Mac does not transfer data from external hard drive when first set up and isn't listed on migration assistant

I've just had a new hard drive in my MacBook, luckily I had backed up everything on my external hard drive.
I've just got home and my MacBook set up as a new one and asked me if I wanted to transfer my old data from an external device. I clicked this option, and a box appeared with me to choose my device so I plugged it in and nothing. It was not listed so I couldn't continue. I clicked go back to continue without transferring any data and tried to use migration assistant. I plugged in my external HD again and it was recognised on the desktop with me being able to open it and see my old document, folders and iTunes etc.
I went on to migration assistant and that came up with much the same choice as the first time so I chose the option again to transfer information from my "other device" again there was an empty box so I cannot choose my device.
I then thought maybe I would need to install snow leopard again as when I got the computer back it was only running leopard and when I previously backed up my mac it was running snow leopard.
So I've now got in my snow leopard disk and put in my password to install leopard and it's not installing!
I'm very frustrated and now it's too late to call apple!
Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to go back to the store again as its 30 miles away!
Thankyou
Vicki

Thanks for the quick reply, Kappy.  I did use Carbon Copy Cloner.  When I returned the cloned data to the new hard drive I tried starting the computer and I got the logo and the spinning gear.  It did not go any further.  I also tried starting in safe mode and it would not go to safe mode.  I have other bootable volumes on the external drive that I cloned the data to.  When I tried migration assistant it would not list the volume that I cloned from the failed hard drive.  I can see the users desk top, documents, pictures from the cloned drive.

Similar Messages

  • I can not transfer date from one hard drive to another, I keep getting an error because I have two of the same file names and one file name is in caps and I cant change the file name

    can not transfer date from one hard drive to another, I keep getting an error because I have two of the same file names and one file name is in caps and I cant change the file name. My original external has an error and needs to be reformatted but I dont want to lose this informations its my entire Itunes library.

    Sounds like the source drive is formatted as case sensitive and the destination drive is not. The preferred format for OS X is case insensitive unless there is a compelling reason to go case sensitive.
    Why can't you change the filename? Is it because the source drive is having problems?  If so is this happening with only one or two or a few files? If so the best thing would be to copy those over individually and then rename them on the destination drive.
    If it is more then you can do manually and you can't change the name on the source you will have to reformat the destination as case sensitive.
    Btw this group is for discussion of the Support Communities itself, you;d do better posting to Lion group. I'll see if a host will move it.

  • Recover data from external hard drive that was Windows format and connected on a Macbook Pro. Did I lose everything? What happened?

    Hi there this is my first question here!
    I connected my external hard drive originally formatted on PC on my new Macbook. The first time I connected it I could see all my files but today I connected it and after I couldn't see any file nor even on my pc appears as NO NAME with a different name and nothing on it. I think was reformatted, any help to recover all my data?
    It's really important stuff for me

    If the Apple Store couldn't get files off of the drive, it is unlikely that you will be able to. If you have backups, those would be the best way to go. You could also try booting up the computer and holding down T to boot into Target Disk Mode. Plug the broken computer into another one with FireWire and see if it works to recover data from external hard drive. If you can see it, try booting up the broken computer while holding down Option. Choose Recovery HD from the menu, then choose to Reinstall OS X.
    It is unlikely that this will work, because I'm pretty sure that the Apple Store would have tried this. You could try using expensive software to get files off the drive, but it would be risky and the results might not be any good.
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4273

  • How do I transfer data from external hard drive to new computer

    We had been using a PC with XP that had four different users and ITune libraries.   It was attacked by viruses that got deep in op system and could not be fixed.   We purchased a new PC with Windows 8.   I had transfered the itune files by copying them from the hard drive to a external hard drive.    Is there a way to transfer the files from the external hard drive to the iTunes that I just downloaded onto the new computer.   I thought that it would be as easy as copying the files from the external hard drive to the iTunes file on the new computer but this did not work.   If I go into iTunes and select copy file from library it will import the file just file but I really don't want to copy thousands of files one by one.   However, when I try to open those files I get an error message.    We have two iPads and four iPod Touches.   Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    I found a posted answer from someone else who asked the same question and it worked.   It said to copy the entire file that was saved on the external hard drive to the my music folder before ever opening ITunes that was newly installed and it worked.

