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Migration assistant on new Mini

steve2112

steve2112

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
3,023
6
East of Lyra, Northwest of Pegasus
So, I just picked up a new 2011 Mini to replace my 2009 model. The 2009 model is still running Snow Leopard, while the new one will have Mountain Lion. I want to use Migration Assistant to move all my stuff to the new one, but I don't have a spare keyboard/mouse/monitor to run both at the same time. I've always done the migration via Target Disk Mode or over the network, but I can't have both running at the same time.

I do backup the 2009 Mini via CCC to an external drive. Can I use Migration Assistant to move everything from the image on the external drive?
 
You can still do target mode I think. Use your keyboard to start it up holding the keystroke. Then just plug back into your new mini to run assistant?
 
steve2112 said:
So, I just picked up a new 2011 Mini to replace my 2009 model. The 2009 model is still running Snow Leopard, while the new one will have Mountain Lion. I want to use Migration Assistant to move all my stuff to the new one, but I don't have a spare keyboard/mouse/monitor to run both at the same time. I've always done the migration via Target Disk Mode or over the network, but I can't have both running at the same time.

I do backup the 2009 Mini via CCC to an external drive. Can I use Migration Assistant to move everything from the image on the external drive?
Click to expand...

this should work and it is safer

blevins321 said:
You can still do target mode I think. Use your keyboard to start it up holding the keystroke. Then just plug back into your new mini to run assistant?
Click to expand...

this should also work but has a bit more risk
 
Setup assistant is better IMHO. I once did a fresh install, created an account with same name as old and then used migration assistant to migrate the old data.

It won't allow you to easily merge the accounts and if it does, there are problems with that. Also using setup assistant, all the license codes for software were in place where using the migration I had to re-enter them.

It seems that Setup assistant is safer even though they are basically the same.
 
steve2112 said:
Should I use the setup assistant or migration assistant? I know setup can only be done at first boot, but I think migration assistant can be run later, right?
Click to expand...

i run the migration a day later. why? just in case there is something wrong I know it is not a program I migrated. I do a lot of these machines and once in a while a new machine has a problem 1 in 40 or 1 in 50. If you did a setup or even a migration as fast as possible and add 8gb ram. If there is a problem you don't know if it came that way. I like to boot and run for about 10 min or so with the machine upside down and the black cover off. Loose fan wire is common out of the box problem. once i see the fan spins and the machine runs. I add the ram I almost always give 2011 minis 8gb ram. I then set it on the base and run for an hour or two. If I am selling the machine I run rember ram test.

At this point I would clone my old mini to an hdd. Then do migration the next day. There is an option about using a hdd/timemachine to mirgrate to the new mini.
 
philipma1957 said:
i run the migration a day later. why? just in case there is something wrong I know it is not a program I migrated. I do a lot of these machines and once in a while a new machine has a problem 1 in 40 or 1 in 50. If you did a setup or even a migration as fast as possible and add 8gb ram. If there is a problem you don't know if it came that way. I like to boot and run for about 10 min or so with the machine upside down and the black cover off. Loose fan wire is common out of the box problem. once i see the fan spins and the machine runs. I add the ram I almost always give 2011 minis 8gb ram. I then set it on the base and run for an hour or two. If I am selling the machine I run rember ram test.

At this point I would clone my old mini to an hdd. Then do migration the next day. There is an option about using a hdd/timemachine to mirgrate to the new mini.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for all the tips! I was going to go with 8GB, but around Labor Day, Newegg had a sale going on, and I ended up getting 16GB of Corsair RAM for $75.
 
OK, I tested the hardware and everything was ok. I then ran Migration Assistant today. All my stuff from the CCC clone is on the new Mini, but it didn't import any of my documents or iTunes library. I have a folder named CCC Archives, I can see all my stuff in it. The problem is that when I look under my username in the clone image, the new Mini tells me I Can't open the Music folder, for example, because I don't have permission. I have nothing in my iTunes or Documents on the new one.

Any ideas?
 
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