Moving to a new Mac.. how to bring my current Mac along?

[UnixMac]

Ok, here is the background..

I've got a Dual G5 now with a Raptor Boot/OS and Applications Drive and a separate 250GB "Data" drive..

I'm getting a new Mac Pro with a 250GB, which I'm wanting to take out of the #1 bay, and replace with a new Raptor.... Then I am adding two 500GB drives into bay's 3 and 4 and using them in RAID 0, and taking the 250GB drive that came in bay one and using it in Bay 2...

What can I do to make my migration from the G5 to the Pro least painful if I wish to both, preserve my Applications folder and also the data on my 2nd drive?

Can I just plug the 2nd drive from the G5 into one of the bay's of the Pro and drag-drop everything onto the "new" 250GB drive? and then do a fresh install with the Back up/recovery disks onto the Raptor to get that to be my new boot drive? The copy all of the applications off the 2nd raptor (via the applications folder) to the "new" Raptor? Or do I need to re-install all the app all over again?

Sorry if this is as confusing as I'm making it sound, but it's giving me a headache thinking about it!

Maybe I can just plug the two Mac's together and copy everything over that way after I get the Pro set up first?

Help!

 

[yellow]

Equip yourself with a Firewire cable and follow the directions you get prompted for when you boot up the Mac Pro. You will be asked if you want to move data from another computer onto your new one.. directions ensue.

 

[steve_hill4]

Not sure exactly what you want to do, but I will say that I believe you have to buy special SATA drives for the Mac Pro due to the new enclosure system they have for them.

Will Migration Assistant not help you out with any stage of the install?

 

[UnixMac]

Not sure exactly what you want to do, but I will say that I believe you have to buy special SATA drives for the Mac Pro due to the new enclosure system they have for them.

Will Migration Assistant not help you out with any stage of the install?

I have 4 new drives on their way, including the 1 that's with the computer (a 250GB).. but I want to take the contents of both my other two and transfer them to the new machine.. So you're all saying the "Transfer assistant" will migrate my data, and apps, both? As well as preferences?

I sure hope it's that east!

thanks

 

[jsfpa]

So you're all saying the "Transfer assistant" will migrate my data, and apps, both? As well as preferences?

I sure hope it's that east!

thanks

It has worked for me. No problem.

 

[UnixMac]

Is it Firewire 400 or 800 compatible? I figure with some 300 gig's worth of transfer, if the 800 works, I'll invest in one of those cables..

edit: nevermind.. I just realized I'm not getting a new screen with this Pro.. so I'll only have the one screen.. I can't see how I can do this now! Or do I not need the screen connected to my older G5?

 

[yellow]

I imagine either FW4 or FW8 will work. It just wants a FW drive.
And technically, you don't need a screen at all, since you'll be putting the old machine in "target mode" (meaning it will appear like a fw drive on the new Mac). No screen needed for that. Though if you wanted to plug in the monitor, boot into target mode, and then unplug/plug the monitor into the new Mac and then boot that, it would work fine.

 

[UnixMac]

I imagine either FW4 or FW8 will work. It just wants a FW drive.
And technically, you don't need a screen at all, since you'll be putting the old machine in "target mode" (meaning it will appear like a fw drive on the new Mac). No screen needed for that. Though if you wanted to plug in the monitor, boot into target mode, and then unplug/plug the monitor into the new Mac and then boot that, it would work fine.

Good advise all.. thanks, I look forward to this now. 4 easy steps to a seamless transition.

a) Set up my mew machine
b) boot old machine into target mode
c) transfer old contents into new machine via FW800
d) wipe out old machine data and ebay it!

 

[yellow]

Actually I would go with

b)
a)
c)
d)

Since you will be asked for "b" during the process of "a".

 

[UnixMac]

Actually I would go with

b)
a)
c)
d)

Since you will be asked for "b" during the process of "a".

LOL! Thanks! will do!