Questions about setting up new Mini M2

[Sonoran49]

I am going to order a new M2 Mini 16GB in a few days and I have some set up questions. I haven’t had a new mac since 2013 so all this is a bit new to me. Thank you for your help.

My 2013 27” iMac is running MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 (19H2026). I have a Time Machine backup drive that is up to date. The drive is old and only has old school USB ports.

When I power up I assume the new Mini will run setup assistant. At some point in the process will it ask me to run Migration assistant on the new Mini and I “point” it to my Time Machine backup? I want to migrate all settings, apps and files. Am I missing any steps in this process?

 

[Fishrrman]

That should work fine, however...
... you'll need a USBc-to-USBa adapter cable.

Something like this will do the trick:

Cable Matters USB C to USB Adapter 6 Inches (USB to USB C Adapter, USB-C to USB 3.0 Adapter, USB C OTG) in Black

The Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C to Type-A adapter provides a convenient connection between the newest devices with USB Type-C and legacy USB peripherals with Type A. It adapts the Type-C port on a computer to connect all legacy equipment, peripherals, cables, hubs and chargers that ...

www.amazon.com

In fact, I'd recommend two (or three) of these, VERY handy to have around.

One other thing:
You want to be ready with the backup THE VERY FIRST TIME you power up the new Mini, so that the backup is available for setup assistant.

DO NOT make the mistake of creating a new account, and then trying to run Migration Assistant "later on". You could end up with TWO user accounts and permissions problems.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Nah, that’s about it. Plug the drive into the Mini, of course - then Migration Assistant will find the backup. And Bob’s your uncle!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

That should work fine, however...

M2 mini does include USB-A ports.

 

[MacCheetah3]

When I power up I assume the new Mini will run setup assistant. At some point in the process will it ask me to run Migration assistant on the new Mini and I “point” it to my Time Machine backup? I want to migrate all settings, apps and files. Am I missing any steps in this process?

You got the gist.

After time zone, language/keyboard layout, and Wi-Fi selection, you’ll be at step 4 in the following document:

Restore your Mac from a backup – Apple Support (UK)

Restore files from your backup.

support.apple.com

 

[BrianBaughn]

The previous comments here are good ones.

However…was a clean install done on that Catalina iMac or was it upgraded from previous macOS versions?

I was just answering another post about migrating vs. clean install. These days I avoid too many macOS upgrades on top of existing installs.

When I made the jump to Apple Silicon I decided to do a clean install. A lot of folks have done what you're planning and haven't noticed any issues, though.

 

[Sonoran49]

The previous comments here are good ones.

However…was a clean install done on that Catalina iMac or was it upgraded from previous macOS versions?

I was just answering another post about migrating vs. clean install. These days I avoid too many macOS upgrades on top of existing installs.

When I made the jump to Apple Silicon I decided to do a clean install. A lot of folks have done what you're planning and haven't noticed any issues, though.

My iMac has always been up to date with OS and security updates. So lots of updates over the year.

Thanks to all for your input.

 

[Sonoran49]

That should work fine, however...
... you'll need a USBc-to-USBa adapter cable.

Something like this will do the trick:

Cable Matters USB C to USB Adapter 6 Inches (USB to USB C Adapter, USB-C to USB 3.0 Adapter, USB C OTG) in Black

The Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C to Type-A adapter provides a convenient connection between the newest devices with USB Type-C and legacy USB peripherals with Type A. It adapts the Type-C port on a computer to connect all legacy equipment, peripherals, cables, hubs and chargers that ...

www.amazon.com

In fact, I'd recommend two (or three) of these, VERY handy to have around.

One other thing:
You want to be ready with the backup THE VERY FIRST TIME you power up the new Mini, so that the backup is available for setup assistant.

DO NOT make the mistake of creating a new account, and then trying to run Migration Assistant "later on". You could end up with TWO user accounts and permissions problems.

Since the Mini has USB-A ports do I need the C adapter? Will the adapter make the process go faster?

 

[Fishrrman]

Freakin' wrote:
"M2 mini does include USB-A ports."

Heh -- I keep forgetting that!
(too old).

One or two of the cable adapters might be useful to have around, in any case.