  • Recovering data from external hard drive

    I backed up music,pictures and personal documents
    It said backup was successful, I they to retrieve some documents and none of the those files were in that restored folder

    Very similar with your experience 
    Last time when I was in Rio, I took part in the famous Carnival there with my boyfriend and we took a lot of interesting photos there. About one week ago, one of my friends asked me to show her the photos. However, it turned out to be inaccessible and the PC can not read the data on the drive. And the PC suggested me to format the external hard drive for reusing it again.
    people often lose their data from External hard drive, a handy external hard drive data recovery software will be highly recommended to you, ---- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
    Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Then click next button
    Select the disk where you lost your data and click Scan button, the software will quickly scan the selected disk to find your target files.
    Watch the video below, step by step, you can recover your data.
     https://youtu.be/ZA4XzL1mD1s

  • Install data from external hard drive?

    Hi, we have our old macbook data saved on external hard drive (old laptop had water damage but able to retrieve data). I now have new macbook, how do I install data from external hard drive to new macbook? Is it super easy? I didn't want to set up new laptop until I could understand how to install all our old data. Thanks

    Do you have the appropriate cable to connect the external drive to to new Macbook?
    If you do, the rest is easy. Connect the drive and start up the new Mac. The first steps in the setup will be to enter information about yourself, etc. etc. As you proceed you will be asked if you want to bring in data from another place. Just follow the directions, and the Mac Setup Assistant will do everything for you.
    The critical part is making sure the external is corectly connected to the new computer.

  • Hard drive replaced on imac how to restore data from external hard drive

    Hard drive crashed, replaced by authorized dealer.  Need to transfer all data from external hard drive to repaired computer.

    http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/14.html
    See especially C.

  • Copy Data from external hard drive to  tc via usb

    how do iCopy Data from external hard drive to tc via usb

    you can't - unless you're willing to void your warranty by removing the TC's HD from the device, put it in an external enclosure, and connect that to your computer.

  • Hi,disc wiped ,OSX10.9 back on ,how do I restore my data from external hard drive ?Any help welcome .

    Hi,disc wiped ,OSX10.9 back on ,how do I restore my data from external hard drive ?Any help welcome .

    There's Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant. The cleanest way to do it is Setup Assistant, but you only get that option once when you fire up a fresh install of OSX. If you're past that, you could reinstall OSX by booting with Command-R, or you could use Migration Assistant.
    Setup/Migration Assistant instructions:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5872

  • How do I retrieve data from external hard drive

    How do I retrieve data from external hard drive

    What problem are you encountering?
    Normally you would connect it to your Mac and just drag and drop.

  • How do I transfer data from old hard drive to new mac exactly the same as it was on my old one?

    Unfortunately my 2009 iMac has been written off due to a faulty motherboard. Thankfully the company we got the mac from are providing me with a brand new one at no cost as I am under warranty. My old hard drive had many important documents and applications on it and we have requested for the old hard drive back. What I would like to know is how to I go about transferring all the stuff of my old hard drive to my new iMac? I would like everything to be set out exactly the same as it was on my old mac so basically I would like it cloned identical on my new mac from my old hard drive.
    Thanks Nathan

    In general, most people will recommend Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! You can find either one easily enough with a web search.
    However, in your case, I imagine you are going to have a hard disk returned to you all by itself, and you will need to install it in an enclosure. Don't let that bother you as this is easy to do and the enclosures are not expensive ($40 or so).
    Once that is done, I would recommend you set up your brand new Mac by answering all the questions during initial setup as usual. Be sure to use your correct Apple ID - probably the same one you used to log into this support forum. When you reach the point in which it asks you if you would like to transfer your old documents and settings, connect the old hard disk and select it as the source. It will take some time as it copies all its contents to your new Mac. All your familiar items will be exactly as they were on the failed Mac.
    After that, you can use the old hard disk as a Time Machine backup. When you are satisfied everything on your new Mac is running as it should, go ahead and erase the old disk. Then, tell Time Machine to designate it as a backup, and the rest is automatic.

  • Mac mini does not see files on external hard drive

    Just got a new Mac Mini and this is my first Mac.  How do I get files from my HD to my new mac mini?  I backed up the files from my old laptop but when I plug it into my Mac, I don't have any picture or music files.

    I had the same problem but only after I upgraded to Lion. I could see the files on my external drive on other Macs using older software. It seems that Lion wasn't seeing old files on the external drive. So we accessed the files on a Mac using Snow Leopard, copied all the files into one new folder on the same external hard drive and now they're there on Lion. Problem solved! I hope this helps

  • How can I transfer Itunes from external hard drive to a new computer?

