Advice transferring data from MBP to MBP via Thunderbolt

Question

does anyone have advice for the best way to transfer "specific" user data from one Mac to another?  i just want to copy all the stuff needed to sync my iPhone (i.e. iTunes library & iPhoto library), without bringing the old Account over to the destination machine.
i'm sure i'm making it more difficult that it needs to be, but i've been browsing the web for a solution and all the advice seems to be for people setting up a brand new machine, out of the box, BEFORE establishing a new account (and all the system data that comes with it).  i've already set up an account & i only want the mission critical data.
for example, have you ever used Apple's Migration Assistant to transfer data from one Mac to another, AFTER establishing a new account on the destination machine?  if my memory serves, the last time i did it, i ended up with two different Login Accounts. one of which i never used again (i know i can delete it afterwards, but that approach feels inelegant).
i know i can use Target Disk Mode to "drag & drop" the files needed, but that makes me worry that i'll run in to problems (possibly with user permissions, or even apps that i've already installed outside of the realm of iOS syncing).  for example i put 1Password & Dropbox on the destination machine, so if i use Migration Assistant to copy the entire Applications folder, am I going to have 1Password & Dropbox data stored in 2 locations?).  i imagine dropbox is "system wide" whereas 1Password is an account-specific app.
thanks in advance if you offer feedback
L
*  i'll be moving data from an early 2011 MacBook Pro to a new Retina MBP

Answer 1

AmplifiedLife wrote:
does anyone have advice for the best way to transfer "specific" user data from one Mac to another?  i just want to copy all the stuff needed to sync my iPhone (i.e. iTunes library & iPhoto library), without bringing the old Account over to the destination machine.
For iTunes, your best bet may be Home Sharing, per  iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer.
For iPhoto, you should be able to use Target Disk mode and just copy the iPhoto library.  The user account on the new Mac may have read rights to the iPhoto library on the old Mac, allowing you to copy it directly. 
If it doesn't, you should be able to log on to the old Mac and copy the iPhoto library to the special Shared user account in the Users folder at the top level of the drive.  Then start the old Mac in Target Disk mode, log on to the new one, and copy from the Users/Shared folder.
all the advice seems to be for people setting up a brand new machine, out of the box, BEFORE establishing a new account (and all the system data that comes with it).
Yes, it's by far the best, easiest, fastest, and most reliable way to set up a new Mac just like the old one, with all the same user accounts, data, settings and preferences.  It's called Setup Assistant (see Using Setup Assistant on Mountain Lion or Lion for the gory details).
have you ever used Apple's Migration Assistant to transfer data from one Mac to another, AFTER establishing a new account on the destination machine?  if my memory serves, the last time i did it, i ended up with two different Login Accounts. one of which i never used again (i know i can delete it afterwards, but that approach feels inelegant).
Yes, exactly.  Migration Assistant is very similar to Setup Assistant, but must be run from an Admin user account, and can't add to an existing account.  If you want to transfer an entire account, you can still do so, and if you need more than your iTunes and iPhoto data, that's probably your best bet.
If you don't already have things like Mail, Contacts, and Calendar set up, you'll find it rather tedious to set them up again manually, or to copy the data.  
if i use Migration Assistant to copy the entire Applications folder, am I going to have 1Password & Dropbox data stored in 2 locations?).
Probably not;  it depends on where you installed those apps.  Both Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant copy apps from the top-level Applications folder from the old Mac to the top-level Applications folder on the new Mac, plus some supporting files.  It only transfers apps that don't already exist, so it doesn't replace newer versions with older ones.
If you don't use one of those to transfer your Applications, and just drag and drop them, some won't work properly.  That's because "complex" apps (typically, the ones that come with their own installers) also install additional "helper" apps and/or various support files in other locations, usually inside the top-level Library folder.  If you don't know find and copy those, too, the apps may not work properly or at all.  The Assistants do copy those apps and files nearly all the time (there are a few apps that place things in places they shouldn't).
Bottom line:   Migration Assistant is probably your best, easiest, most reliable option.