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GodBless

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 22, 2005
1,004
0
What is the difference between using Tiger's Migration Assistant and using SuperDuper!? How do their uses differ? Can you clone a hard drive with the Migration Assistant or just add/subtract settings?
 

edesignuk

Moderator emeritus
Mar 25, 2002
19,232
2
London, England
SuperDuper clones your hard drive, Migration Assistant does not. It just copies over user profiles/data and any applications it can, while keeping whatever System is already on the drive. The two are VERY different.
 

GodBless

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 22, 2005
1,004
0
edesignuk said:
SuperDuper clones your hard drive, Migration Assistant does not. It just copies over user profiles/data and any applications it can, while keeping whatever System is already on the drive. The two are VERY different.

Thanks. I just didn't want to waste hours discovering for myself what Migration Assistant can really do. I have better ways to spend my time.
 

etarip4

macrumors newbie
Aug 3, 2008
1
0
NYC Area
Superduper, Yes! Migration - Assistant No!

I swapped Macs with a family member, after purchasing a new 17" MacBook Pro.
We were already using basically identical software, so I just wanted to clone the system, but change the user name & start with a clean system. I had great clones from SuperDuper before, but thougt the ID switch might be easier with "Migration Assistant." Big Mistake!

I switched the ID on the master (Leopard) using Apple (+ other) Instructions.

I Installed a new Leopard on the the Target Drive from the OS 10.5 Installer DVD, then Used Migration Assistant to overlay all apps from the Source Drive over to the New Leopard OS on the Target Drive.

My Mac Pro Apps were de-serialized, My Adobe CS3 was disrupted, requiring complete re-installation from the master discs, MacTheRipper was corrupted & all of my preferences had to be manually re-copied!

It seems that Apple is afraid you will actually copy your apps to a new hard drive from the old & so "Migration Assistant" should be renamed to "Digital Rights Management Assistant" that Prevents you from achieving this goal!

I may just erase the new drive & start over with SuperDuper, but now I see that "Migration Assistant" has somehow "decommissioned" Adobe CS3 on the Source Drive, as well!

If I wanted that type of hassle, I would have bought a Vista laptop instead of a new 17" MacBook Pro! These "decommissioning" tricks are worthy of Microsoft!
 

knockknock

macrumors member
May 28, 2003
39
0
at home
Oh boy:eek: did you just saved me a headache and a half. I'm planning in upgrading my wife's macbookpro's HD from 160gb 5400rpm 8mb cache to a 320gb 7200rpm 16mb cache (WD black scorpio or Seagatemomentus 7200.3)
SO THANK YOU!!.
If you upgrade using CCC or SD you won't loose space? meaning it will see the new 320gig HD as the old 160?
 

sickmacdoc

macrumors 68020
Jun 14, 2008
2,035
1
New Hampshire
Oh boy:eek: did you just saved me a headache and a half. I'm planning in upgrading my wife's macbookpro's HD from 160gb 5400rpm 8mb cache to a 320gb 7200rpm 16mb cache (WD black scorpio or Seagatemomentus 7200.3)
SO THANK YOU!!.
If you upgrade using CCC or SD you won't loose space? meaning it will see the new 320gig HD as the old 160?

Yes, CCC and SD will only clone the original drive in terms of contents, not physical space. OK that sounds stupid, so another way to put it is if you CCC or SD 40Gb of data from your old drive, it it will still only occupy 40Gb on your new drive.

As in this scenario= (old drive) 160 Gb with 40 Gb used = 120Gb free
CCC or SD old to new, then:
(new drive) 320Gb with 40Gb used = 280 Gb free.
 

gusious

macrumors 65816
Dec 2, 2007
1,277
2
Greece
I swapped Macs with a family member, after purchasing a new 17" MacBook Pro.
We were already using basically identical software, so I just wanted to clone the system, but change the user name & start with a clean system. I had great clones from SuperDuper before, but thougt the ID switch might be easier with "Migration Assistant." Big Mistake!

I switched the ID on the master (Leopard) using Apple (+ other) Instructions.

I Installed a new Leopard on the the Target Drive from the OS 10.5 Installer DVD, then Used Migration Assistant to overlay all apps from the Source Drive over to the New Leopard OS on the Target Drive.

My Mac Pro Apps were de-serialized, My Adobe CS3 was disrupted, requiring complete re-installation from the master discs, MacTheRipper was corrupted & all of my preferences had to be manually re-copied!

It seems that Apple is afraid you will actually copy your apps to a new hard drive from the old & so "Migration Assistant" should be renamed to "Digital Rights Management Assistant" that Prevents you from achieving this goal!

I may just erase the new drive & start over with SuperDuper, but now I see that "Migration Assistant" has somehow "decommissioned" Adobe CS3 on the Source Drive, as well!

If I wanted that type of hassle, I would have bought a Vista laptop instead of a new 17" MacBook Pro! These "decommissioning" tricks are worthy of Microsoft!

Well thanks a lot!!I just bought a 17MBP like you and i wanted to do the same things!!!

You saved me pal!!:D
 

RedTomato

macrumors 601
Mar 4, 2005
4,155
442
.. London ..
I swapped Macs with a family member, after purchasing a new 17" MacBook Pro.
We were already using basically identical software, so I just wanted to clone the system, but change the user name & start with a clean system. I had great clones from SuperDuper before, but thougt the ID switch might be easier with "Migration Assistant." Big Mistake!

I switched the ID on the master (Leopard) using Apple (+ other) Instructions.

I Installed a new Leopard on the the Target Drive from the OS 10.5 Installer DVD, then Used Migration Assistant to overlay all apps from the Source Drive over to the New Leopard OS on the Target Drive.

My Mac Pro Apps were de-serialized, My Adobe CS3 was disrupted, requiring complete re-installation from the master discs, MacTheRipper was corrupted & all of my preferences had to be manually re-copied!

It seems that Apple is afraid you will actually copy your apps to a new hard drive from the old & so "Migration Assistant" should be renamed to "Digital Rights Management Assistant" that Prevents you from achieving this goal!

I may just erase the new drive & start over with SuperDuper, but now I see that "Migration Assistant" has somehow "decommissioned" Adobe CS3 on the Source Drive, as well!

If I wanted that type of hassle, I would have bought a Vista laptop instead of a new 17" MacBook Pro! These "decommissioning" tricks are worthy of Microsoft!

Migration assistant is for transferring an account exactly. what you did was guaranteed to fail.

You could have done it without changing the account ID and just left the old system the way it was before.

If you really want the two accounts to have different names, best to change the names after transferring, not before.
 
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