macbook to imac program migration

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The past couple of evenings/overnights I've attempted to migrate via wireless network my macbook (Jan 2009) files & applications (programs) to a new 2009 imac (March 2009) that I've just opened...this old timer has to time to get back up to speed with/hiatus from my 512 way back when.

Initially I didn't change the sleep/battery adjustments..the mbook did a lot of napping...slowed things a bunch--like 23 hours to get a migration completed message on both units.

What did migrate were the photos, bookmarks (just where exactly is a puzzle still), and the bookmarks/history from the macbook-to-the-imac...plus I suspect a number of other files but no program applications. Put another way:

There are-were about 65 GB of program applications (eg) Adobe Suite, Iwork, MS Office 2008, Final Cut, etc that I wanted to use on the imac (sourced on the macbook.)

None of the program applications seem to have migrated or if they have I can find them via spot/or finder searches.

I used my wireless network as the method of migration (ie) my macbook doesn't have a firewire port–just a couple of usb2s and an ethernet port.

The Imac HD reads 595 GB capacity and 514 GB available. The Macbook HD @ 232 GB capacity & 135 GB available.

I'm not quite sure what questions are critical/not? (eg)

1. Is it a network/cable/port issue. Use ethernet rather than the wireless network?

2. Am I missing a step (eg) macbook time machine migration assistant to an external hd then migrate-retore the programs/files to the imac? Or

3. ..............?


I'm up a tree on this. I've got two macs that should be like "clones" and I'm doing something (maybe lotsa) wrong to get then that way.

When someone out there can spare a bit of time help/direction would be very much appreciated.

Ted Buila
Silverdale, Wa

 

[eman]

There are many ways to accomplish your task. You can use carbon copy cloner and use your macbook hard drive as the source and your imac hard drive as the destination. This will make an exact copy of your macbook HD on your imac HD. To accomplish this and link your two computers with a firewire cable and use "Fire wire target disk mode" and clone your macbook HD to the imac HD. Easiest

Alternate method: Hook a USB or firewire external HD up to your macbook and use CCC to clone the macbook HD to the external HD. Then disconnect the external HD from the macbook and connect the external to your imac. Restart the imac and hold the "option" key (or "menu button on remote") and choose USB or FW HD and start your imac from the external HD. Now use CCC and clone the USB HD to your macbook HD. Harder

If you're set on using migration assistant, don't use wireless. Wireless is still very slow and if the signal drops out, could be an issue. I would use an ethernet cable or firewire cable directly between the two computers. Here's an article from Apple on migration assistant.

 

[heySparky]

There are many ways to accomplish your task. You can use carbon copy cloner and use your macbook hard drive as the source and your imac hard drive as the destination. This will make an exact copy of your macbook HD on your imac HD. To accomplish this and link your two computers with a firewire cable and use "Fire wire target disk mode" and clone your macbook HD to the imac HD. Easiest

Macbook without firewire

Alternate method: Hook a USB external HD up to your macbook and use CCC to clone the macbook HD to the external HD. Then disconnect the external HD from the macbook and connect the external to your imac. Restart the imac and hold the "option" key (or "menu button on remote") and choose USB HD and start your imac from the external HD. Now use CCC and clone the USB HD to your macbook HD. Harder

Not really hard, just a little time consuming, but I've done it that way. Everyone should have an external HD for backups anyway, so that's a good excuse to buy one now if you don't already have one.

If you're set on using migration assistant, don't use wireless. Wireless is still very slow and if the signal drops out, could be an issue. I would use an ethernet cable directly between the two computers. Here's an article from Apple on migration assistant.

I agree. Wireless slow, wired much faster.

 

[eman]

Yes, I missed the no firewire. I love firewire too much to buy a mac without it.

 

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macbook to imac program migration

eman/Sparkey thanks big time..I'm feeling punky last night fiddling with the macs have caught up with me..my mind is a bit fuzzy about now..best do this with numbers. Here goes:

1. Re Sparkey: There are many ways to accomplish your task. You can use carbon copy cloner and use your macbook hard drive as the source and your imac hard drive as the destination. This will make an exact copy of your macbook HD on your imac HD. To accomplish this and link your two computers with a firewire cable and use "Fire wire target disk mode" and clone your macbook HD to the imac HD. Easiest

I thought that this was more-or-less what MA was doing (via wireless) with no programs coming through. Will time machine+MA do a complete HD clone to another mac unit or only to an external hd? If yes (possible) is it too ify/messy via ethernet?

2. Re: "Fire wire target disk mode" and clone your macbook HD to the imac HD. Easiest

Can I use a cat-6 ethernet cable instead of the firewire (above) still work with CCC? I see I can download a copy of CCC from CNET...still haven't.

Also, will the incoming clone of my macbook replace/write over the operating system (or parts of) on the imac..any issues or am I just seeing ghosts?

Also also..I've got a family pack for a snow leopard upgrade for OS 10.5.8 (on both units.) Should I do the upgrade before or after the cloning?

3. RE external hd: I've got a couple of smaller 200-400 gb pc Seagate external HDs..both USBs. I was waiting for I don't know what to get a 800 firewire 1 or 1.5 tb mac ready one..now is the time. I think I can follow the steps you laid out/if not I'll get back.

Again thanks to the both of you, ted

 

[eman]

1. You will not be able to use firewire disk mode because your macbook doesn't have firewire (I Missed this in your 1st post).

2. As far as I know, you must have firewire on both machines to use firewire disk mode between your two macs. Yes, cloning your macbook HD to the imac will erase your imac HD after using CCC.
Yes, you can upgrade to Snow Leopard before the clone (or after), upgrade the macbook to Snow Leopard first, then clone the macbook HD to the USB external HD, then clone to the imac HD (this violates the EULA).

