Upgrading using Time Machine?

[Ifti]

I'm looking to upgrade my 2010 MBP to a 2012 MBP.
I will be keeping my current SSD as it has everything exactly how I want on it.

My initial plan is to simply remove the SSD and place it into the new system.
However, if that doesn't work for any reason, I could backup using Time Machine, install the SSD into the new system, and then do a restore using the TM Backup.

Will this restore everything exactly as it was - all settings, applications etc, just like a clone?

 

[old-wiz]

And what about drivers for ivy Bridge and the new GPU?

 

[AlexBass]

I'm looking to upgrade my 2010 MBP to a 2012 MBP.
I will be keeping my current SSD as it has everything exactly how I want on it.

My initial plan is to simply remove the SSD and place it into the new system.
However, if that doesn't work for any reason, I could backup using Time Machine, install the SSD into the new system, and then do a restore using the TM Backup.

Will this restore everything exactly as it was - all settings, applications etc, just like a clone?

Yes, the idea of time machine is to make an exact copy of the entire system. Even the most minor details such as you choosing to select battery percentage to be shown in the toolbar is saved using time machine.

 

[Irock619]

Everything is exactly the same. I am not sure if TM copies the OS. You don't need to worry about that though since you are buying a new MAC.

 

[Ifti]

And what about drivers for ivy Bridge and the new GPU?

Arent they included into all updates for OSX anyway??
I assumed once the SSD had been moved across I could run Apple update to download any updates required??

 

[ggmissmolly]

Why not use Migration Assistant? The Time Machine approach works, but could be slower. MA puts everything exactly like it is on the old machine. TM probably does to, but why risk it.

 

[Benbikeman]

Arent they included into all updates for OSX anyway??

I upgraded from a C2D machine to an i7 machine via a straight drive-swap. The new machine worked straight away, but there were some glitches. Had to do an Internet Recovery to boot into disk utility and then run a Repair Drive and Repair Permissions, so clearly it got a bit confused along the way. I was very glad of AppleCare for telephone support - they were absolutely fantastic.

Once the repairs were done, it worked fine, but next time I'd use Migration Assistant to restore from Time Machine.

 

[biohead]

Straight drive swap should be fine.

Did it from my 2008 Alu MacBook to 2012 13" MBP without a problem.

 

[wethackrey]

I'm sorry to say it won't work. The operating system on your 2010 MBP will not boot the new one. This is true even if you've update the 2010 Mac to 10.7.4. The mid-2012 machines use a version of Lion that's later than any that are currently available for download from Apple. Does your 2010 MBP have a Thunderbolt connector? If so, I'd get a Thunderbolt cable and a set the 2010 machine up in target disk mode. Use migration Assistant to move your stuff to the new machine.

If you want to move the SSD into the new machine I think you're going to need a third drive to stage onto. You should also look at an application called Carbon Copy Cloner from Bombich Software. http://www.bombich.com/

Here's a way to get there without a third staging drive:
1) Using target disk mode (or the network if you don't have a TB cable, migrate to the new machine.
2) Verify that all of your apps are set up correctly. Since they're now on new hardware, some may need to be re-registered or re-activated.
3) Make sure you inactivate your iTunes account, Audible, if you use it, and any Adobe apps on your 2010 machine so you can activate them on the new one. At this point you have the new machine how you want it, except that you're using the new HD instead of the old HDD.
4) Using target disk mode on your 2010 machine and Carbon Copy Cloner you can now clone your new drive over to the SSD in your 2010 Mac.
5) Swap the SSD into your new Mac and the new HDD into your 2010 Mac.

or...
If you wait a couple of weeks until Mountain Lion ships, you could upgrade your 2010 to that and then do the drive swap. Mountain Lion will boot the mid-2012 machines.

 

[wethackrey]

Arent they included into all updates for OSX anyway??
I assumed once the SSD had been moved across I could run Apple update to download any updates required??

Not at the moment. Currently the most recent update of Lion will not boot the Mid-2012 machines.

