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Migrating from 2018 Mini to new Mini M2pro mysteries

MacNeal

MacNeal

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 11, 2018
66
36
The Left Coast
I finally decided to get a new Mac mini M2Pro/16GB/1TB SSD and it arrived 2-3 days ago. I've been slow on setting it up, as I'm unclear on how to deal with migration from my present (2018) Mac mini Intel/16GB/512 SSD to the new mini.

Here's my mystery: I've been running my 2018 mini for the last five years on Mojave OS 10.14.6 because I wanted to still be able to use my Adobe CS5.5 software without switching to the rental version. I use Photoshop or InDesign perhaps once or twice a year, so switching to the monthly or annual rental version makes no sense to me.

My plan is to set up my new mini M2Pro AND keep my 2018 mini and switch to it when I have to access an Adobe program to access past design files and modify them. This might involve some sort of rack set-up where I have both minis linked to a KVM switch.

My immediate challenge is that I have one monitor (a Dell D2025H, which has served me well, but is hardly state-of-the-art), and no open slots on my power-strips to power both the "old" mini and the new one, at the same time, to do a Migration Assistant transfer of files from my "old" mini to my new one. The instructions I see at Apple support seem to assume that one is migrating from one laptop to another, with each computer having its own display.

I assume that others in the MacRumors community are navigating the Migration from older minis to the latest minis. Can anyone provide me with advice on how to make this migration while maintaining a distinct identity between the "old" mini and the "new" one, and handle the migration from Mojave OS to Ventura on the new mini?

My gratitude to those here who understand the complexities involved.
 
You may not have the room to do this.

Keep the old Mini "as it is" (I, too, bought a 2018 Mini so that I could keep running older 32 bit software using Mojave). Mac, display, keyboard -- buy another table for it.

Get a NEW display, keyboard and mouse for the NEW Mini.
I'd recommend a 27" 4k display.
For a mouse, get a Logitech wireless with the "unifying receiver".
Whatever keyboard you like (I prefer something wired).

I have my old 2012 Mini set up on "the back table", used mostly for music.
 
Re doing the migration:
PRINT OUT THIS POST.

Get an external USB drive. It can be either an SSD or a platter-based hard drive.

Use SuperDuper to clone the contents of the OLD Mini to the drive.
You can download SuperDuper by clicking this link:
SuperDuper is FREE to use for this job, and is also remarkably EASY to understand and use (not much more than "child's play on the Mac")

Unpack the NEW Mini and set it up.
DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON YET.

Connect the backup drive.
NOW press the power on button for the first time.

The NEW Mini will boot to setup assistant (choose your language).
Start clicking through.
At the appropriate moment, SA will ask if you wish to migrate from another drive.
YES, you do, so...
"point the way" for SA to find the backup.

Give SA time to "digest" everything -- takes a little while.

NOW you have a decision to make.
Do you want to migrate everything?
Or... would it be better to leave old apps behind, because they may not run on the new Mac?

The 2018 isn't all that old, and SOME of the 3rd party apps you used with Mojave might still work.
So my suggestion is:

When SA presents you with a list of things that can be migrated, UNCHECK the checkmark for "applications".
But migrate everything else.

Let SA do its thing -- it will take a while.
When done, you should see your login screen, just as before.
So... log in and "look around".

What you could do with 3rd party apps:
IF you created a CLONED backup, you could try running the apps RIGHT OFF THE BACKUP CLONED DRIVE.
If they're going to run, they should run that way.

REMEMBER -- when you did the migration of your accounts, all the app support files and preferences probably got migrated (even if the app itself didn't migrate).

So.. if a particular app is compatible, it should run that way.
If it's not, it won't (of course).

IF an app runs, now you can just copy it from the applications folder on the backup to the applications folder on the NEW Mini.
Then see if it STILL will run that way.
If it does, well, I say use it.

Hope this helps.
 
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Fishrrman said:
Re doing the migration:
PRINT OUT THIS POST.

Get an external USB drive. It can be either an SSD or a platter-based hard drive.

Use SuperDuper to clone the contents of the OLD Mini to the drive.
You can download SuperDuper by clicking this link:
SuperDuper is FREE to use for this job, and is also remarkably EASY to understand and use (not much more than "child's play on the Mac")

Unpack the NEW Mini and set it up.
DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON YET.

Connect the backup drive.
NOW press the power on button for the first time.

The NEW Mini will boot to setup assistant (choose your language).
Start clicking through.
At the appropriate moment, SA will ask if you wish to migrate from another drive.
YES, you do, so...
"point the way" for SA to find the backup.

Give SA time to "digest" everything -- takes a little while.

NOW you have a decision to make.
Do you want to migrate everything?
Or... would it be better to leave old apps behind, because they may not run on the new Mac?

The 2018 isn't all that old, and SOME of the 3rd party apps you used with Mojave might still work.
So my suggestion is:

When SA presents you with a list of things that can be migrated, UNCHECK the checkmark for "applications".
But migrate everything else.

