I've read a few threads from M1 owners who bricked their machine when they did a "restore". My stupid question: Is "restore" the same as "migrating". I will need to migrate my data from my old MBP to my new M1 MBP from a Time Machine backup. Is migrating data what's been bricking the M1s??? Thanks,
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Migrating Data to new M1 MBP
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As above. You'll be fine if you're not trying to do a bare-metal restore.
My understanding is this has been an issue for newly released systems in the past as well, so I'm surprised it's recurring. You'd think Apple would've learned and not let it keep happening.
Nevertheless, unless you're wiping your brand new M1 system clean you have nothing to be concerned with.
My understanding is this has been an issue for newly released systems in the past as well, so I'm surprised it's recurring. You'd think Apple would've learned and not let it keep happening.
Nevertheless, unless you're wiping your brand new M1 system clean you have nothing to be concerned with.
M1 Mini is not allowing any migration of data from my 2015 MBP.
I have a Time Machine backup on an external Thunderbolt SSD using an Apple TB3-TB2 adapter.
Fails on both the setup screen (before account creation) and after setup (using Migration Utility).
What am I doing wrong ??
I have a Time Machine backup on an external Thunderbolt SSD using an Apple TB3-TB2 adapter.
Fails on both the setup screen (before account creation) and after setup (using Migration Utility).
What am I doing wrong ??
I went through the migration process today. 2016 13" MacBook Pro to M1 MacBook Air. Here are the challenges I faced with tips to overcome them. Hopefully will be useful and save time for others.
Problem 1: During the set up process of my Air I said I wanted to migrate data from another Mac. This opened the migration assistant. MacBook Pro which I was migrating from was at 11.0.1. The migration assistant on the M1 Air began update to 11.0.1 on the Air. The update ALWAYS failed. I tried two wifi networks and of course restarted the air etc. Tried maybe 5 times.
Solution: During the set up process of my MacBook Air I said I was not transferring data from another Mac. I just went through and set it up as new. Once I had my profile set up I went into software updates without and updated to 11.0.1 without issue and then returned to the Migration Assistant for a new problem.
Problem 2: After opening migration assistant and connecting both Macs together via USB-C, I opened the migration assistant on my old MacBook Pro and began the migration process. The Macs would only connect via wifi peer-to-peer. I then realized after research that I needed a thunderbolt cable to connect the two Macs so this problem was my fault.
Solution: Purchase an Apple Thunderbolt cable.
Problem 3: Both Macs connected with the correct Thunderbolt cable which should allow for data transfer via the cable (much faster than wifi). I opened both migration assistants but they were still ONLY connecting via WiFi. No option available to connect via thunderbolt.
Solution: Call Apple support who was equally surprised at the situation and after some research on their part they said I would need to put the MacBook Pro in target disk mode. Open system preferences and select start up disk then restart in target disk mode on MacBook Pro. Then with both computers connected with thunderbolt cable open migration assistant on MacBook Air and begin transfer.
Problem 1: During the set up process of my Air I said I wanted to migrate data from another Mac. This opened the migration assistant. MacBook Pro which I was migrating from was at 11.0.1. The migration assistant on the M1 Air began update to 11.0.1 on the Air. The update ALWAYS failed. I tried two wifi networks and of course restarted the air etc. Tried maybe 5 times.
Solution: During the set up process of my MacBook Air I said I was not transferring data from another Mac. I just went through and set it up as new. Once I had my profile set up I went into software updates without and updated to 11.0.1 without issue and then returned to the Migration Assistant for a new problem.
Problem 2: After opening migration assistant and connecting both Macs together via USB-C, I opened the migration assistant on my old MacBook Pro and began the migration process. The Macs would only connect via wifi peer-to-peer. I then realized after research that I needed a thunderbolt cable to connect the two Macs so this problem was my fault.
Solution: Purchase an Apple Thunderbolt cable.
Problem 3: Both Macs connected with the correct Thunderbolt cable which should allow for data transfer via the cable (much faster than wifi). I opened both migration assistants but they were still ONLY connecting via WiFi. No option available to connect via thunderbolt.
Solution: Call Apple support who was equally surprised at the situation and after some research on their part they said I would need to put the MacBook Pro in target disk mode. Open system preferences and select start up disk then restart in target disk mode on MacBook Pro. Then with both computers connected with thunderbolt cable open migration assistant on MacBook Air and begin transfer.
Yes, this was the case with me as well - very irritating that the initial M1 setup screen says it can take a Time Machine or another Mac to transfer - wirelessly or wired network = no go.
Finally had to connect via TB cable and TB3-TB2 adapter in target disk mode order to migrate the data over.
The "restore" that's been talked about in those threads is wiping the machine clean and reinstalling from scratch the OS to have a clean copy (the install on a new mac is pretty much as clean as it gets (it has a copy of a handful of apps on it that you remove this way).
This is completely different from what you're trying.
After unwrapping the machine it starts a special setup program when it boots for the first time to ask you a few things and set up the machine for you. One of those steps is to migrate applications and data from an older mac. That's option 1.
Option 2: you can still run that migration assistant afterwards yourself (Migration Assistant.app)
Option 3: A Time Machine backup on an external disk is pretty easy to access on another mac and just pick up the data you need just as well.
If it were me: I'd go for option 3. Too good an opportunity to get rid of all superfluous software accumulated over the years on your old machine and get is all clean.
What I do is copy the old home directory off of the old machine onto the desktop or so and copy out of there what I need as I need it - after a while you'll notice you have what you need and can wipe it.
