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Questions about transferring data to new rMBP

MacDevil7334

MacDevil7334

Contributor
Original poster
Oct 15, 2011
2,591
5,931
Austin TX
I bought a rMBP a few days back and have been gathering all my files on my old Mac for transfer. I always move files over by hand as the Migration Assistant never seems to get things quite right in my experience. In the past, I have always moved the files via an Ethernet cable. But, I forgot that the rMBP doesn't have an Ethernet port, so I need another option. I tried moving the files over my wifi network, but the estimate came back as well over 24 hours.

After doing some research, it looks like connecting the Macs via a Thunderbolt cable would be my best option. Now, here are my questions:
  • Is this possible to do and the fastest option? It looks like support for Mac-Mac networks over Thunderbolt was added in Mavericks. But, I just want to make sure.
  • Can I buy a Thunderbolt cable (don't currently have one) and then return it to Apple after I have moved the files? I know this sounds really cheap of me, but I don't have an external display and don't plan to get one anytime soon. I don't really want to have to buy a $30 cable I'm only going to use once.

Thanks for your input!
 
Last edited:
I recently transferred my files from an iMac to a rMBP via Migration assistant. One of the choices was Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt. So it should work great. And yes, you should be able to return the cable. A better solution might be to get a USB to Ethernet dongle and transfers the files that way. It's always helpful to have an Ethernet cable handy for those times WiFi is being a PITA.
 
MacDevil7334 said:
I bought a rMBP a few days back and have been gathering all my files on my old Mac for transfer. I always move files over by hand as the Migration Assistant never seems to get things quite right in my experience. In the past, I have always moved the files via an Ethernet cable. But, I forgot that the rMBP doesn't have an Ethernet cable, so I need another option. I tried moving the files over my wifi network, but the estimate came back as well over 24 hours.

After doing some research, it looks like connecting the Macs via a Thunderbolt cable would be my best option. Now, here are my questions:
  • Is this possible to do and the fastest option? It looks like support for Mac-Mac networks over Thunderbolt was added in Mavericks. But, I just want to make sure.
  • Can I buy a Thunderbolt cable (don't currently have one) and then return it to Apple after I have moved the files? I know this sounds really cheap of me, but I don't have an external display and don't plan to get one anytime soon. I don't really want to have to buy a $30 cable I'm only going to use once.

Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...

If you have a router, you can move the files over a wi-fi network by logging into the shared computer with its name and PW. Your LAN could be fast enough for most transfers.
 
I just bought a rMBP and my method was rebooting in safe mode and using Time Machine restore. It failed and bricked my hard drive - had to return the machine. The new one is on it's way - if someone has a better method I'm all ears, I don't want to ruin this one.
 
Alimar said:
If you have a router, you can move the files over a wi-fi network by logging into the shared computer with its name and PW. Your LAN could be fast enough for most transfers.
Click to expand...

How is this different than moving my files over the wifi network with AirDrop (what I mentioned in my original post)? Would it be faster if I created a peer-peer network?
 
I always do a clean install. Most of my data is kept on external drives so that saves me lots of time not having to move that data over. It also eliminates any useless programs that I might have had on my old machine.
 
BenTrovato said:
I just bought a rMBP and my method was rebooting in safe mode and using Time Machine restore. It failed and bricked my hard drive - had to return the machine. The new one is on it's way - if someone has a better method I'm all ears, I don't want to ruin this one.
Click to expand...

How can it brick your SSD?

Internet recovery would've brought that rMBP back to life, unless the SSD was faulty anyway. In which case, Time Machine wouldn't have killed it, just using it would.

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MacDevil7334 said:
How is this different than moving my files over the wifi network with AirDrop (what I mentioned in my original post)? Would it be faster if I created a peer-peer network?
Click to expand...

AirDrop (from Yosemite onwards) uses bluetooth. A peer - peer wireless N connection would be much faster.
 
cjmillsnun said:
How can it brick your SSD?

Internet recovery would've brought that rMBP back to life, unless the SSD was faulty anyway. In which case, Time Machine wouldn't have killed it, just using it would.
Click to expand...

Internet recovery wouldn't work. In safe mode, it would see the SSD but it wouldn't allow it to be formatted or selected as a startup drive. Apple supports answer was to bring it in so I just returned it. I hope it's a case that the system was faulty and not a time machine error.
 
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