions problems later on.

THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO is to boot the new Mini right away, create a "new" user account (usually with the same username and password as you used on the old one), and then try to "migrate" from there. It can lead to all kinds of permissions problems.

I'm not saying that one cannot do this.
But if one does, one had better understand HOW to work around the permissions issues.

Thanks, yes the more I'm thinking this thru the less I see actually needing the TB adapter after all. The SSD is a bare drive that just slips right onto the adapter, very flexible to use in a USB3 enclosure for sure. Its just a very generic 250gb drive.

Yes getting over all my apps and accounts stuff is what I'm worried about now.

When I went from the internal 500gb drive as the boot to the SSD Carbon Copy Cloner was exactly what I used if I remember way back then. I also use it on the regular to make backups of my external drives for added safety. How would that work now since the MAC OSX is different versions though?

I'm probably just gonna get a Samsung T5 drive or similar and be done with my current SSD and TB combo. Not much real loss since it will just be storage not the boot drive.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

OK, just take the SSD out of the thunderbolt adapter, and put it into an $8 enclosure like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-free-Enclosure-Optimized-EC-UASP/dp/B00OJ3UJ2S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1U9HWN2DNI55I&keywords=sabrent+usb3+enclosure&qid=1575646841&sprefix=sabrent+USB3+en,aps,142&sr=8-1

Now it's a USB3 SSD.
You don't need to buy a t5 drive yet, unless you really want to spend the money.

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
For a proper migration, you want this drive connected BEFORE you boot the 2018 Mini for the very first time.

That's because during the initial setup, setup assistant will need it as the drive "from which to migrate".

Do it this way, and you can bring over your existing account without permissions problems.

 

[iluvmacs99]

Not sure if migration assistant would be the best choice in my case.

I currently have a 2011 running High Sierra. It boots from an external SSD connected via Thunderbolt. The internal HD is unreadable. All of my storage is either NAS or external drives. It's main purpose is as an always available Plex server, but also servers as a general purpose computer in my media room.

Is migration assistant the best way to go in my case? Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading.

Yes, migration assistant would be the best way to go. The most easiest way to approach this is to network your Mac Mini 2011 to the new 2018 Mini through an Ethernet or Thunderbolt port -- I had done both with my Macbook Air and Mac Pro 5,1. Migration assistant works well with Firewire, Thunderbolt and Ethernet interfaces. All you have to do is use connect server to mount the Mini 2011 external drive on your Mini 2018 and then use Mojave migration assistant to migrate whatever applications from the 2011 Mini drive onto 2018. I did this with my Macbook Air running Mojave with my Mini 2011 running El-Capitan drive mounted via Thunderbolt 1, but also migrated apps to my Mac Pro 5,1 running High Sierra using Ethernet with similar success.

One thing I like to correct is that, Thunderbolt 1 and 2 have the same ports, but only different in transferring speeds. You "can" do Thunderbolt bridging between Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 and 1. Thunderbolt migration is the fastest as you can use the Thunderbolt Bridge option to migrate your apps from your Mini 2011 at roughly similar speeds as USB 3 as Thunderbolt speed is limited to the slowest TB speed and the Mini 2011 only have TB1.