Resolved How to Transfer Native Apple Applications from one MAC to Another (Example: iDVD)

[BAPU-Z]

Click here to the PDF

I have created this documentation to walk you through; step by step on how to copy and transfer over a native Apple application from one Mac to another. I personally had to research how to do this due to Apple making a decision to discontinue iDVD in MAC OSx Lion and soon to be Mountain Lion.

Step 1:
Click on “Finder” and click on the “Go” tab and then select “Go to Folder…”

Step 2:
Here you will type in the dialogue box “/applications” and then click on the “Go” button.

Step 3:
You will now get the list of applications installed on your MAC and unlike a Microsoft Windows OS; you can actually just copy the application you want to transfer over to your other MAC. You are able to do this because all applications on a MAC are installed as a application package not all over a registry.

So just copy the application; in this case “iDVD” and paste it to whatever media you are going to use to do the transfer with. As for me I personally used a USB Flash Drive to do my transfer.

Step 4:
You will now click on the “Go” tab in “Finder” and then select “Go to Folder…” once again. This time you will type in the dialogue box “/library/application support”.

Step 5:
Now you will select the “iDVD” folder; which contains all of the themes etc. and paste it to the media you are going to use to do the transfer with.

Step 6:
The media your using to do the transfer with; should have the following two items in it, “iDVD” application and “iDVD” themes.

Step 7:
Now you will paste the two items in the following folders on the MAC you wanted to transfer the application to:

iDVD Application Folder
“/applications”

and

iDVD Themes Folder
“/library/application support”

YOUR NOW DONE!!!! ENJOY!!!


BAPU-Z
Ravindra Armogan

 

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says...well, that may work well and fine for that particular app (iDVD) but I would not go as far to say that is a solution for Apple native apps. For example, Garageband will have files in the library/audio folder. You also may want some preference files from your ~/library/preferences folder, and in addition to the library/app support folder there can be items in ~/app support (like your iWeb domain file for example)...it's not always so simple.....oh yeah!

 

[BAPU-Z]

@Duff-Man; you are right it might not be as easy for some other native Apple applications such as Garageband, but the same concept applies. It might just take you a little more time to research exactly where all those items are. In this case I was just focusing on iDVD and I could not find any clear instructions on how to accomplish this; so this is why I created this post and made the step by step document. It seems that you are pretty familiar with the MAC; so share some of your knowledge on how to transfer some other native Apple applications.

BAPU-Z
Ravindra Armogan