Can I transfer time machine image from one MacBook to another if both have same OS version and both have same size hard drive?

I purchased a MacBook Pro in December 2010. Got it with 500GB, 7200 RPM hard drive. Used Time Machine to create back up. Gave the computer to my son last week and just purchased a new generation MacBook Pro with the same hard drive as old Mac. I have had issues with bootcamp on new Mac so I removed the partition and now new Mac will not boot without holding down Option key. I know I can do a re-install of the OS. But, can I use the Time Machine back up from the old Mac to restore the new Mac to look just like the old Mac? Partition and all? I did have bootcamp working just fine on the old Mac. Put lots of software on it that I now don't have on the new Mac (but would like to have). So, am I just hopeful or can I use the Time Machine back up from the old Mac to restore my my Mac? If so, how do I do it. I am a recent PC convert who is pretty good on PC, but a babe in the woods on my Mac.

No. Time Machine won't get your boot camp partition back. There are excellent utilities that move entire hard drive contents among hard drives such as SuperDuper! and CCC, but as far as I know they don't work with boot camp partition. My suggestion: reinstall Mac OSX on your new Mac (you don't want to hold Option key to start it everytime anyway), partition it with boot camp exactly (or similarly) as you did to your previous Mac (install the same operating system, which should be one of the Microsoft Windows I assume). Use Migration Assistant as kaz-k suggested to move all the stuff on the Mac partition of your previous Mac. Reboot both your Macs from the boot camp partition - I assume they are all on Windows platform. Now you have two computers on Windows platform. Use Norton Ghost or similar tools to migrate all the stuff from your old machine to your new machine. Hope this helps. Backup all your data before such operation. Good luck.

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I have a 2008 Macbook. How do you change out the hard drive from one macbook to another? Maybe I just need the special screwdriver to get the hard drive out?

I have a 2008 Macbook. I want to install a newer (used) hard drive into this one. I think all I need is the special screwdriver to remove it, then install it. Where can I get that screw driver?

There is some information on how to, plus some tool lists in the online iFixit guides for repair and replacement of parts, in these computers.
•MacBook Unibody model A1278 Repair (aluminum)
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Unibody_Model_A1278
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/mac-repair.php
OWC Macsales offers tools for sale, online instruction videos
and other helpful information without having to buy.
A few tools are rather specific to various models.
Good luck!

TS2776 How can I transfer e-mail contacts from one IPad to another?

How can I transfer e-mail contacts from one IPad to another?

Depends on how big the file is. If itis only a couple of pages, or mostly text, the easiest way would be to e mail it. If it is a very large file you are going to need wifi. Take both pads to starbucks, and e mail it from there. Or if you have wifi, use drop box, for example.
Your other choice, avoiding wifi would be a bluetooth type transfer. There is an app call bluetooth file lite that reads like it will do what you need. The good news is it is free. The bad news is that it has terrible ratings. For grins, i am installing it now on a pad and a phone, and will see if it works.
With a bluetooth method, you need both devices in the same place. If you are trying to send your file across country, bluetooth will not work for you. you need e mail or drop box type solution, and if the file is big, you will almost certainly need wifi.

How do i transfer my itunes library from one macbook to another?

hi,how do i transfer my itunes library from one macbook to another?

From your OLD computer...
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
An Added Bonus is that you will have a Backup of iTunes.
Also... have a look at these 2 Videos...
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-library.html
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html

How can I transfer my iTunes library from one comptuer to another in my houser

how can i transfer my itunes library from one computer in my house to another in my house?

Type "move itunes library" into the google search bar

HT2729 how can i transfer my itunes music from one computer to another?

How can I transfer my Itunes music from one computer to another

Copy the ENTIRE iTunes folder from the old computer to the new computer.

Can I transfer Time Machine data from two separate hard drives into one new one?

