My 2010 Mini is long in tooth and probably going to die in the new future. Ethernet quit working months ago. Wifi still work. Anyways, I clone (forgot the program) to an external drive so I can boot from it if the internal drive would crash. IF I get a new mini, will the new mini be able to read the data on my external drive? My main concern are the large photo files. My mini reboots when it gets warm so think the fan quit working and not sure if it would stay on transffering the 400 GB photo file. Appreciate any help.
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New Mac Mini able to read old data?
- Thread starter bearcatrp
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You won't be able to BOOT a new Mac from the cloned drive, because the OS on it will be too old.
However... you WILL be able to read the data files.
If it's a clone, you have two choices:
1. When you get the new Mac, use migration assistant to "bring over" your old account and data. It -might- be able to bring over some applications, too, but others will probably be "too old to run" any more.
or
2. Manually copy stuff from the cloned drive to the new Mac.
If you do this, the best procedure is to:
- connect the drive
- click ONE TIME on the icon, and then bring up "get info"
- click the lock, enter your password, then put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions). This avoids permissions problems.
However... you WILL be able to read the data files.
If it's a clone, you have two choices:
1. When you get the new Mac, use migration assistant to "bring over" your old account and data. It -might- be able to bring over some applications, too, but others will probably be "too old to run" any more.
or
2. Manually copy stuff from the cloned drive to the new Mac.
If you do this, the best procedure is to:
- connect the drive
- click ONE TIME on the icon, and then bring up "get info"
- click the lock, enter your password, then put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions). This avoids permissions problems.
You shouldn't have any problem with your old data, but old software is another issue. 32-bit apps won't work on any of the current Mini's. There is just no way around that on the new M1 Mini, and you might even have issues with some 64-bit legacy software. If you just use standard things like MS Office, Photoshop, etc then you'll be fine however.
If you have other, expensive old apps (like me) then you'll need to decide how important they are. The 2018 Mini can still run Mojave, which is the last version of MacOS that supports 32-bit programs. Even better, the 2018 Mini can run older versions of MacOS as virtual machines. That's what I do, I use Mountain Lion and Sierra virtual machine with Parallels for my old software. For example, I have legacy 3d, CAD and database software that would cost close to $5000 to update. I'm retired and don't need these often, but I still need them. The M1 just can't do that.
If you have other, expensive old apps (like me) then you'll need to decide how important they are. The 2018 Mini can still run Mojave, which is the last version of MacOS that supports 32-bit programs. Even better, the 2018 Mini can run older versions of MacOS as virtual machines. That's what I do, I use Mountain Lion and Sierra virtual machine with Parallels for my old software. For example, I have legacy 3d, CAD and database software that would cost close to $5000 to update. I'm retired and don't need these often, but I still need them. The M1 just can't do that.