Let SA do its thing -- it will take a while.
When done, you should see your login screen, just as before.
So... log in and "look around".

What you could do with 3rd party apps:
IF you created a CLONED backup, you could try running the apps RIGHT OFF THE BACKUP CLONED DRIVE.
If they're going to run, they should run that way.

REMEMBER -- when you did the migration of your accounts, all the app support files and preferences probably got migrated (even if the app itself didn't migrate).

So.. if a particular app is compatible, it should run that way.
If it's not, it won't (of course).

IF an app runs, now you can just copy it from the applications folder on the backup to the applications folder on the NEW Mini.
Then see if it STILL will run that way.
If it does, well, I say use it.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Wow, many thanks, Fishrrman. FWIW, I've been having Time Machine backup my 2018 Mini to two external HDs, so I suppose I could work from one of those, though those backups are not CLONED per se, I believe. Perhaps I could use Migration Assistant/Setup Assistant to move the backup of the 2018 Mini to the new Mini, and not have to even involve the 2018 Mini directly. That could dispense with having to get a new monitor and keyboard just to get things moved over and set up.

Space is tight in my study and my computer space is a still serviceable computer hutch, whose monitor space is 24" horizontally, which is mostly filled by my 19" monitor, with a couple of inches to spare on either side of it. So, I am not sure, sight unseen, that a 27" monitor would even fit in it. (I realize that monitors' sizes are measured diagonally, so I am not sure what a 27" monitor amounts to horizontally.) I may well need to get a new monitor for optimal resolution with the new Mini, but I'd rather not have to do that right upfront.

I somehow managed, five years ago, to move from my even earlier Mini to my 2018 Mini, without a second monitor or keyboard, so it is possible, I just don't recall, at this late date, how I did it. I think I just let Migration Assistant pull everything over (possibly from Time Machine backups in an external HD then). I am willing to use Superduper to do all this, including making a clone of my 2018 Mini on one of my three external HDs (2Tb, 3Tb, and 4 Tb), though if I can just use my Time Machine backup(s), I suppose that that might be simpler still.

Another detail to consider is that my 2018 Mini's internal SSD has 305Gb filled. I seem to recall reading on this board (or maybe elsewhere) that migration goes better if one is moving under 300Gb. Is that a consideration? I'm also somewhat unclear whether I can just plug my ethernet cable from my Wi-fi router into the new Mini, and have it boot up from scratch. I opted for a 10Gb ethernet port, since my fiber ISP may offer broadband up to 10Gb within the next year or so, but I don't know if my present ethernet cable will be compatible with a 10Gb port. I assume the port is backwardly compatible, but I don't know that for sure.

Lots of ducks to get in a row. Thanks for your help. Any further advice is very welcome.
 
I downloaded Superduper! and before diving in, I have a few more questions.

First is that SD's documentation does not use the term "clone", but seems to talk of creating a Backup or a Sandbox. I assume what I want to create is a Backup, but I wanted to double-check.

Second, the documentation seems to talk about creating a partition on a HD for the backup. However, all three of my HDs are not partitioned and I think that I'd have to wipe a drive to create partitions, which is not something I want to do, as I have a lot of files backed up on those drives already. Is there anything wrong about creating the backup on a half-full 3Tb Seagate drive where it would reside next to a bunch of other files and folders? It's a USB External Physical Volume • Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

Third, the docs strongly recommend using a Firewire HD, apparently for reasons of speed, however, it's my impression that Apple has moved on from Firewire, as the speed on USB/Thunderbolt is now faster, though there's the chance that my HD is plugged into a USB Hub shared with early USB devices, so the transfer may be slowed down. However, in setting up my 2018 Mini, I just let it run all night for migrating and I would likely do the same for this backup to the HD and for using Setup Assistant to copy the Mac HD to the new Mini.

Alright, that's enough for now. Thanks, again.
 
"First is that SD's documentation does not use the term "clone", but seems to talk of creating a Backup or a Sandbox. I assume what I want to create is a Backup, but I wanted to double-check.
Second, the documentation seems to talk about creating a partition on a HD for the backup."

It's a cloned backup.
Don't worry about the documentation -- just USE it. (really, not kidding, just try it).

With the default settings, SD does this:
- First, it erases the target volume and gets it set up
- Then, it clones everything over
- When done, the backup is AN EXACT COPY of your internal drive.
On a 2018 Mini, you can even boot from it if you wanted to.

Over 300gb of stuff?
That will just increase the time it takes, but should be no problem otherwise.

You don't need firewire.
You have USB3, right?
(actually, a 2018 Mini has USBc, for USB3.1 gen2)

Use what you have. Of course, the target drive should be bigger than 300gb.

I RECOMMEND that you plug the target drive into the Mini itself (no hub).
 
With the default settings, SD does this:
- First, it erases the target volume and gets it set up
- Then, it clones everything over
- When done, the backup is AN EXACT COPY of your internal drive.
On a 2018 Mini, you can even boot from it if you wanted to.
Click to expand...
The first step "First, it (SD) erases the target volume and gets it set up" is what I don't want to get wrong. If the target volume is a 3Tb HD with 1.5Tb of files and folders already on it, I don't want to risk those being deleted while "getting it set up".

