Going to pull trigger on MBP 16 need some backup help

[calliex]

My mid 2012 MBP 15 in battery is failing I got the service battery warning on Monday. I know I can replace the battery and just may do that. But it is time to get a new machine. I can't wait for apple silicon. I need to to different kind backup other than time machine which I do. I want to start fresh, will be moving up from Sierra. Install apps directly and then move my personal files over. I heard of Super Duper and others what are some suggestions. I search this site for super duper and was not able find anything.

 

[hallux]

Super Duper and CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) will make bootable copies of your system. These will get you up and running faster than doing a fresh install and then restore from TM, but they're still local backups.

For off-site I'm using an app called Arq and have it tied in to a cloud storage solution. By doing this, if my home burns or is taken down by a tornado I still have a copy of my data SOMEPLACE.

 

[calliex]

Super Duper and CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) will make bootable copies of your system. These will get you up and running faster than doing a fresh install and then restore from TM, but they're still local backups.

For off-site I'm using an app called Arq and have it tied in to a cloud storage solution. By doing this, if my home burns or is taken down by a tornado I still have a copy of my data SOMEPLACE.

thanks

 

[Spudlicious]

My mid 2012 MBP 15 in battery is failing I got the service battery warning on Monday. I know I can replace the battery and just may do that. But it is time to get a new machine. I can't wait for apple silicon. I need to to different kind backup other than time machine which I do. I want to start fresh, will be moving up from Sierra. Install apps directly and then move my personal files over. I heard of Super Duper and others what are some suggestions. I search this site for super duper and was not able find anything.

Whereas I absolutely trust and recommend Carbon Copy Cloner, I use it on both my Macs and it's my #1 disaster recovery plan, I'm not sure it's the best answer in your fresh start case. Which I like, BTW, clean new installs of everything. I would either let Migration Assistant on the new Mac handle the job or rely on iCloud. If had a new Mac tomorrow (very nice idea) then because my documents folder (both existing Macs) is backed up to iCloud, as are my calendar, contacts, photos etc, everything would be available on the shiny new machine.

Hope you enjoy your new Mac.

 

[calliex]

I have always done clean installs. I have been stuck on Sierra because of some apps I have been using do not work on anything higher. Getting a new machine is gong to make me upgrade some and look for alternatives for others.

 

[ght56]

I have always done clean installs. I have been stuck on Sierra because of some apps I have been using do not work on anything higher. Getting a new machine is gong to make me upgrade some and look for alternatives for others.

One option is VMWare Fusion (which I think has been renamed) or Parallels, where you can even run an app from another OS in the window of your main OS. IIRC, the basic VMWare version is now free, and macOS is obviously free. You might be able to turn your hard drive into its own VM, potentially, and then just run the older apps in the newer OS. Macs are really good at virtualizing with both of these programs.

I would definitely replace the battery in the 2012 15-inch regardless. That is a solid computer and it is going to still be operable long after humanity is extinguished from the planet. After the cockroaches survive the nuclear winter, they will increase in intelligence and eventually begin using the 2012 15-inch MacBook Pros.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Moving up" from a 15" form factor, the 2019-design 16" MBP is the natural choice.

As mentioned above, you can use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to create "a clone" of your internal drive that is mountable "in the finder" like any other drive.

Then, you can connect it to the NEW MBP, and "manually copy" the things you wish to bring over.

Both CCC and SD are FREE to use for 30 days, so using either to create the clone will "cost you nothing".

IF the only serious problem you're having with the 2012 is with the battery, you might consider using "setup assistant" with the new MBP. It will bring over 3rd-party apps, home folders, settings, etc., but leaves "the old OS" behind. It works quite well, but you have to "use it at the right time" (very first thing to do is to connect the backup BEFORE you press the power-on button for the first time).

If you go the "manual migration" route, be aware of two things you need to do regarding a cloned backup:
1. You need to mount the drive on the desktop, bring up "get info" (on the entire drive), and then put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" in sharing and permissions -- remember to click the lock first.
Doing this will avoid any "permissions problems" that can happen when moving from an old account to a new one (the Mac will still see these as "different" accounts and give you problems otherwise).

2. You must be careful about WHICH FOLDERS you try to copy from your old account into your new one.
You CANNOT COPY "the top level" folders in your account -- the ones named "documents", "movies", "music", "pictures", etc. In the old days, these were "more than" folders, they were "symbolic links". Not sure if that still applies now.
However... you CAN COPY files and folders that are INSIDE OF these top level folders. That would include things like the iPhoto library, individual files, etc.

Take these two issues into account, and the manual migration should go smoothly.

I also suggest you keep some HANDWRITTEN NOTES as you go along.
Well, at least that's necessary for old guys like me...