    Hello,
    I had a Dell laptop with Windows XP on it recently crash, but I have everything saved to a Seamagine external 1 terabyte hard drive. I have about 250 gigabytes of media on it, mostly CD's and audiobooks. The setup I had on the XP computer was my Itunes folder saved on the C drive, but I kept all the actual music and audiobooks on the external hard drive, which was labeled the F drive.
    After the crash, a relative sold me their three year old Compaq laptop, with Windows 7 instead of XP as the OS. My relative already had Itunes downloaded on it, but when I opened the Itunes on the new (new to me) laptop, Itunes only recognized their (my relative's) account. So, I uninstalled their Itunes and then I re-downloaded Itunes for 64-bit Windows 7. I then opened the Windows Explorer folder so to drag and drop my backed up Itunes folder and library information from the old C drive to the new Itunes folder in the new C drive. But, it wouldn't do anything. It still wanted the password info from my relative's account. It wouldn't recognize my account, even though I had uninstalled and then reinstalled a newer version of Itunes. Dragging and dropping my backed-up Itunes folder from my external hard drive to the new C drive didn't work because it said it didn't have certain permissions or something like that. I think I might have downloaded a newer version of Itunes, different from what I had saved a couple of days ago, which might be one of the problems here, not to mention that I switched OS's from XP to Windows 7. 
    When I plugged the external hard drive USB into the new laptop no Seamagine manager came up for user-friendly accessibility. I didn't know what to do, so I installed Seagate Dashboard onto the new computer. It didn't do anything for me either. No problem, I thought, I'll just use Windows Explorer to move the Itunes library, and then once I transfer (i.e., drag and drop) the old Itunes folder to the one, all will be as it was. I could then direct my Itunes account to use my external hard drive as the media source folder. I was wrong. It won't let me do that either. It says I don't have permission to do it. 
    How c an I get my old Itunes library info onto the C drive of this new computer, but keep the 250GB of media files on the external hard drive, just like the setup I had on the old laptop before it crashed? If you can help me, then you will be my hero. I'm scared to death that I've lost my library info and afraid to mess with it too much more for fear of erasing it or, worse, losing the 250 GB of media that is on the external hard drive, which has taken me a tremendous amount of time and money to compile. It is, in effect, irreplaceable. I'm very worried and frustrated. I've been working on this for days, to no avail. You're my last hope. Thank you.

    Hmm, I think we should start over...
    Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
    In the image above the red outline denotes the "media folder", that is the folder listed under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. In the standard layout where the "media folder" is inside the "library folder" the iTunes library has the advantage of being self-contained and portable. Since you've lost the "library folder" from your old computer you're going to have to start over so you might as well get organized properly.
    If the folder curently holding your media files is called G:\iTunes then rename it as G:\Media.
    The support doc How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one explains how to create a new iTunes library where you want it. In short click the icon to start iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until asked to choose or create a library, click Create and browse to G:\, make sure the folder is going to be called iTunes and click save.
    Move the folder that actually holds the media inside the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. We're going to let iTunes reorganize everything (unless you have a collection of .wav files in which case stop and tell me because they require a different approach).
    Use File > Add folder to library and select the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. iTunes will search through the whole series of subfolders adding all media files into the library and reorganizing them into the correct artist & album folders.
    Again, for data security, you really ought to obtain a second external drive at some point and backup your library to it. Only having one copy, as you have found, leaves you vulnerable to failure. External drives are no less prone to it.
    A) Windows uses \ as a folder separator in path descriptions, Mac uses /.
    B) Do you have a backup of the iTunes folder that was on drive C:\ or are you simply referring to the location of your media as a "backup" when it really the only copy? If you have a backup copy of your "original" iTunes library you could move/copy that to G:\iTunes shift-start-iTunes to open it, and then I can offer tools or techniques for fixing the links that will be broken becuase the drive letter has changed.
    C) Use Store > Sign out and then Store > Sign in to sign into your iTunes account. You will also need to use Store > Authorize the computer to allow playback and transfer of any protected content. If your new library contains protected content from any other accounts then you will have to authorize the computer for those too.
    tt2

  • Transferring data from external hard drive to new replacement Macbook Pro...

