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Oh lord, please tell me there is a better migration assistant option

shamash

shamash

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 19, 2008
595
22
Portland, Oregon
I'm trying to transfer from my 13" 2010 MBA to a 15" 2011 MBP, about 140gb of files.

The only way I can tell to do this is WiFi. Please, someone help me find a better way, that isn't super expensive.
 
Grab an external drive and back up the MBA using Time Machine. Once everything is backed up, plug it into the 15" MBP and start up migration assistant.

Externals are not too expensive, plus it's a good investment if you don't have one already. Backing up data is very important, especially if you have important files.
 
MarkMS said:
Grab an external drive and back up the MBA using Time Machine. Once everything is backed up, plug it into the 15" MBP and start up migration assistant.

Externals are not too expensive, plus it's a good investment if you don't have one already. Backing up data is very important, especially if you have important files.
Click to expand...

An external hard drive is too expensive for me... it might be a good investment, but I'm going from a 250gb to 750gb HD, and would never use it. I don't want to shell out a bunch of money for an external that I won't even use.
 
shamash said:
I've never kept backups and never needed to.
Click to expand...
Just remember that if you ever have a problem with your Mac and lose everything stored on it. If you don't have anything important on it, that's fine. If you care about the data you have stored, it's foolish to run without backups.
 
ECUpirate44 said:
Why don't you make the investment and then continue to use it as your backup drive?
Click to expand...
x2.

IMO, not having a backup of your new MBP's 750GB internal drive is crazy. Computers crash. Drives fail. Having only one copy of your files is a major risk, IMO.

And if you can't afford one now, maybe you have a friend that has one you can borrow for the migration.
 
Everyone should and needs to keep a backup. If your HDD crashes, you would lose everything. Its worth it, their not terribly expensive either.
 
If your able to buy an 15" Macbook Pro, then you must be able to spend 50 dollar for a 250GB extern HD.
 
shamash said:
I don't have the money to spend on something that I won't use. I've never kept backups and never needed to.
Click to expand...

Do you think you possess magical powers that prevent a computer from failing? Perhaps you ooze an electromagnetic aura that calms machines down, i've heard being calm can extend your life at least 5 years.

Jokes aside, it's the luck of the draw, machines not failing in the past are not magical assurances for the lifespan of future, independent, machines. Plus you don't have £50 to buy a hard drive? How much is the cost of losing your stuff? Think of it as insurance. Or do you also drive without car insurance because you've never had a crash before?
 
Okay, then. No need to criticize shamash because (s)he doesn't want to get an external HDD. It's his/her prerogative. But since you don't want to get an external HDD ... you can try using ethernet. I know Migration Assistant uses ethernet, Firewire, Wireless (WiFi) and Time Machine back ups.

Since you have an MBA, then the only other way is using ethernet. If you don't have it already, you can buy the usb-ethernet adapter from Best Buy or Apple.
 
Word. If you can afford an Air and a new MBP you can get an external 1TB to back up your new 750GB drive. I've seen too many internal and external drives take a dive to not have at least 2 TimeMachine backups stored in separate locations.

Otherwise, enjoy the wireless overnight data transfer and eventual loss of your digital files. It's not if, it's when.
 
Thanks to everyone on this forum for both judging me and ignoring what I say. Next time I'll just post it on the Macbook Pro forums.

For all of your information, I was going to upgrade to a MBA and sell my old 2009 MBP for ~1000. I sent it in to Apple to get a few things fixed up before I sold it because it had a couple problems, and they couldn't fix a screen flickering issue after 3 times and replaced it with a 2011 MBP. Since the MBA has been subpar for what I use it for, I decided to keep the MBP and sell my new MBA.

Again, thanks for assuming things and judging me, ignoring when I say I don't want to use an external and having 10 people tell me the same thing after I say that is not something I want to do.
 
If you've never kept back ups and don't have the need to, then whats the whole need to get any files off the old computer???

Just pretend your hard drive failed on the 2010, bam all your problems are solved and you didn't spend a dime.
 
MarkMS said:
Okay, then. No need to criticize shamash because (s)he doesn't want to get an external HDD. It's his/her prerogative. But since you don't want to get an external HDD ... you can try using ethernet. I know Migration Assistant uses ethernet, Firewire, Wireless (WiFi) and Time Machine back ups.

Since you have an MBA, then the only other way is using ethernet. If you don't have it already, you can buy the usb-ethernet adapter from Best Buy or Apple.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into the usb-ethernet adapter :)
 
ShiftClick said:
If you've never kept back ups and don't have the need to, then whats the whole need to get any files off the old computer???

Just pretend your hard drive failed on the 2010, bam all your problems are solved and you didn't spend a dime.
Click to expand...

You are so useful.
 
shamash said:
Again, thanks for assuming things and judging me, ignoring when I say I don't want to use an external and having 10 people tell me the same thing after I say that is not something I want to do.
Click to expand...
It's not judging you if someone offers a helpful recommendation, even if you choose to ignore that recommendation. Using backups is one of the basics of using computers. If you choose not to do it, that's your right, but don't criticize those who are trying to do you a favor by strongly recommending something that could benefit you. This forum contains countless threads posted by those who have lost everything and didn't have a backup. You should be politely thanking those who care enough to post suggestions to save you from such an experience. If you want to call it "judging", which it isn't, just remember if you lose all your data, don't come back and post here, looking for help in trying to recover it.
 
x2 on the USB Ethernet adapter. When I used Migration Assistant from my old MacBook Air to my new one, I had about 50GB of data. Over Wi-Fi it would have taken over 20 hours. It took about 3 hours over ethernet.

One option that might be cheaper than getting the USB ethernet adapter (Apple's is $29) is simply to use Migration Assistant to move only your user name and settings, and to copy over your Applications folder, Library, and data folders separately. To do that, take out the MacBook Pro's hard drive, get a USB hard drive enclosure from an online retailer for about $10, put the Pro's hard drive in it and connect it to your MacBook Air's USB drive. Copy over what you need, then put the hard drive back in the MacBook Pro and you'll be on your way.
 
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If you think that were judging you by recommending that you buy an external to migrate your data and then backup thats fine, just be sure to buy this then.
 
shamash said:
Please, someone help me find a better way, that isn't super expensive.
Click to expand...

I don't know why you're being so difficult. Your OP read "isn't super expensive" and last time I checked, ext HDs were cheap.

Plus, it is funny you're stressing over $50 when you're talking about a $1,500 machine, etc.
 
What kind of wifi are you using? Are you going through a router? Is it 802.11n?

If not, you might be able to get a speed boost by creating a network with one of your notebooks, and joining that network with your other. A 5ghz 802.11n connection should be noticeably faster than an 802.11b/g connection through a router.
 
slapguts said:
What kind of wifi are you using? Are you going through a router? Is it 802.11n?

If not, you might be able to get a speed boost by creating a network with one of your notebooks, and joining that network with your other. A 5ghz 802.11n connection should be noticeably faster than an 802.11b/g connection through a router.
Click to expand...

Yes, this will always be faster. 802.11n and do it overnight.
 
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