I'm using a MacBook Pro as my primary computer. My 500 gig Time Capsule filled up a year or so ago, so I stopped using it with Time Machine for awhile so I could keep the data from those old back-ups. There were a number of things I deleted from my computer's very limited hard drive after they were backed up to the Time Capsule. I got a 1T external USB drive last year to use as my "filing Cabinet" to store files I didn't necessarily need all the time or that were filling up my small laptop hard drive--including my iTunes library--all organized in a way that made it relatively easy for me to find what I needed, even if I didn't remember exactly when I'd filed it or what I'd called it. I got another 1 terabyte external (portable) drive last July and dedicated it to TimeMachine backups and labeled it "TimeMachine".
Over the last couple of weeks, my friend has been helping me upgrade to Yosemite and clean up my laptop hard drive. Last week he cloned my laptop hard drive to a new 1T hard drive and I exchanged it for my old drive in my computer today. All good.
Here's the issue. We replaced my Time Capsule hard drive with a 1 terabyte drive with the idea of transferring the data from the old Time Capsule (500G) drive and the newer USB 1T "TimeMachine" compact drive to the new 1T Time Capsule drive and beginning using the latter for my Time Machine backups going forward. Originally he thought we could copy everything from each of my external drives (the old 500gig drive from my Time Capsule, the USB "TimeMachine" drive I've been using since July, and the "file cabinet" files) to my computer in their own folders and then start regular TimeMachine backups to the new Time Capsule drive, thus preserving all my old data and making regular backups going forward. The "file cabinet" data was no problem at all, but when I tried to copy my USB "TimeMachine" data to my computer, I was unable to. My friend found instructions for transferring old TimeMachine data to a new TimeCapsule, but I don't know if I can transfer the data from two separate disks to the new TimeCapsule drive. I'm afraid that one set of data will supersede the other and either my newer backups or my old ones will be lost if I try to transfer both.
Are my fears justified or is there a way to insure that no such problem will occur? Of course, my data will still be on those two older drives, but that won't do me a lot of good if I can't access it when I need to. Also, the 1T drive now belongs to my friend; he used a brand new drive he'd bought for himself for my new internal hard drive and plans to take my 1T "TimeCapsule" drive in exchange, once the data has been transferred, so he will, of course, erase that drive.

Should we be able to bring up the old (500G) Time Capsule Drive to rename it using a SATA to FireWire harness and then copy the whole thing to the new Time Capsule drive?
You can copy a whole sparsebundle from one drive to another. That is not a problem. Whether you can access the sparsebundle is something you should test before you even start though.
If it's on the Desktop and I don't tell Time Machine to exclude it from backups, will it just automatically back it up?
All drives you plug into the Mac are excluded by default.. you must include them. So no problems there.. but I hope I am understanding the question.
Will both volumes or directories (which is the right term?) show up when I open Time Machine?
No, Time Machine will only open what it is told to open... or its backup default location.
You can force Time Machine to open alternative/old/no longer used backups by (now I have a problem as things have changed somewhat in Yosemite and I consider it alpha release software at this point in time). The old method was to right click on the TM icon and select a different TM backup. easy. Yosemite seems to have made easy stuff harder.
Here it is on my current computer.. clearly not Yosemite.. Right click on the TM icon in the dock.. select Browse Other Time Machine Disks.. And supply the info of where that is located. Easy. If you cannot figure it out one of the other posters here (with more patience than me for Yosemite) will help you.
Or will we have to partition the new drive somehow--is that even possible?
I am getting more lost as I go down the list.. but the TC disk cannot be partitioned.
If you have included all those USB drives in the new backup on a Time a Time Capsule.. you have made life rather hard because now your files are stored another layer deeper than they were.
So to open a file from a disk you need to open the sparsebundle.. then dig down to the drive in question and then dig down to the backup.. and all of this means Time Machine has to work perfectly which is Yosemite is a very big ask.
I thought you wanted to just backup your old drives to central location.. which means copying the files to a separate folder on the Time Capsule.
One correction I need to make to my post, which will make my strategy make a bit more sense: my new Time Capsule drive is 4T
It makes it much harder.. and I have to pose a real question of long term .. if you have put a 4TB drive in a Gen1 TC.. did you also replace its power supply because I can assure you the drive might be ok but the TC itself will not last forever.. and what happens when it dies. The Gen1 power supply is already well beyond its normal life span and the vast majority are dead. When the backup device is unreliable and the backups on it are made that much harder to get access to.. is this a great plan??
If you are going to consolidate all your old files on one disk.. a task I find understandable. I have done much the same albeit the usefulness of files made on emac running OS9 may be questioned. A disk lying in the bottom of a draw is a more appropriate place for them.
You want those files as easily accessible as possible (at the point of recovery) and not buried inside a sparsebundle.. particularly not a sparsebundle from the old TC disk buried inside a new sparsebundle.. keep files as accessible as possible as you can run searches.. and that is best done on a USB 3 (or faster ie thunderbolt) drive plugged into a new(ish) computer.. not network. And since the files are not being accessed on a daily/weekly or even monthly or yearly basis.. keeping them in actively running TC network storage.. I would say is a waste of space. That is only my opinion of course.. you might consider it highly important that files you will never look at are available any time of day or night when the urge comes to track down that elusive pimpernel email you sent 10 years ago... but I find it hard to justify. What the case.. the problem with TM and things like Mail is you cannot search it.. you must restore the whole library/files/program even before you can access it.. that makes file recovery out of a sparsebundle double step process.
So.. summary.
If you want to store files on the 4TB drive in the TC.. that is not a great strategy but it can work.. simply create a folder named.. OldFilesEMac for instance.. and do a simple copy and paste of all the file to that location. Do not use TM.. Since you have already used TM.. and from what I am reading you have already done the backup with the external drives included.. then you are going to end up needing to erase the TC and start over.. which you may not be prepared to do.. which is fair enough. (I am coming across as overbearing school master.. apologies).
TM is to backup your main OS and current files.. not files from 10-20years ago.
Please do read the issues involved in Pondini..
See his FAQ. I recommend you read through Q14-17 so you understand what is involved in recovery.
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
I also recommend you read the first couple of articles here. http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
Particularly so you understand the complexity of Time Machine.
And the articles here. http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
Particularly Q3 on mixing data and backups on a TC.
I wish I could spend an hour or two face to face and work it out.. the whole strategy to do this.. !!