Take a look at this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1398253/

 

[throAU]

I'd do this:

Set up your new mac from your existing TM backup
Back this up to time machine
Swap drive
Reinstall OS clean
restore from TM backup

 

[Ifti]

1) Using target disk mode (or the network if you don't have a TB cable, migrate to the new machine.
2) Verify that all of your apps are set up correctly. Since they're now on new hardware, some may need to be re-registered or re-activated.
3) Make sure you inactivate your iTunes account, Audible, if you use it, and any Adobe apps on your 2010 machine so you can activate them on the new one. At this point you have the new machine how you want it, except that you're using the new HD instead of the old HDD.
4) Using target disk mode on your 2010 machine and Carbon Copy Cloner you can now clone your new drive over to the SSD in your 2010 Mac.
5) Swap the SSD into your new Mac and the new HDD into your 2010 Mac.

or...
If you wait a couple of weeks until Mountain Lion ships, you could upgrade your 2010 to that and then do the drive swap. Mountain Lion will boot the mid-2012 machines.

Thanks everyone, especially wethackrey - I think Im going to do the above. I have a couple of external HDDs and a Firewire800 cable etc.

Im looking to sell the 2010 system asap, so I may do a TM backup to my external Firewire800 drive first, along with a SuperDuper clone.
I'll then restore the new MBP using MA and the TM backup on the external drive.
Then I'll clone that new drive across to my external HDD, install the SSD, and restore the image.

I didnt think of de-authorising iTunes etc though - thanks for that!

I want to avoid buying Mountain Lion if I dont need to as it'll come free with the new MBP etc anyways.

 

[wethackrey]

A couple of other points:
Remember that you'll want to keep the recovery partition that's on the new machine. Make sure SuperDuper will clone that along with the boot partition. The new version of Carbon Copy Cloner does. Also, I'm all for using Time Machine, but generally not for migrations. TM's sparseimage/sparsebundle architecture is perfect for managing a series of delta backups over time, but it has some downsides. TM is slow; the images are not bootable; they're of no benefit without the TM application and, since the files and file system need to be re-created from the sparsebundles by the TM app, they're riskier than a clone. I've had more than one TM backup corrupt itself and become unusable. My backup/recovery strategy relies both TM and clones. (I also always keep separate boot and data partitions, but that's another story). Since you have spare disks, you should consider keeping at least one clone around.

 

[Ifti]

A couple of other points:
Remember that you'll want to keep the recovery partition that's on the new machine. Make sure SuperDuper will clone that along with the boot partition. The new version of Carbon Copy Cloner does. Also, I'm all for using Time Machine, but generally not for migrations. TM's sparseimage/sparsebundle architecture is perfect for managing a series of delta backups over time, but it has some downsides. TM is slow; the images are not bootable; they're of no benefit without the TM application and, since the files and file system need to be re-created from the sparsebundles by the TM app, they're riskier than a clone. I've had more than one TM backup corrupt itself and become unusable. My backup/recovery strategy relies both TM and clones. (I also always keep separate boot and data partitions, but that's another story). Since you have spare disks, you should consider keeping at least one clone around.

Yes I alway have clones as well.
Whats in the recovery partition? Im not too fussed about Lion, as should I ever need to reinstall it, I have the dmg of it from when I updated via the Mac App Store, so I could always use that to reinstall?
Nevertheless, I will be keeping the HDD I remove from the new MBP as well just in case I ever need it.

 

[gentlefury]

I'm looking to upgrade my 2010 MBP to a 2012 MBP.
I will be keeping my current SSD as it has everything exactly how I want on it.

My initial plan is to simply remove the SSD and place it into the new system.
However, if that doesn't work for any reason, I could backup using Time Machine, install the SSD into the new system, and then do a restore using the TM Backup.

Will this restore everything exactly as it was - all settings, applications etc, just like a clone?

yes, just backup to an external disk, boot off the time machine disk and hit restore from time machine. You will be back up and running as if nothing ever changed Cool thing is, time machine does not copy system crucial items...so changing systems will not hurt it.

 

[wethackrey]

Yes I alway have clones as well.
Whats in the recovery partition? Im not too fussed about Lion, as should I ever need to reinstall it, I have the dmg of it from when I updated via the Mac App Store, so I could always use that to reinstall?
Nevertheless, I will be keeping the HDD I remove from the new MBP as well just in case I ever need it.

The recovery partition is a bootable OS installer partition. It also enables Back to My Mac and Find My Mac. Remember that the .dmg you got from the App Store will be fine for reinstalling on the 2010 machine but it will not be bootable on the mid-2012 machine. Again, there's no direct way to obtain an OS installer for the mid-2012 machines right now. You can interrupt the Internet Restore process after the installer is downloaded and grab it, but it isn't formally available from any source including the App Store or Apple Support.

