how to transfer files between 2 macbooks?!?!

eurotrotter

hey gang

hope yer all wel and looking forward to xmas

just bought a new macbook pro, WHAT A MACHINE, unbelievable.

just wondering how i transfer files wirelessly between my old macbook and the new one?

is there some s/w i need on teh ole one for it to work?

im running 10.6.5

thanks

Ed

muggyog

Why dont you use the 'old fashioned' and faster way?

Start the older Mac in target mode ( keep 'T' key pressed on startup until you see the firewire symbol on the screen ) and connect both via firewire cable. The Mac in target mode will appear as a external drive.

maccored

make sure they're both on the same network and they should show under Go/Network

conor.hogan.2

I use dropbox but that is overkill for a file, the machine should show up in finder on the left under devices/places.

Colonel Panic

maccored wrote: »

make sure they're both on the same network and they should show under Go/Network

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

I use dropbox but that is overkill for a file, the machine should show up in finder on the left under devices/places.

You'd need to enable sharing first but to be honest, you could probably just use Migration Assistant instead... Or if you're trying to migrate from a Snow Leopard Mac to a Lion Mac then follow this guide

nesf

muggyog wrote: »

Why dont you use the 'old fashioned' and faster way?

Start the older Mac in target mode ( keep 'T' key pressed on startup until you see the firewire symbol on the screen ) and connect both via firewire cable. The Mac in target mode will appear as a external drive.

Not everyone will have a firewire cable hanging around though.

LukeS_

Thought I'd post here as well, I have a macbook pro that I just bought, how do I get all my playlists and songs etc. off my old Windows machine onto the mac? Iirc its in some iTunes folder but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me.

Sorry for hijacking your thread OP, I thought it would just be a little more convenient to post here instead of making a new thread.

nesf

LukeS_ wrote: »

Thought I'd post here as well, I have a macbook pro that I just bought, how do I get all my playlists and songs etc. off my old Windows machine onto the mac? Iirc its in some iTunes folder but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me.

Sorry for hijacking your thread OP, I thought it would just be a little more convenient to post here instead of making a new thread.

Simplest way is to connect both computer to your network (preferably by ethernet) and transfer using iTunes. It's a bit unstable over wireless and will take a good while but it works and is straightforward. You have to have Home Sharing activated with the same Apple ID on both computers though.

Cook my sock

I did it the other day, set them both up to share in preferences, and use an ethernet cable between both.
120gb done in a few minutes.

Losty Dublin

nesf wrote: »

Not everyone will have a firewire cable hanging around though.

True but in fairness, most computer shops sell Firewire cables for about €10 so they aren't hard to lay hands on.

nesf

Losty Dublin wrote: »

True but in fairness, most computer shops sell Firewire cables for about €10 so they aren't hard to lay hands on.

Why spend €10 on a cable when you can transfer files over your network for free? Don't get me wrong, I'd probably buy the cable for the more stable connection etc if all I had was wireless, but a lot of people will take the free option even if it is a bit more hassle.

Losty Dublin

nesf wrote: »

Why spend €10 on a cable when you can transfer files over your network for free? Don't get me wrong, I'd probably buy the cable for the more stable connection etc if all I had was wireless, but a lot of people will take the free option even if it is a bit more hassle.

Fair point but the Firewire is a godsend when it comes to moving tons of stuff over, especially when you get a new mac.

Now where is that ethernet cable again?

nesf

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Fair point but the Firewire is a godsend when it comes to moving tons of stuff over, especially when you get a new mac.

Now where is that ethernet cable again?

Firewire is great, don't get me wrong. I love my Firewire external drives. I have only one Firewire cable though, I've about 20 Ethernet ones in this house...

LukeS_

Guys do I need the both computers to be hooked up via ethernet to my router or can I just plug one ethernet into both machines to do home sharing? Asking because the router is down stairs and I don't want to lug a big beast of a desktop down stairs then back up again.

nesf

You'll need to go through the router. Though if it involves having to move a desktop I'd just be lazy and do it over wireless and put up with the less stable connection.

That or buy a firewire cable and do it in a weeks time. Your choice.

conor.hogan.2

If you need it done now and you have an external hdd that is an option.

It would have to transfer to external storage and then back so it would take around 7 hours for 250GB.