3. You can use the PC USB external HD's for your mac. Hook the external HD to your mac and use "disk utility and reformat the drive to "OS X extended journaled"(for Intel macs), then clone your macbook HD to the external HD. The external HD does not need to be the exact same size as your macbook or imac.

Also, the USB external HD used for cloning needs to be large enough to hold all the macbook information (GB). IE.. If your macbook has a 500Gb HD, but, the macbook HD only contains 80Gb of information; your USB external HD only needs to be larger than 80GB and an 85Gb USB external HD would be fine for the clone.

 

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macbook to imac program migration

Thanks for staying with me...

1. Right now I'm thinking "first step" get a 500 or 1tb usb/400/800 hd (iomega or seagate) that will 'fit' both the macbook & imac...not fiddle with reformatting/keep them as is for pc use...pass them along.

**2. Eman I'm a bit puzzled re cloning-over the imac. I'm assuming (perhaps in error) that the motherboards, etc are different: (ie) wiping the imac 'clean' (if that's what the cloning process does) the macbook operating system will not quite fit/fit differently (eg) 250 vs imac 500 hd...or am i seeing ghosts where there are none?

3. Should I download/install ccc on both units?

ted

 

[heySparky]

I love firewire too much to buy a mac without it.

Yup. Me too.

 

[eman]

1. Seagate has had many problems with their HD's lately, if it were me, I would go with Western Digital.
2. HD size won't matter, the HD just needs to be larger than the amount of files (GB) on you macbook. The files from the macbook cloned to the imac will run the imac fine. If the macbook has 50Gb worth of files and you clone the files to your imac, when finished your imac will only have the same 50Gb of information on it when your done. Your imac will then have 450Gb of free space that will be left empty for your eventual use.

3. You would only need CCC on the macbook.

You can go to the CCC homepage and browse through their documentation and frequently asked questions here.

 

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macbook to imac program migration

eman..thanks for staying with me. I guess I jumped too quickly on the Seagate (I've got 3 around here so far no issues/sme goes with the WD My Book.) I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I guess I'll have to use the usb ports on the macbook and seagate--that is unless you suggest a ethernet connection (usb-to-ethernet) on the hd for the best cloning...

ted

 

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macbook to imac program migration

eman/heySparky...

I got rummaging around in the system profils/HD, ram, etc..and there are differences. The imac (eg) has a 500 gb hd/4 ram, fire wire port...all which are different from the mbook(250/2 ram/no fw...

I installed SnowLep on the mbook as advised/aloo have ccc installed and ready to go when the mac external hd arrives.

Q: If the clone will cover or wipe imacs os out won't I be back to sqaure one if I have to reinstall the imacs os over what I just cloned-in from the mbook? What am I missing..help.

ted

 

[heySparky]

eman/heySparky...

Q: If the clone will cover or wipe imacs os out won't I be back to sqaure one if I have to reinstall the imacs os over what I just cloned-in from the mbook? What am I missing..help.

ted

1. Clone the HD from the mac book to the eternal.

2. Use Migration Assistant (found: Applications-->Utilities folder) to move the stuff from the external to the iMac.

3. Upgrade the OS on the iMac if needed. It won't over-write the apps if you just upgrade. You do not want to do a clean install at this point.

 

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macbook to imac program migration

heySparky #3 Upgrade the OS on the iMac if needed. It won't over-write the apps if you just upgrade. You do not want to do a clean install at this point.

Help with the last sentence...about the clean install from the external hd to the imac via migration assistant--(ie) do I (a) have a number of choices, and if so (b) which to make.

Thanks, ted

 

[heySparky]

heySparky #3 Upgrade the OS on the iMac if needed. It won't over-write the apps if you just upgrade. You do not want to do a clean install at this point.

Help with the last sentence...about the clean install from the external hd to the imac via migration assistant--(ie) do I (a) have a number of choices, and if so (b) which to make.

Thanks, ted

I don't think you can do a clean install from the external. You just want to migrate the apps and stuff off of it to the iMac, right?

Also also..I've got a family pack for a snow leopard upgrade for OS 10.5.8 (on both units.) Should I do the upgrade before or after the cloning?

IF you want to update the iMac, do that BEFORE migrating from the external.
At that point won't matter if you do a clean install, where the iMac HD will be wiped and a fresh install of the OS will be installed OR if you do an upgrade of the OS.

 

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macbook to imac program migration

heySparky..right..I'm really only interested in the apps (8 or so programs)...ok, along with the mail..maybe the iphoto files but if they can't be brought along/migrated in from the clone I'll workaround somehow.

{I'm assuming that migration assistant/ccc copy will allow me to check-select what I want to mingrate-in from the hd...do i have that right?}

I'll slip the SL disk in later this evening/do the OS 6 upgrade on the imac. That should be it until the hd arrives early next week (hopefully.) Unless:

there is something else I need/you think I need a heads up on (ie) let me know.

Thanks for your direction/time away from other stuff.

Take care, ted

 

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Macbook to imac program migration

The CCC clone worked fine..I cloned both the imac and macbook on the freeagent...4 partitions: a pair for the clones and a pair for the coming backups (1tb hd.)

A couple of things still puzzle me:

1) Why when both units are wired to the freeagent the freeagent partitions only show up on one of the units? If Time Machine were doing regular backups I assume that the partition icons would show right below the Mac HD icon. What am I missing?

2. Maybe this is a safari issue before/after cloning: I can't seem to locate the bookmark added or modified dates in safari..but they appear in mozilla-firefox.