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iMac upgrade questions from an idiot.

S

Stoobydoo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 19, 2019
12
1
Hi Everyone,

My partner and I both have old IMacs. I have a 2010 27 inch with the drive replaced with SSD. I also run time machine backups to an external usb drive. I’m on 10.15 of the OS which is the latest compatible with my Mac.
My partner has a slightly newer 21.5 inch IMac on the same OS version running off a thunderbolt external drive. She also backs up to an external usb drive.
Both macs run fine however we have hit a few issues whereby we know we are going to have to upgrade soon to get the latest OS.
However we both use ipads as well and the need for each having an IMac means that we cannot justify the cost of buying two new ones.
so we were wondering about getting one new IMac for us both to use. So we would both have our own logons to the one Mac. However, whilst one of us could set up the new Mac from a time machine backup, clearly we couldn’t do the same for the other user. Would it then be a matter for that person to move data etc from their time machine backup to set themselves up? as my partner runs her IMac off an external thunderbolt drive could she just continue to do this on the new Mac just by selecting the startup disk and if so would she be able to upgrade her OS on that as well?
I’m not sure I have described my predicament well or missed something obvious. So any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

Regards,

Stuart
 
Life will be much simpler if you just setup multiple users. Dual booting will just be needlessly time consuming. But it would work.

I believe you can restore the backups from both Macs. Just restore the user accounts via migration assistant. Then reinstall any software and set your settings. I haven't tried it specifically but have restored users to computers with existing users. It just adds the user. I'd expect the principle is the same.

Although I find manually restoring files is preferable. As it gives you a chance to clear out the junk which has built up over the years.
 
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Hi
You say you are both using external drives, well you could get a new machine and continue to do that.
The best would be to buy a really fast SSD with good software included that does cloning (Samsung).
You'd make 2 clones of the virgin drive one for you and one for your partner and being a clone it contains the OS.
(Note: to clone a drive you need a bigger drive than the one it is cloning. You can't for example decide to clone a partition and buy a drive just big enough to clone that it doesn't work. It has to be the size of the old drive.)
You each then run the machine of a drive which you set up to your requirements, user, move files across etc.
Then you'd only have to plug in the correct HD and reboot with a key combination.
Your partner does this so you already know how to do it.
That's another solution.
Best
 
If you can't afford 2 new iMacs, how about 2 Minis? ;)

Put everything together on one iMac, and you could start fighting over it...
 
Thanks Ruggy. Fisherman...now a mini, there’s a thought. Except she would kick my a$$...
 
If it were me, I would set up a second account on the fastest Mac now to test. This gets used all the time on shared machines, both in enterprise and school labs. At work, we have Macs with upwards of 40 user accounts on them.

1. You can use the Migration Assistant to move your account to her machine (or vice versa).
2. Log into your migrated account on her machine and verify all is as expected
3. Turn on Fast User Switching, so nobody has to log out
4. Your Mac is parked, and unchanged as a backup in case there are any issues, or you change your mind


As for backups, you have options:

1. You can back up the entire Mac (both user accounts) to both externals, rotating daily or weekly, so if one drive dies, you still have the second redundant drive, with all the data from both user accounts on it.

2. If you want separate backups, you can make separate backup jobs, where each drive only backs up each user. You would have to plug in each drive often to keep both accounts regularly backed up.

I would go with #1. Easier, more redundant, and more flexible. Whichever drive was last used will have the most recent versions of files...for both users.

Once you have used the setup for a good long while...if you like, it wipe your iMac and prep for sale.

If on the other hand, you find a deal breaker, you iMac is still waiting, unchanged, and all you would need to do is put any newly created files from your migrated account on her machine back on to your iMac. That could be done easily from the TM backup.
 
Last edited:
Thanks hobowankenobi and everyone else who has helped. Part of my problem here was not fully understanding the options available with TM or migration assistant. I think you have also given me answers to look at for another question I had. My current imac has a 2T disk. I probably have 1.4T of stuff including data I can get rid of. However, if I had a new Mac and bought one with say a 500G SSD and some external storage, could I use my TM backups despite the disk structure being different on the new iMac?
stuart
 
You don't really explain what you are using the two desktops for or how much time either of you actually spend on the two computers. If you both spend a fair amount of time on the computers, then sharing one is likely to be a bad idea as you will run into the situation of having to wait to use it.

At work we have some software with shared licenses and while theoretically it seems like a good idea, logistically it doesn't pan out that way. Someone is always on it when you need it. Are you comfortable with waiting? It's hard to wait when you've never had to do so in the past.

What issues are your computers having that prompted you to consider new machines? It sounds like you've done a little upgrading already... maybe there is still some more that you can do? Or, perhaps instead of a new computer, you consider a refurbished or older model? At this juncture, any Mac that you buy that isn't one of the new ARM based Macs due to come out over the next 2 years is going to locked in time in short order. So if you are looking to keep current across all your devices going forward... now really isn't the time to buy a new computer.

If your inner gut is telling you you can't afford the computer you want... why is your inner gut telling you to replace what you've got? Sometimes a craving is just a craving... and not an actual need. We don't know what your true needs are, only you do.
 
