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From Mac to Macbook advice needed

K

KingKenny

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 22, 2021
2
0
Apologies if this is all discussed in one place... I've not been able to find it (and its selfishly very specific to me);

I have an old 27" Mac (2010). Its creaking (and has been for some time).
I also have an underused MacBook Air (2015).

Whilst I would like to get a new Mac, apart from the cost - I think in the meantime it would be prudent to get more use out of the laptop.

Mac is 1Tb / MacBook is 120Gb
Mac has my mobile backups on and more importantly 10 years worth of photographs.

I think what I want/need to do is:

1) Get an external hard drive to connect to the MacBook to increase available storage
2) Transfer everything off the Mac on the to the hard drive (I think I have already extracted all my other files and data to a synology drive).
But a) I don't appear to be able to extract photos or phone backups b) I'm scared of exporting them incorrectly and/or losing them.


Is there a specific hard drive I should get? Are any better or more compatible for MacBooks?

What is the best way of ensuring I get everything off the Mac on to this drive?
Will the backups etc. be available on the MacBook (if accessed via the intermediary hard drive)?

I don't currently use the iCloud and scared of transferring everything on to it (and losing it) so I would want to physically backup locally, anyway.
Im also having trouble accessing one of the phone backups due to the age of the phone/iOS version and OS version on the Mac.

I'm hoping a new drive, newer machine (and OS) will allow me to access said backup.
 
The usual external drives to be sold today should work. Of course (I apologize for triviality) the drive should have a connector that fits into the MBA 2015 and into your iMac, i.e. USB-A.

If your MBA is a 13", it has a SD card slot, and so has your iMac, that can also be used for data transfer.

You could consider to upgrade the internal SSD of your MBA (but only after having made backups of anything). The information in this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/ is also valid for your machine. Besides, the internet is full of help when you search for "Macbook Air 2015 ssd upgrade".

Concerning your photos: Are they within a special software?
 
nothingtoseehere said:
The usual external drives to be sold today should work. Of course (I apologize for triviality) the drive should have a connector that fits into the MBA 2015 and into your iMac, i.e. USB-A.

If your MBA is a 13", it has a SD card slot, and so has your iMac, that can also be used for data transfer.

You could consider to upgrade the internal SSD of your MBA (but only after having made backups of anything). The information in this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/ is also valid for your machine. Besides, the internet is full of help when you search for "Macbook Air 2015 ssd upgrade".

Concerning your photos: Are they within a special software?
Click to expand...
no, just the bog standard Photos app/programme.

At some point in the past I have managed to export them to my external drive.
But whenever I try and do another export, it seems to fail.

re updating the SSD I will take a look (I thought id previously read that it couldn't be done for my MBA).

And do you know if I can just transfer the mobile backups from one machine to the other?
i.e. if I transfer the backup - would (should) I be able to reinstall it on another device? Is there any sort of encryption relating to the machine the backup was taken on?
 
If you want an EXACT COPY of the iMac drive on an EXTERNAL drive, use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to create it.

Both are FREE to download and use for 30 days.
Both are incredibly easy to use.

The external drive will be all-but indistinguishable from the internal drive.

BUT SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
You should NEVER trust only ONE drive to hold your important data.
You should ALWAYS maintain a backup for every drive that holds important data.
Otherwise, you're gonna lose it eventually.
 
Your 2015 macbook pro is in demand, well....I am looking for one just for the ssd card slot.
the screen is great, the notebook can be upgraded and if the battery is healthy- that is a bonus.
Anyways
apple included time machine that backs ups everything with paying for a program
i have a copy of snow leopard, mountain lion and Mojave that can restore both my macbook airs.
i even used a time machine back up to reinstall mountain lion on a Mac mini running high Sierra.
 
As always, there are some options to choose from :)

KingKenny said:
And do you know if I can just transfer the mobile backups from one machine to the other?
i.e. if I transfer the backup - would (should) I be able to reinstall it on another device? Is there any sort of encryption relating to the machine the backup was taken on?
Click to expand...

If "backup" means the full disk, all contents and so on, I generally praise Target Disk Mode: https://support.apple.com/de-at/guide/mac-help/mchlp1443/mac (Link from Germany/Austria but should open in your language). In your case, as the iMac has FireWire, the MBA Thunderbolt 2, probably adapters were needed. People say it is possible, I personally never did that, so for your constellation, I have no trustworthy advice :)
@Fishrrman above, and many others, recommend very much SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner so this could be a direction worth exploring.
 
Just in case people misread the OP... he has a 2015 MacBook Air not a 2015 MacBook Pro.

To the OP, how are you reconciling the drop in screen size? Most people handle going up in screen size, not so much down. Which is why most laptop owners also have a dock and an external display. Take an inventory of which ports you regularly use on the iMac and see what you are losing by switching to the laptop. Also consider what you have used the iMac for daily as well. The sad truth is an Air is going to be throttled compared to the iMac for certain applications. Consider all things.

Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support

To save storage space on your Mac, you can move your Photos library to a different storage device.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Just some options (internal SSD), not recommending you purchase these specifically:
eshop.macsales.com

SSD Upgrade Kits for MacBook Air 2013 - 2017

Upgrade your 2013-2017 MacBook Air hard drive to an SSD for 16x the capacity and 5.8x faster speeds of the original drive. Kit includes all tools needed.
eshop.macsales.com eshop.macsales.com

You say the iMac is "creaking"... just because it was manufactured in 2010 doesn't mean it's destined for the trash heap. Plenty of upgrades for that little beast that can get it purring like a kitten in no time. Most issues with computers are user imposed... poor data management... et al. We are the computer's worst enemy. Also, there is a threshold to computers in terms of OS. Sure a machine can run a particular OS but sometimes it's actually a downgrade because of your hardware. Case in point, Mojave or later on any system with mechanical hard drives.... the OS is anti-mechanical hard drives. You'd be best staying at High Sierra because it was the last OS that was written with mechanical drives as the primary storage type.

Even that 2015 MacBook Air has it's limits... it's not going to be able to run later OSes that were designed for everything but it any more than your 2010 iMac is. Latest and greatest cost money... and Apple is in the business of making you think you need the latest and greatest. ARM is going to leave all the previous models in the past... because of ARM. It's like switching to automatic from stick... can't put the stick back once it no longer is part of the design. Some people prefer stick to automatic.
 
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