 

[wethackrey]

yes, just backup to an external disk, boot off the time machine disk and hit restore from time machine. You will be back up and running as if nothing ever changed Cool thing is, time machine does not copy system crucial items...so changing systems will not hurt it.

I'm not sure how you envision booting from a Time Machine disk.

 

[Ifti]

The recovery partition is a bootable OS installer partition. It also enables Back to My Mac and Find My Mac. Remember that the .dmg you got from the App Store will be fine for reinstalling on the 2010 machine but it will not be bootable on the mid-2012 machine. Again, there's no direct way to obtain an OS installer for the mid-2012 machines right now. You can interrupt the Internet Restore process after the installer is downloaded and grab it, but it isn't formally available from any source including the App Store or Apple Support.

I didn't have a restore partition on my SSD when I installed it, unless the Lion upgrade created it?
Good to know though, so looks like the software you mentioned may be the way to go.

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I'm not sure how you envision booting from a Time Machine disk.

Would I need to have the FireWire external drive with my time machine backup connected when I first boot the new mac, so that during initial setup I just use MA to restore?

I guess my first step is to get the new mac running exactly as I want. I'll then look into carbon copy cloner to get the SSD in

 

[gentlefury]

I'm not sure how you envision booting from a Time Machine disk.

I envision it, the way I always do it. Plug it in and choose it, at the boot screen. It's not black magic. I've done it many times.

 

[deeddawg]

I'm not sure how you envision booting from a Time Machine disk.

Do you even need to? Boot using Internet Restore, wipe drive and install new OS, then Migration Assistant to bring over everything from the Time Machine backup whether physically attached such as an external disk or over the network such as with a Time Capsule (slower than direct wire though).

 

[gentlefury]

Do you even need to? Boot using Internet Restore, wipe drive and install new OS, then Migration Assistant to bring over everything from the Time Machine backup whether physically attached such as an external disk or over the network such as with a Time Capsule (slower than direct wire though).

if you are installing a new fresh drive you have to boot off of time machine to be able to do anything with it. Internet restore is a partition on the main HDD....if there is nothing on the main drive it needs to be written. You can boot of the time machine disk to do a restore or a clean install.

 

[deeddawg]

if you are installing a new fresh drive you have to boot off of time machine to be able to do anything with it. Internet restore is a partition on the main HDD....

Respectfully, I beg to differ. Lion Internet Recovery will restore bare metal; it downloads a new Recovery Partition over the net.

Essentially, since Lion came out the systems have enough ability in firmware to connect to the network and reach out to Apple's servers for bootstrap code allowing the download and installation of a new Recovery Partition. This gets you to the point where you can then use Migration Assistant to pull in your stuff from your Time Machine backups.

Please read http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

Particularly:

Lion Internet Recovery lets you start your Mac directly from Apple's Servers. The system runs a quick test of your memory and hard drive to ensure there are no hardware issues.

Lion Internet Recovery presents a limited interface at first, with only the ability to select your preferred Wi-Fi network and, if needed, enter the WPA passphrase. Next, Lion Internet Recovery will download and start from a Recovery HD image. From there, you are offered all the same utilities and functions described above.

Note that I'm making an assumption that this works the same on the 2012 MBP's as it does on my 2011 MBA.

 

[ZipZap]

Why not just use migration assistant?

 

[deeddawg]

Why not just use migration assistant?

OP wants to move his SSD from the old system to the new. That adds a few complications.

Simplest IMHO remains backup to Time Machine, perform the surgery to move drives around, boot with Command-Option-R to force Lion Internet Recovery, install OSX, use Migration Assistant to restore from the Time Machine backup.

I'd also strongly recommend using Carbon Copy Cloner or similar to make a second backup at the beginning, just in case. Safer to have a second backup if you're wiping the primary source drive as with this plan.

Alternately, do a dry-run using the stock drive in the new system to ensure everything works as intended, then repeat the process moving the SSD over.

 

[old-wiz]

if you are installing a new fresh drive you have to boot off of time machine to be able to do anything with it. Internet restore is a partition on the main HDD....if there is nothing on the main drive it needs to be written. You can boot of the time machine disk to do a restore or a clean install.

Never heard of the time machine disk being bootable. It contains no bootable OS.