Just got the Air... now what?

[daf4041]

Hey, everyone,

So, I just received my brand-spanking new MBA in the mail, and I'm trying to strategize how to set it up. I've been using my 2006 MB, which has so many remnant files floating around it's ridiculous. Consequently, I'm wavering between a using setup assistant and just trying to move things by hand, so that I avoid bringing tons of crap over at the same time. A few questions:

1) If I use setup assistant to move only the applications over, will it just move the applications and their associated "application support" folders, or will it also move associated library files (including potentially library files from apps that aren't on my machine anymore)?

2) The only non-app things I'm really worried about are my keychain and printer information. I know I can just find the keychain .plist and move it, but what about printers? Is there an easy way to move that info without having to move all of the settings files?

Thanks

 

[ZBoater]

I admitedly am not a Mac guy (just bought the 2011 MBA when it launched), but my gut tells me it would be best just to reinstall from scratch. Many older apps are misbehaving with Lion, so a quick check of your app developer's webpages to see if they are compatible would be a good idea. I always hesitate to do "transfers" from an old computer to a new one afraid of what I might bring over unintentionally.

I would definitely do a full backup before you start, just in case.

Enjoy your new MBA!

 

[serialtoon]

I'm with Zboater on this one. Start fresh and from scratch.

 

[808?]

How big is the SSD in your new MBA?

Start fresh and just copy over the files/photos/music you really need to save some space.

 

[mstrze]

Did it all fresh for my wife's new MBP but we still have her old MB if she needs to pull files/apps from it. Did some of that early on, but now very little, if any, about 2 months in.

It's a great way to clean house!

 

[OneMike]

I always start fresh and manually copy over my data. Even though I use time machine. There is always junk I don't need and overall just like a fresh mac.

if you have any hidden files .ssh/ filezilla logins etc..

Fire up terminal on old machine and run

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

killall Finder

This way you'll show all files and not miss anything.

 

[wineandcarbs]

Whenever I get a new computer I start fresh. Sometimes I end up with files that I don't really need anymore and wouldn't want to bother moving to the new computer.