Migration Assistant.

Twee.

Anyone used this before? I got a Macbook in November and when I was setting it up it gave me the option to transfer files from another Mac to the new one via Firewire. It just never worked, I tried a few times after and still no joy. Any suggestions?

Thumper Long

Have used it many times with never a problem, I presume that the machine you want to transfer the settings from is in target-firewire mode and it must be an OSX machine. If it is still not working try a disk repair from the startup disk on the source mac and also a full permissions repair and try the migration again. If you still have no joy there may be a logic board problem on the source mac, maybe just try and recover the file from the finder via firewire.

Type 17

I found that it wouldn't work from a really old Mac to a new one (iMac G3 600 MHz to an iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Aluminium, in my case).

I had a selection of other Macs to try and join the gap, and found that if I transferred the user accounts from the G3 to a G5 iMac and then transferred it to the new Intel iMac, everything came over fine.

It took ages, though, and I was lucky that the Accounts weren't bigger than the free HD space on the G5.

babypink

use it a few days ago......worked a charm

you have too make sure that the computer you're transferring from is in target disk mode, as thumper says.

Twee.

Hmm, maybe my other Mac is too old, it's a G4 .

Type 17

Twee. wrote: »

Hmm, maybe my other Mac is too old, it's a G4 .

Might be ok, but also make sure that the G4 is on the latest Mac OS version that you have available (10.3.9 or 10.4.11 or 10.5.3). I'd try to upgrade it to 10.4.x if it is on 10.3.x though...

kevteljeur

I haven't tried any bigger a jump than 10.3.x to 10.4.x, but do be careful with making several OS version jumps without due care and testing; my understanding is that the data isn't just copied verbatim, but there's a degree of interpretation of preferences, etc - I'm pretty sure that this can lead to 'bad settings', which can slow down the system that you are migrating to (been there myself). Just a thought, is all. Make sure that the system you are migrating to has:
a) a clean, pre-migration full backup
b) a clean user account, which hasn't been migrated

If you find stuff on your new system acting up, you have an easy fall-back.


For what it's worth, I had to migrate my mother's Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet) with OS 9 to an Intel iMac with 10.4.x - even the ethernet connection had compatibility issues! I had to bridge it through an iBook to get it to work. Sheer hell, took two days.

SouperComputer

What exactly do you mean by "didnt work". Ive migrated many G3 iBooks with varying versions of OS X without issue... Is the "source" mac being seen by the "target"

Twee.

SouperComputer wrote: »

What exactly do you mean by "didnt work".

I connect them and the Macbook says it's waiting to recognise the other Mac and that message just stays there, no change.

Type 17

SouperComputer wrote: »

What exactly do you mean by "didnt work".

My issue was the same as Twee - iMac G3 couldn't be seen by Intel iMac but iMac G5 could see the G3, and could be seen by the Intel iMac, so was used as a "stepping stone".