Hi Pmiles, very good points. We use our iMacs in very different ways and we are using them less and less. My partner could possibly do without an iMac and just rely on her iPad. She has a few ideas to sort out in her on that one. I still use some photography apps on my iMac that so far I haven’t been able to replace with an iPad. I suspect that will change as time goes on. Having replaced our old internal drives with SSD drives we thought we had extended their lives for a considerable while. However, my partner’s iMac has developed an issue which made us both think about the upgrade. The idea of one Mac for both of us initially sounded like a way of keeping the cost down. However, as you mentioned, another option is to replace with a second hand Mac. It doesn’t have to be the latest and greatest, just new enough to get the latest OS and hopefully will be supported for a few more years. There’s not so much ‘want’ or ‘crave’ in this decision to be honest. I knew the day would come when I had to upgrade and it felt like maybe now was the time. I also take on board the fact that the new ARM macs will be out soon and it would be mad to buy a brand new intel Mac right now.
Stuart
 
Stoobydoo said:
Thanks hobowankenobi and everyone else who has helped. Part of my problem here was not fully understanding the options available with TM or migration assistant. I think you have also given me answers to look at for another question I had. My current imac has a 2T disk. I probably have 1.4T of stuff including data I can get rid of. However, if I had a new Mac and bought one with say a 500G SSD and some external storage, could I use my TM backups despite the disk structure being different on the new iMac?
stuart
Click to expand...

You can have Time Machine backup an internal disk and external disk. The disk you use for backing up those disks must be larger than all of them combined. Ideally twice as large.

If you have no need for file revision history. You can use a program like SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) to make exact copies of your internal and external disk. To a backup disk. This has the virtue of being faster and providing immediate access to backed up data. The downside being if you accidentally delete a file and then a backup runs. It will be gone from the backup too.
 
Stoobydoo said:
I also take on board the fact that the new ARM macs will be out soon and it would be mad to buy a brand new intel Mac right now.
Click to expand...
Depends what you use it for. I need to run a Windows VM so it would be mad to buy an ARM Mac for a while. I intend sticking with Intel for a good 2-3 years yet, just to see the transition through and what the state of the Mac is after that.
 
Stoobydoo said:
Thanks hobowankenobi and everyone else who has helped. Part of my problem here was not fully understanding the options available with TM or migration assistant. I think you have also given me answers to look at for another question I had. My current imac has a 2T disk. I probably have 1.4T of stuff including data I can get rid of. However, if I had a new Mac and bought one with say a 500G SSD and some external storage, could I use my TM backups despite the disk structure being different on the new iMac?
stuart
Click to expand...

Yes, best to clean house before migration to a new/different machine. If you can get the account down so that it fits on an existing Mac, you can try the entire setup now, before purchase.

I would do that...because if you like it, it would make sense to spend a bit more on one better iMac for you both to use. Like upgrading from 500GB of SSD to 1TB, and so on. You could upgrade a few options, and both get to work on a better, faster, and likley longer-lasting iMac...still cheaper than two lesser equipped basic iMacs.

But you would want to be sure you like sharing a single iMac before you commit to a single upgraded model.
 
The_Interloper said:
Depends what you use it for. I need to run a Windows VM so it would be mad to buy an ARM Mac for a while. I intend sticking with Intel for a good 2-3 years yet, just to see the transition through and what the state of the Mac is after that.
Click to expand...
Depends. I expect VMs (not bootcamp) run on AS Macs out of the box. Time will tell, if they do, and how well. We should see robust testing within the first week of release.
 
Fair point Interloper.
velocityg4, what I meant was if I have a TM backup of my current iMac which has a single 2T internal disk, what are my options for using the to restore to a newer Mac with say 500g SSD internally and another 1.5T externally? I suppose migration assistant would help there.
Stuart
 
I missed your post hobowankenobi. So far I’m leaning towards a second hand 2019 iMac for us both to use.
we are sure we could survive on one Mac. We are hardly on our current macs at the same time.

by the way, the issue that brought us to this dilemma is on my partner’s iMac. All of a sudden her iTunes won’t recognise her iPad or iPhone. It recognises her old iPod and she can plug her iPad/iPhone into my iMac with the same cable and it gets recognised there. We have tried all sorts. My next attempt is to reinstall iTunes if I can. If I can fix it we might just stick with the macs we have for a while longer.
stuart
 
Stoobydoo said:
I missed your post hobowankenobi. So far I’m leaning towards a second hand 2019 iMac for us both to use.
we are sure we could survive on one Mac. We are hardly on our current macs at the same time.

by the way, the issue that brought us to this dilemma is on my partner’s iMac. All of a sudden her iTunes won’t recognise her iPad or iPhone. It recognises her old iPod and she can plug her iPad/iPhone into my iMac with the same cable and it gets recognised there. We have tried all sorts. My next attempt is to reinstall iTunes if I can. If I can fix it we might just stick with the macs we have for a while longer.
stuart
Click to expand...

Assuming good condition, that should be a good option for the next few years. The biggest single thing will be HD or SSD? I would not recommend a HD as a boot drive for any Mac running 10.14 or newer.

If the price is right, you could upgrade to SSD, or even run an external drive as the boot drive. A little messier on the desktop, but very viable solution, with no iMac surgery.
 
hobowankenobi said:
It seems unlcear, but possible at this point. We should know for certain soon after the first AS Mac is available.
Click to expand...
It’s not possible. An ARM processor cannot virtualise an x86 operating system. It’s a completely different architecture. Emulation, yes (at an extreme performance hit); virtualisation, no.
 
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