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I am transferring several hundred GB of files from a Time Machine backup on a new M1 MBP. This process has been stuck on “Starting Up” for about 9 hours now, with no indication of progress or a time when it will be done. Is this normal? Should I kill it, or is it expected to complete?
Sorry if you have already done this. I read somewhere that a thunderbolt cable is required if that is of any help. It should go in the top USB 4/Thunderbolt port. The lower port should be used to charge the macbook at same time.
I’m worried about quitting this procedure while it’s still in progress... is there a best / safe way to do that?
Ensure you installed latest update to big sur as well.
Here are some articles, which maybe of help.
Here are some articles, which maybe of help.
If Time Machine remains in the “preparing” stage on Mac
Under some conditions, Time Machine may take longer to prepare a backup for your Mac.
support.apple.com
I migrated from a 2018 Mac Mini running Big Sur to the M1. I used Carbon Copy Cloner to create a Data volume clone on a usb disk. Migration assistant moved my data, all preferences, and my programs when I first booted the M1.
pretty good experience, with the expected tweaking after
pretty good experience, with the expected tweaking after
Wow. Also having migration issues. This is an interesting kind of infuriating. Worse than windows. After using Apple computers for nearly 40 years, having been taught to use Macintosh computers in elementary school, I’ve met my match. Nothing has been this confusing yet.
My ongoing issues:
Initially tried migration over WiFi. I set it up and everything went fine. I have a decent WiFi 6 router so the 3hr 22 minutes seemed about right for 200Gb. Went out, came back a few hours later and it read 3 hr 21 min. A couple hours later it failed with some odd error. Tried again and it failed. Cracked open the time capsule and put the hd in a Usb enclosure and it wouldn’t recognize it. Hooked my late 2018 air over tb in target disc mode and the M1, which has the same storage space, reported not enough space for the transfer. Rebooting the m1 I found the storage was somehow shrinking rapidly, so I disconnected the 2018 air and the storage was still shrinking. Again I had torn apart my time capsule so it wasn’t transferring from that. Decided something was corrupted and wiped the M1. Tried to transfer again in recovery mode (after finding out how to do this... it has changed) and it asked to unlock my source directories. Entering my password does nothing... no error and no success. I decided that I had to reinstall Big Sur and, as everyone but me knows apparently, it fails to complete. Failed to personalize OS X or something. What fun. Should have just used CCC.
My ongoing issues:
Initially tried migration over WiFi. I set it up and everything went fine. I have a decent WiFi 6 router so the 3hr 22 minutes seemed about right for 200Gb. Went out, came back a few hours later and it read 3 hr 21 min. A couple hours later it failed with some odd error. Tried again and it failed. Cracked open the time capsule and put the hd in a Usb enclosure and it wouldn’t recognize it. Hooked my late 2018 air over tb in target disc mode and the M1, which has the same storage space, reported not enough space for the transfer. Rebooting the m1 I found the storage was somehow shrinking rapidly, so I disconnected the 2018 air and the storage was still shrinking. Again I had torn apart my time capsule so it wasn’t transferring from that. Decided something was corrupted and wiped the M1. Tried to transfer again in recovery mode (after finding out how to do this... it has changed) and it asked to unlock my source directories. Entering my password does nothing... no error and no success. I decided that I had to reinstall Big Sur and, as everyone but me knows apparently, it fails to complete. Failed to personalize OS X or something. What fun. Should have just used CCC.
I am getting ready to purchase an M1 MBA. I have a VERY OLD Mid 2010 MBP i7 dual core 2.66 GHz that is running OS X High Sierra all updates installed, no other OS Higher officially supported. The only thing I care about on this old machine is iTunes or now called the Music app and iBooks. I do have Time Machine backups thru a FireWire 800 external drive and the same drive also has USB 2.0. This MBP doesn’t have USB 3.0. What would be the best to migrate this off to an M1 MBA? Thru the external Time Machine backup drive or do Target Disk mode to the old MBP? If target disk mode is recommended, how would the connection be? Is it thru USB, FireWire 800, or thru a crossover ethernet cable? This would be my first migration on a Mac. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Target disk mode failed for me. Migration assistant with two macs next to each other on WiFi failed, connected via usb c also failed.
What worked was backing up my old Mac via time machine to a ssd.
Then restore the backup via ssd on setup.
Restore took 45 min for 800GB and went smoothly.
What worked was backing up my old Mac via time machine to a ssd.
Then restore the backup via ssd on setup.
Restore took 45 min for 800GB and went smoothly.
I've had no problems migrating from MBP to MBP earlier using disk migration over wifi. When migrating from my old MBP to new MBA it just wouldn't start however. Tried using target disk mode, but turned out the usb-c cable that came with my iPad pro is not the kind that works.
I ended up backing up using time machine to an external SSD and then importing this backup to the new MBA with migration assistant. If you have an external SSD available I highly recommend this approach.
I ended up backing up using time machine to an external SSD and then importing this backup to the new MBA with migration assistant. If you have an external SSD available I highly recommend this approach.
The USBC charging cables shipping with Apple equipment often is USB2 for data at best.
This is one of the annoying things with USBC -- different cables have different capabilities, and the labelling of such is inconsistent at best.
Define dongle?
I copied my data onto my M1 MBP from an external USBC SSD Carbon Copy Cloner backup. Easy peasy. (I set up the MBP "as new" and didn't use Migration Assistant)
all in one adapter dongle with USB A for the external drive so I can restore time machine into the new m1 mac
