i have a 13" late '08 unibody Macbook and a new 13" mid-'09 unibody Macbook Pro. What is the best way to get the files I need to the new machine? I'd like to bring my itunes/songs, outlook express email, safari and bookmarks, firefox/bookmarks and some of my pics and apps. I'm clueless as to how much of the old HD/files go to the new one and how to do it. The new one has firewire, but the old one doesn't, so do I use usb, ethernet, or go thru my Netgear router? Neither mac has Snow Leopard, both have Leopard 10.5. I'd like to upgrade on the new one once everything is done. Sorry again, I haven't had much luck with searches and finding a swap between these two machines. Thanks in advance.
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Transfer uMB to uMBpro. Best way?
- Thread starter ssinohio
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easiest way would be to connect an ethernet cable to both and then transfer the data using Migration Assistant on the new MBP.
IMO the best way, and what i would do (but a hard way), is copy over my data and the apps that install by drag and drop manually using an external hard drive or over the network via ethernet or wifi, and then reinstall the apps that have installers like CS4 and Office that install crazy amounts of files everywhere that are needed and hard to find.
but this would mean no preferences or addons so you can go through the third party preferences and application support folders and copy over the ones you need. …as i said, hard
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IMO the best way, and what i would do (but a hard way), is copy over my data and the apps that install by drag and drop manually using an external hard drive or over the network via ethernet or wifi, and then reinstall the apps that have installers like CS4 and Office that install crazy amounts of files everywhere that are needed and hard to find.
but this would mean no preferences or addons so you can go through the third party preferences and application support folders and copy over the ones you need. …as i said, hard
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Best option.
No, that's not a good idea. OP: Use the Migration Assistant. Even if the older machine has the latest version of 10.5, it might not be the same build. New machines often ship with different builds of the same version OS. That's why restore disks generally don't work machines different from the one they shipped with. You'll save a lot of grief by using the Migration Assistant. You can import all your settings, applications, and data.
Whaaat?
What's simpler than swapping a hard-drive with a hard-drive from a machine that he got a few days ago? It's the same hard-drive, same size, speed and probably built by the same manufacturer - and they both run the same OS. Also, those restore disks have nothing to do with the hard-drive, and everything to do with the other hardware in the machine, ie; cpu, gpu, logic board, etc.
Right. The drive will work completely fine. If it's a bigger/faster drive, I would swap it too. And, you're also right - the restore disks have to do with the hardware. That's because they have the minimum system required for that machine. That build could be newer than the public build of the same version (in other words, they could both be 10.5.8, but one machine could have a different build of that version than the other).
But, I wouldn't bet on the builds on each machine being the same. Why risk a world of hurt if they aren't? If the old drive is faster/larger and it makes sense to swap it to the new machine, the best method is still to use the Migration Assistant. Once everything is migrated to the new machine, then the entire volume can be cloned to the faster/bigger drive using Disk Utility's Restore function.
If the builds are the same, there's a good chance the swap will go ok. But, using the Migration Assistant takes the hardware difference out of equation.
That's my opinion, anyway. The OP obviously can read this (and other) threads and make an informed decision on the best way to go. I think they'll find this method has the best chance for a problem free transition.
Anyway, OP - enjoy your new MBP!
Simply transferring your old 13" uMB hard drive to the new 13" uMBP laptop will not give you a 100% working laptop. As gr8tfly mentioned there are different OEM builds for different laptop models etc.
For example, I personally tried this method and since my old uMB did not have firewire or a SD card slot...transplanting my old HDD with my old Leopard install to a new 13" uMBP made it so that it did not recognize my new SD card slot and if I remember correctly the firewire port didn't work 100% neither.
Easiest way is to perform a fresh install of Leopard on your new 13" uMBP (or use the existing factory install if you didn't delete it yet) and use Migration Assistant to transfer your old data from your 13" uMB to the new guy.
For example, I personally tried this method and since my old uMB did not have firewire or a SD card slot...transplanting my old HDD with my old Leopard install to a new 13" uMBP made it so that it did not recognize my new SD card slot and if I remember correctly the firewire port didn't work 100% neither.
Easiest way is to perform a fresh install of Leopard on your new 13" uMBP (or use the existing factory install if you didn't delete it yet) and use Migration Assistant to transfer your old data from your 13" uMB to the new guy.
As someone who took my 13inch UMB drive and popped it into my 13 UMBpro without even booting the disks, I can say that after 10.5.8, it worked flawlessly. Took a little longer to boot on first boot, but it worked fine, no issues no glitches. The kexts should be all the same since 10.5.7. If you're running something older than 10.5.8, you can run into issues. (I had installed a 320gb 7200 rpm drive in my UMB, and didn't care to even boot the 160gb 5400 rpm drive. In addition I have upgraded to SL and to 10.6.1. There have been 0 issues. My SD card slot worked fine, audio was fine. On the other hand I have 0 firewire devices, so I can't test that.
Ah ok, I think when I tried this it was 10.5.6 so maybe post 10.5.7 they changed the kexts or something? Anyways your call OP if you want to try it or not. If it works its the easiest method to change over, lol.