You don't need firewire.
You have USB3, right?
(actually, a 2018 Mini has USBc, for USB3.1 gen2)
Click to expand...
Yeah, my 2018 Mini has its Thunderbolt3 ports, but I have a variety of peripherals all plugged into two USB hubs which are then plugged into the USBc ports. So there may be a slowdown of transfer at the initial stage of backing up the 2018 Mini to my 3Tb HD, which is connected to the 2018 Mini via one of those hubs. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

Use what you have. Of course, the target drive should be bigger than 300gb.

I RECOMMEND that you plug the target drive into the Mini itself (no hub).
Click to expand...
The target drive is the 3Tb Seagate HD with 1.5Tb free, but with 1.5Tb filled with files.
I plan to plug the 3Tb Seagate directly into the new Mini before booting up the new Mini and working with Set-up Assistant. (My Time Machine backups for my 2018 Mini are on my 2Tb and 4Tb Seagate drives, which I am avoiding bringing into this process.)

What I want to avoid is inadvertently wiping one of my external drives (the 3Tb HD) with important files and folders on it, in the process of setting it up to backup my 2018 Mini clone.

My apologies for being so antsy about this. I've been dealing with Macs since my very first Mac in 1984, and am now in my seventies. I try to keep on top of all the evolving details, but it gets increasingly complex and somewhat overwhelming. This is probably my final Mac and I want to get it set up right and not sabotage myself. Thus my attempt to carefully understand details at every step.

Your help is valuable, my friend. And perhaps it can help others in the same boat. My gratitude for your help.
 
You can use your TimeMachine backup for this migration process, too. If it is protected by password (aka encrypted), all your logins are transfered, too. You start with your new mac mini m2 as with your old one.

I feel you dont have a working backup strategy. Dont erase any of your factual drives for any transfer.

I would recommend a new external drive, preferrably SSD, as timemachine backup for your M2 and and an external drive to copy all of your separated data drives to one new drive. If size permitts it, make it SSD, too.

Then a third external big harddrive for the backup of all of this above.

Use the new computer to check your backup strategy and adapt accordingly. We can help you through this.
 
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I've gone about as far with this thread as I can go.

OP:
Stop fretting and wringing your hands over SuperDuper and JUST TRY IT.
Use whatever drive you have available.

If you don't like the results, you can just erase it and try something else.

SuperDuper (and CarbonCopyCloner) are two of the best pieces of Mac software out there.
Try SD and you'll see why, within 3 minutes after launching it.
 
What seems like fretting and wringing my hands is me trying to clearly understand what I am being instructed to do. I am allergic to following directions that I don't completely understand. I was trying to determine whether I had to copy the backup to its own partition on an external hard-drive. Apparently I need to. So I decided to erase one of my two HDs to which I do Time Machine backups, leaving one in place. However, I didn't realize that just using Disk Utility to erase the HD so I could reformat it with partitions didn't truly erase the disk. The backups apparently still exist on the HD in some fashion so that they are recoverable. The HD looks empty, but DU says "Used: 852.6 MB". So I am now faced with trying to truly erase the HD so that it will allow me to partition it. Years of experience have taught me that if I don't really know what I am doing, stuff like this occurs. I guess I will see if I can solve this enigma and get to the point that I have the HD partitioned and then at that point I can do the SD backup. I'll report back once I have something good to report.
 
I finally solved the problem with making partitions on the HD. I was going on outdated advice from the Shirt Pocket blog on "practices make perfect (backups)" which had advised using the APFS partition map which was returning fails when I tried to partition on the wiped HD. I discovered from another site that what I should use was the GUID partition map instead! So, the HD is ready. But I think I will wait to use SD until tomorrow, as I'm wiped from banging my head against the wall all day over the erase and partition troubles. I just want to chill for the evening. 🥶 And start fresh tomorrow.
 
I've got a surprise for you:
SuperDuper is going to RE-erase and RE-partition the disk for you, anyway.

You didn't have to do anything you did in reply 12 above.
It was all "for naught"...!
 
Fishrrman said:
I've got a surprise for you:
SuperDuper is going to RE-erase and RE-partition the disk for you, anyway.

You didn't have to do anything you did in reply 12 above.
It was all "for naught"...!
Click to expand...
Well, not for naught, I think, as I successfully used one of the two partitions I created as the target for the SD backup. It did erase the partition and reconstituted it, but since it was already empty, that happened very quickly. It left the other partition as I had named it. Thanks for your help. Tomorrow I plan to migrate over to the new Mini and will report on how it went.
 
Good news. Superduper did its job migrating the backup with files etc. to the new Mini efficiently and simply, as Fishrrman had described. I decided to let it transfer all the apps, as well, figuring that it would be easier to weed out any apps that didn't work on the new Mini, than to move them over manually one by one. The Dell monitor had no problem working with the new Mini.

Time for me to update my profile list of equipment...
 
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