    Hello,
    Apple have arranged to give me a replacement Macbook Pro due to faults with hardware on the one I am currently using. I will be going to pick up the replacement Macbook Pro tomorrow morning.
    As a complete novice I just wanted to check that I have backed up the data from my current laptop onto my Iomega external hard drive properly, as I am slightly nervous about losing all my work and not being able to transfer all my files onto my new Macbook Pro tomorrow.
    I did a back up using time machine earlier today which took quite a long time and seemed to go successfully. Is this the right thing to have done to save all data from my current laptop onto the external hard drive?
    Will transferring data from the external hard drive onto my new Macbook Pro be a simple task?
    Will I have to reinstall all my software such as Logic and Pro Tools? Also will my preferences and settings for music software be changed?
    I'd greatly appreciate any advice.
    Thanks,
    Deena

    Well it's like this.
    If your problem on the Mac didn't affect the software or the TimeMachine backup, then restoring from that using SetupAssistant (when you first set up a new Mac it will ask you to restore) should go fine.
    HOWEVER, if there are software issues on the Mac that also transferred to the TimeMachine drive, that will only transfer them back onto your new computer.
    You can't very easily just pick out the things you want to restore from TimeMachine with, it doesn't give that fine detail of control, and if it's really messed up, it might not restore anything at all.
    The golden rule of backups is to maintain two separate and easily accessible hardware copies of your data off the machine at all times.
    Since you don't know for sure if the TimeMachine restore is going to work as intended, and your only other source is going to disappear, I'd advise a additional backup of your Music, Documents, Pictures and Movie folders etc., to another regular external drive via regular drag and drop copy methods.
    The operating system and programs can all be reinstalled from fresh sources on the new machine, provided you have the AppleID and password, license codes for your programs, email passwords and any other necessary information to re-establish the license on the new machine.
    (In some cases licensed software HAS NOT transferred to a new machine with a TimeMachine restore and had to be reinstalled)
    Some times you have to contact the developer or "uninstall" the licensed program so it sends a signal to their servers that the program has been removed, else your license code may not work on the new machine.
    You might decide the new machine would be better off with a fresh install of your programs that you know are 100% compatible with Lion etc., leaving a lot of older stuff you installed over the years off the new machine, if you restore from TimeMachine, you don't have this option. You pretty much get all the crap along for the ride,
    If your new machine gets all crapped up, then restoring Lion is going to going to be a tough challenge, as you need a strong reliable Internet connection to download a fresh copy of Lion from Apple servers (no more disks). Once you do that, then somehow you have to use third party software ($$) to cherry pick your files out of TimeMachines trap. More headaches than you anticpated, and likely a charge by a specialist.
    So I'd advise another hard drive with a copy of just your files, just in case a crap-up occurs
    You can restore Lion yourself if it craps up, install programs from fresh sources as you know how to do, use the old license codes and then return your files manually exactly back into their same Music, Pictures, Documents, and Movies (etc, not Library) folders as before.
    The key to this manual method is to make sure to use the same user name as before, so all your file location data pathnames retained by program files like iTunes to where the songs are located on the drive, are matched. Once you open these programs and restablish the links in OS X, then you can move them around.
    Some tricks, if you use iPhoto, you can right click "show package contents" and inside is a folder with your Originals, copy that out and you can reimport your pictures into the new iPhoto Library on the new machine.
    So use TM if you dare, but prepared to do things manually is my opinion.
    TM restores have not been all that reliable or dependable, the more messed up your machine is, the worst the restore seems to be.
    Good Luck 

  • Transfer files from External Hard Drive to PC?

    Sadly, my iBook g4 1.2 GHz (2005) is on the fritz (see my other question on Apple Discussions if you're curious as to why) and so I must get a new laptop. Unfortunately, I can't afford any of the Macs available, and so will be purchasing a PC. I have been using a 250GB external hard drive to store my iTunes library (about 25GB, too much for my iBook's 30 GB HD to handle) and as a Time Machine. I need to know how to be able to put all of my music and docs onto the new PC. Would it be best to not use TM and just put everything I want on the external HD and then access it from the PC? Alternatively, I do have a small home wireless network (using an Airport Express)...if that's the better option, how do I use it to transfer files? Any help would be wonderful!

    The easiest solution is to erase the external hard drive and re-partition it to use on the PC:
    Extended Hard Drive Preparation
    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    3. Set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to MS-DOS. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to MBR then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
    Open iTunes and de-authorize your computer.
    Copy your iTunes library in it's entirety (/Home/Music/iTunes/ folder) to the drive along with any other data you wish to transfer.
    See the following about how to convert your iTunes library for the PC:
    Macworld - How to transfer iTunes libraries between PC and Mac;
    Geek to Live- How to move an iTunes library from a PC to Mac (and back).

Maybe you are looking for