Moving from MBP w/ Optibay to MBA

[Agent-P]

I currently have a 13" MBP with an SSD in the Optibay and HDD in the main spot. I wanted to switch from the MBP to the MBA.

However the issue I have is with migrating my data and stuff from the MBP to the MBA. I know that normally I can just make a Time Machine backup of my MBP and use that same backup to set up the MBA. But since I have the Optibay, my boot files/applications are on the SSD and my media files and such are on my regular HDD.

Can I just restore from my Time Machine backup normally (even though there were two drives making it)? Or should I use something like Carbon Copy Cloner to move everything back to my HDD so there's only one drive for me to backup to Time Machine before setting up the MBA?

Has anyone made this switch who can provide some info for me?

 

[Agent-P]

No one has anything to share?

 

[wolfpuppies3]

Carbon Copy Cloner

 

[Agent-P]

Carbon Copy Cloner

As in should I use it to clone my SSD back onto my regular HDD so there is only one drive for Time Machine to backup?

 

[swordfish5736]

did you set it up so your home folder is stored on the HD and not the SSD?

 

[ibbieta]

I just performed this exact operation. I used Time Machine with an external hdd to back up both internal drives. Then I used Migration Assistant to move both drives to the single Air drive. I don't remember the exact steps but I think it let me pick the contents from both drives and then it figured the rest out.

I did delete and move a bunch of stuff first to make it fit on the Air. Also I KEPT THE MBP data intact until I was totally sure the operation worked and I tested a number of things on the Air. Hope this helps.

 

[Agent-P]

did you set it up so your home folder is stored on the HD and not the SSD?

Yup. My home folder was the only thing on the HDD while everything else was on the SSD.

I just performed this exact operation. I used Time Machine with an external hdd to back up both internal drives. Then I used Migration Assistant to move both drives to the single Air drive. I don't remember the exact steps but I think it let me pick the contents from both drives and then it figured the rest out.

I did delete and move a bunch of stuff first to make it fit on the Air. Also I KEPT THE MBP data intact until I was totally sure the operation worked and I tested a number of things on the Air. Hope this helps.

So does that mean during the initial set up on your MBA, did you choose the restore from Time Machine backup option of the set up from Migration Assistant option?

 

[Agent-P]

Just an update in case anyone has this problem in the future.

I was able to get everything set up by setting up a new user account on the MBA and then using Migration Assistant to choose which items needed to be copied over, however it was a bit of a pain in the arse. In hindsight (because hindsight is always 20/20) it would be much easier to do this:

1. On the MBP with two drives, use Carbon Copy Cloner to move everything back to one hard drive (like it would be if you only had the HDD in the system).
2. Make a Time Machine backup of just that drive.
3. Use that Time Machine backup to set up your MBA.

I wish I had done this instead as it would've saved me so much time.