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Setting up a new Imac

J

Julsie

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 7, 2017
10
0
Hi,
I have a 2013 imac which I would like to replace with a new 24" M1. I'm not much of a techy so need some help to understand what to do. When I transfer the contents of my old Imac across, I would like to keep the system and my apps on the Imac's SSD and have all the rest on an external ssd. Can this be done ? and if so I would greatly appreciate it if somebody could talk me through it. If it makes any difference, I am in France.
Many, many thanks in advance
Jules
 
Short answer is yes. But first, a little background information you need to know before setting it up:
  • "Migration Assistant" - when you set up the Mac, you'll have the option to restore contents from a backup. If you skip this for some reason, you can go back to it by opening Migration Assistant from the Applications folder (should be under "Utilities").
  • Do you have any 32-bit apps/programs on the old 2013? If so, they will NOT work on the M1.
So, with that said - when you restore from a backup, you'll have the option to exclude certain items from the restore. So there are three things you can do. You can either
  1. Select ONLY "Applications" and nothing else in the list when you get the option. NOTHING ELSE GETS RESTORED WHEN YOU DO THIS! Or, you can
  2. (Depending on the size of the internal SSD - or if the other data is not very big) Restore EVERYTHING - User accounts, applications, desktop, documents, downloads, etc. and move the files you want to the SSD. Or, finally, you can
  3. BEFORE you restore to the M1, copy the necessary files from the 2013 to the external hard drive, then restore everything else on the M1 except those files (same thing - you get the option to select what you restore)
Let me know if you have any other questions.
 
Fishrrman's "you can do it!" routine for migrating to a new Mac:
(this is a pre-written post)

If you follow my instructions below, I guarantee a success rate of 98%:
PRINT OUT these instructions and check them off as you go along.

1. BEFORE you do anything else, run a "final" backup on your old Mac. Use an external drive for this. It can be either TM or a cloned backup using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper. I prefer CCC.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT USE TM AS YOUR "MIGRATION EXTERNAL DRIVE". INSTEAD, USE EITHER CCC OR SD. Things will go better this way!
2. Shut down the old Mac and disconnect the external drive
3. Take the new Mac out of the box and set it up on the table. DO NOT PRESS THE POWER ON BUTTON until step 8 (read on). You don't want to begin setup until "the right moment".
4. If you're using an external display, connect the display using the usb-c/VGA adapter/cable that you have
5. Connect the keyboard and mouse if you use them. I STRONGLY SUGGEST that you connect them DIRECTLY to the Mac.
6. If you use a hub, leave it DISCONNECTED for now
7. Connect your backup drive -- use a usb-c adapter if needed.

OK, we're ready-to-go, so let's get goin':
8. Press the power on button for the first time.
9. The new Mac may ask for help "finding" the keyboard, just follow instructions.
10. Begin setup. At the appropriate moment, setup assistant will ask if you wish to migrate from another Mac or drive. YES, you want to do this.
11. "Aim" setup assistant at the external backup. Setup assistant will need a little time to "digest it all". BE PATIENT and give setup assistant the time it needs.
12. You will now see a list of things that can be migrated, such as applications, accounts, settings and data.
13. I suggest that you select ALL of them.
14. Let setup assistant "do its thing". It's going to TAKE A WHILE to move things over. Again, be patient. If you have a lot "of stuff", it will take a lot of time!
15. When done, you should see the login screen. Go ahead and login.
16. Once logged in, things should look pretty much as they looked on your old Mac.
17. You should check all your apps. Some may not run, and may require upgrading.
18. You can set aside the old backup, or ... "repurpose it" to become the backup for the new Mac. I'd keep the old one around for a week or so, at least.
 
Thank you for your replies although I'm not sure Fishrrman understood my question as I'm trying to seperate the contents onto 2 discs.
If I've got this right I can copy over my apps to the internal SSD and then re-use Migration Assistant to copy everything else onto the external SSD. Is that correct ?
Thank you all again for your time
 
Your internal drive should contain:
- OS
- Apps
- Your account(s)**

** If your accounts have "large libraries" (of movies, pictures, music, etc.), it's possible to re-locate these libraries to an external drive. The apps that use them can "find them" just as easily on an external drive as they would on an internal.

But it's just better to leave the home folder itself on the internal drive.
 
Julsie said:
Thank you for your replies although I'm not sure Fishrrman understood my question as I'm trying to seperate the contents onto 2 discs.
If I've got this right I can copy over my apps to the internal SSD and then re-use Migration Assistant to copy everything else onto the external SSD. Is that correct ?
Thank you all again for your time
Click to expand...
You can not use MA to copy files to the ext. SSD; however, you CAN use it to copy the apps, home folder, etc. like you would normally do.

What it boils down to = Use MA to copy apps, and use Finder to copy everything else to the ext. SSD.
 
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