New i5 backup transfer question

[crylic]

Just bought a re-furbed i5 to replace my slowly dying Core2 Duo (thanks to all the great advice I received here).

My question is with time machine, I have Lion on my Core2 Duo and have been using time machine for the better part of a year, it works seamlessly and i've never had any issues.

So in transferring my stuff to the new i5, I don't want to do the Migration assistant as I don't want all the garbage. Is it as easy as hooking up the portable HDD i use as my TM backup and dragging and dropping as I please? Is there going to be an issue with apps going from the Core2 Duo to the i5?

Any tips and info that I may be missing would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rkaufmann87]

Just bought a re-furbed i5 to replace my slowly dying Core2 Duo (thanks to all the great advice I received here).

My question is with time machine, I have Lion on my Core2 Duo and have been using time machine for the better part of a year, it works seamlessly and i've never had any issues.

So in transferring my stuff to the new i5, I don't want to do the Migration assistant as I don't want all the garbage. Is it as easy as hooking up the portable HDD i use as my TM backup and dragging and dropping as I please? Is there going to be an issue with apps going from the Core2 Duo to the i5?

Any tips and info that I may be missing would be greatly appreciated.

If you restore from the TM drive it's going to be an all or nothing proposition. If you can keep the old machine alive long enough you can start it in Target Disk Mode (Google it) and manually move over data. Another solution is if you can keep the old machine alive long enough you can get another EHD and create a bootable clone using SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner and manually copy data from the bootable clone to the new machine.

 

[crylic]

Hmm, that seems overly complicated. Can the TM HDD not be accessed like a regular HDD with content on it?

I also have just a regular HDD that I back up music, pictures and photoshop files on just on a regular basis as I take it too and from work to use. If I put all my apps on there could I then just drag them and drop them off of that if I can't do it with TM? It's really all I care about is my music, movies, apps and certain files, so if I can't access those on my TM HDD while on a the new machine, maybe it's better to just wipe it and stop it from being a TM and instead just a regular file backup hdd until i start the new machine?

 

[rkaufmann87]

Hmm, that seems overly complicated. Can the TM HDD not be accessed like a regular HDD with content on it?

No it can't.

I also have just a regular HDD that I back up music, pictures and photoshop files on just on a regular basis as I take it too and from work to use. If I put all my apps on there could I then just drag them and drop them off of that if I can't do it with TM?

No on the apps but the media library is OK.

It's really all I care about is my music, movies, apps and certain files, so if I can't access those on my TM HDD while on a the new machine, maybe it's better to just wipe it and stop it from being a TM and instead just a regular file backup hdd until i start the new machine?

My recommendation is to use Setup Assistant when the new machine arrives. You can choose what you migrate to some degree. For example you can choose just data and apps if you want and leave behind Settings. It is similar to Migration Assistant with one major difference. It will NOT create a second user account like MA will. You only get one shot to use Setup Assistant though and that is when you initially turn on the new Mac. This without doubt the best option to use. You can connect to the old Mac several ways; the old Mac itself, it's TM drive or a bootable clone. It's easy to use as long as you follow the on-screen instructions and have the correct cable before you turn on the new machine. For example if you plan to use the TM drive to restore from and it's a USB connection then it's a simple USB connection that you already have. If it's a Firewire then you need the right cable, it may only be FW400 and the new iMac only has FW800 so you need a cable that is FW400 to FW800 which you can find at Radio Shack, any computer store, Walmart, Best Buy etc...If you decide to follow my advice look over:

http://pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html

This is an excellent guide for Setup Assistant and will show you what to expect.

 

[xmnj]

Hmm, that seems overly complicated. Can the TM HDD not be accessed like a regular HDD with content on it?

I also have just a regular HDD that I back up music, pictures and photoshop files on just on a regular basis as I take it too and from work to use. If I put all my apps on there could I then just drag them and drop them off of that if I can't do it with TM? It's really all I care about is my music, movies, apps and certain files, so if I can't access those on my TM HDD while on a the new machine, maybe it's better to just wipe it and stop it from being a TM and instead just a regular file backup hdd until i start the new machine?

You should be able to access the Time Machine backup like a regular disk. You should see a 'backup.backupdb' folder and drill down to see all of the backups, and browse the folders like your Mac HD. I just did it on my Time Machine backup to verify.

 

[crylic]

Ok, so I can't transfer apps? But opinions vary on accessing my TM HDD as a regular backup disk. Sure you can access it when it's plugged into the machine that it's backing up, I can do that as well, but what about if it's plugged into a new machine altogether?

Also, Rkaufmann, can I pick and choose the apps i want to go over with setup assistant? Or is it an all in one transfer of all the apps on my mac?

Thanks so much, guys.

 

[robgendreau]

Listen to what rkaufmann87 is saying; he's absolutely right. It is hands down the best way to move the stuff you need to a new mac.

Realize a couple of things: the new Mac isn't the old Mac. You cannot just install the same system software from the old machine, whether you use a clone, Finder copying, or the old system media. You can restore, to a certain degree, but the optimal solution is to use setup ass't when you first set up the new machine. Apple engineers have done an excellent job and know better than you what "garbage," as you say, doesn't need to be moved.

Setup ass't will bring over all your compatible applications too. Some may require that you reenter registration info or tweak a few prefs, but it's pretty painless.

Yes, you can access TM as a "regular disk." TM backups are files on that disk. But if you Finder copy stuff from it, as opposed to using TM to restore, you may (probably?) get unexpected results. And when you reattach it to the new Mac, from TM's perspective that is a NEW Mac that it has never backed up before. You'd essentially be starting over; your new machine needs its own backup. Whether you want some duplication with your old machine depends on your backup strategy. I usually prioritize the new one and create a new backup after a week or so of trying the new computer out, and manually back up data files in the meantime (and if the new machine goes kaput, I just reinstall and use setup asst again).

I seem to recall you could select some options on what to migrate in setup assistant; you will, however, have to transfer all applications. It's best to do that and then just manually delete the ones you don't want afterwards.

See the link below; it's a great description of how to do it.

http://Pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html

 

[crylic]

Ok, perfect. I read the pondini resource link, you've all been incredibly helpful, i just wanted some clarity when I replied to rkaufmann's post.

This solves all my questions, thanks.