Migration failed from Macbook to Macbook Pro - redo or return?

[Brooklynyc]

Hi,

just bought a Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 on apple.com last week and used firewire to migrate all my info/data/profile from my 2007 macbook over. Problem is that it basically justed worked on a few folders and itunes but nothing else. All my iphoto files are missing, all my software didn't transfer over (photoshop, office, all programs I ever downloaded from web) and the machine as a whole seems to be quite a bit slower than my old macbook.
What do I do as far as a do-over on the migration? I used a 400 to 80 firewire adapter.
How do I start from scratch or do you recommend I contact apple as the machine appears to be quite slow when loading sites, typing text (sometimes delayed by more than a second).
My opportunity to return the refurb for full refund expires in 4 days.
Thanks for the input.

 

[miles01110]

What were you using to do the transfer?

 

[Brooklynyc]

What were you using to do the transfer?

I used the migration assistant at the first start-up of the new macbook.
The migration took 8.5 hours! I figured that wasn't normal.

 

[Blipp]

Instead of using the migration tool try just Carbon Copy Cloner and using that to dupe your old machine onto the new one. Before you do this it's a good idea to make sure you've updated your old computer to the newest version of OS X.

 

[discounteggroll]

Instead of using the migration tool try just Carbon Copy Cloner and using that to dupe your old machine onto the new one. Before you do this it's a good idea to make sure you've updated your old computer to the newest version of OS X.

baaaaaad idea. You should not clone across breeds of computers (i.e. macbook to macbook pro, etc). Even within models there are generation incompatibilities and bugs. I would do a permissions repair on the old macbook as well as a software update. You can also migrate across using a patch (regular) ethernet cable connected directly to both machines (migration assistant is in the utilities folder). If it's still failing I would try each setting at a time (applications only, single user accounts, settings, etc)

 

[Blipp]

baaaaaad idea. You should not clone across breeds of computers (i.e. macbook to macbook pro, etc). Even within models there are generation incompatibilities and bugs. I would do a permissions repair on the old macbook as well as a software update. You can also migrate across using a patch (regular) ethernet cable connected directly to both machines (migration assistant is in the utilities folder). If it's still failing I would try each setting at a time (applications only, single user accounts, settings, etc)

I've cloned across different models several times before and have never had a single problem provided OS X is up to date. The only issues I've encountered is driver support if you try to instal a flavor of OS X that was released before a particular model hit the market (such as trying to install 10.6.3 onto a 2011 MBP would fail). Take it for what you will but your migration is failing anyways so what have you got to lose? Worst case scenario you'll end up wiping your new laptop and giving it a fresh install anyways.

 

[discounteggroll]

in the past it has been safe to go across platforms, but there's quite a bit more exclusivity in the latter models (starting with the unibody MBP's). I thought the same thing about not having an issue cloning across lines until I kept getting kernel panics that were video card related, and an apple engineer I had talked to said that others were running into that because of using a white/black MB image on a 13" 2010 pro.

I'm not saying it won't work, because it probably will. However, the clone/image may not have the most appropriate drivers for your model, in which case you are running on a handicapped system and you don't even notice it.

Also, I would have to waste the time having to reformat and install OS X