Is there a good way to make the applications installed on a 4 year old iMac hard drive (the computer itself is dead, but the hard drive is fine) available for use on a brand new iMac just purchased? The old system did not have Lion on it of course. Thanks!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Old iMac hard drive, new iMac, how to import?
- Thread starter cameronjpu
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Can you remove the HDD from the dead iMac? If so put it an enclosure and plug it into the new one and you should be able to use Migration Assistant.
Yes I have - so what will migration assistant do? Bring the old apps into the new OS, or leave me with the old OS on the new computer? IE, is it just apps, or is it the whole system that migrates?
Edit: OK I googled it and Migration assistant appears to require two working computers, no?
No, you can do it to/from an external drive that has Mac OSX installed on as a bootable install. When I installed Snow Leopard, I installed it on an external drive and used Migration Assistant to move all my files and settings over to the external drive, so that I could play with it before putting it on my computer.
MA should move all your files and settings over to the new Mac.
Hm... so it's as simple as connecting the drive externally, booting into the new computer, then initiating MA? I just don't understand why Apple's page about MA would only mention options involving two working computers.