What to do after Target disk mode transfer?

[typecase]

Hello all,

I switched from being a long-time Windows user when the Mac Mini came out. Now, having grown attached to OS X and having been completely won over, I've decided to upgrade my machine to a Powermac G5 (hope its not the wrong time to buy, especially in light of the 970MP).

The only thing I loathe is the transfer of all my stuff over to the new machine. I did a search and the advice seems to concur that once the Mac Mini is in target disk mode, i can transfer over my user settings either during setup on the new machine or later. The question I have is is there any way to avoid reinstalling my apps? I'd really hate to do the whole serial number/activation dance again with CS2, Office, etc. Each of them have settings in library/application support/ that would probably have to be moved over. Is there any easy way to move applications over or is a reinstall my best option? Also someone said I will have to do a reinstall due to 64bit extensions? Is this true?

I've done a search but couldn't find any posts that address the application issue. Forgive me if this is a common question.

 

[mkrishnan]

Typecase, in the /Applications/Utilities folder of your new Mac (as well as your current Mac), you will find a program called "Migration Assistant." This program will guide you through all the steps, and yes, it imports applications and settings. This is *the* way to go, to ensure that you do *not* overwrite system preferences with ones that are not appropriate to the hardware configuration of the new machine. You wouldn't want, for instance, your display preferences to necessarily carry over, since the two computers have different video cards!

You only need two things: the firewire cable (sounds like you have it) and the Migration Assistant program. You plug the computers together by FW and run it on the destination computer, and it will guide you through everything else.

Hope that helps?

EDIT: I *think* Apple launched the assistant before the Mac Mini came out, and so you should have it even on the Mini, just so you can feel safe confirming that such a program actually exists (IIRC, it did not exist at the time Panther was launched, or by the beginning of 2004, but came out in early 2004, so my iBook did not have it under Panther, but first got it in Tiger). But if not, don't panic. Your new computer with Tiger will certainly have it.

 

[Switzermac]

I just put my windows stuff on my Ipod and moved it over.

 

[typecase]

Wow, suh-weet. I'm looking forward to this or more aptly, looking forward to not reinstallling my apps. Migration Assistant is available on my Mini. Thanks, mkrishnan! So are these 64 bit extensions anything to worry about?