Cannot transfer Time Machine backups from one external drive to another

Since I bought my 13 inch MacBook Pro in September 2014 I've been keeping Time Machine backups on an external 1TB Lacie Rugged. This is partitioned into three and one of the partitions contains my iPhoto library.
Last weekend I left my MBP disconnected from the power source but with the external hard drive still plugged in. Long story short - the battery level fell below the minimum needed to operate so it turned itself off and 'disconnected' the external hard drive. This resulted in a corrupted iPhoto library which is no longer accessible.
In order to restore my iPhoto Library from another backup I needed to buy a second external hard drive. Yesterday I bought a 2TB Lacie Rugged which I've now partitioned into 5.
I want to move my Time Machine backups from the 1TB Lacie Rugged to a partition on the 2TB Lacie Rugged (to take advantage of the new Lacie's Thunderbolt connection).
I read the Apple article -
HT202380: Time Machine: How to transfer backups from the current backup drive to a new backup drive
and followed the instructions precisely. About 2 hours into the transfer I came back to my MacBook Pro and saw a message saying that it was not possible to complete the transfer because I did not have the correct permissions. The only option was to click the OK button which stopped the transfer.
Can anyone advise what I should do next?
Cheers
Tricia

Hi Eric,
Thank you for your response. I came across another thread yesterday which suggested the Restore via Disk Utility method. It worked for me, too. This was after I had tried following the method suggested in the Apple article above three times but each time the message was the same ....
The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items.
I dare say that Apple would like to have us believe that it's a simple matter of 'drag and drop' but it certainly wasn't for me. From what I've read the permission problem crops up fairly frequently. Before the second and third attempts I had already amended Permissions on the Time Machine backups so that everyone could read and write, so that mustn't have been the problem. I'm the only person who uses my computer so that's not a problem.
The next problem I have is that I decided I would use the Restore route to transfer my SuperDuper clone rather than start from scratch. Unfortunately, the partition size on my original backup disk where SuperDuper clone is is 350GB and the size of the SuperDuper clone partition on my new backup is 300GB.
Of course, Apple says you can resize partitions using Disk Utility. What they don't say is you can downsize partitions but (in my experience and that of many other frustrated users on various forums) you CANNOT upsize using Disk Utility. I have 100GB spare on my external hard drive (from downsizing two partitions by 50GB each) BUT there is no way Disk Utility will let me increase the size of SuperDuper partition to 350GB :-(((
Cheers
Tricia

HT201250 Can I copy a time machine backup from one mac to another?

I have two Mac Book Pros that I use for work - I have one at home and one at work. I'd like to copy the contents and setup from my work Mac to my home Mac using a time machine backup, and then continue to use the time machine backup back at work. I.e. the time machine would only be used with the home Mac to copy over the contents and setup of my work Mac.
Can I just do a straight time machine back up in my 2nd (home) mac, or will this override the back up I have from the 1st (work) machine?
Thanks!

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
Of course. Note that you can restore a Time Machine backup on all the Macs you want, always that the Mac uses the same or a newer OS X version than the one that had the Mac you used to make this backup.
Also, you can back up different computers to the same Time Machine drive. In this case, Time Machine will create different folders in your Time Machine drive for each computer, so one Mac backup won't conflict with the other computer backup.
To restore a backup, use Migration Assistant. Just connect the Time Machine drive, open Migration Assistant (it's in /Applications/Utilities) and follow the steps to restore the backup onto the computer

Can I transfer Time Machine Backup from WD Hard Drive to Time Capsule?

I have a Western Digital 500 Gb. Hard drive and recently purchased a 500 Gb.Time Capsule which, at the moment, am using only for the AirPort feature. I would like to use Time Capsule for my Time Machine backups and use the Western Digital drive as my Aperture Vault. Is there a way to move the Time Machine file from the WD drive to the Time Capsule drive so that I don't lose the old files? My Time Capsule is connected to my iMac via an Ethernet cable.

Unfortunately, no. Time Machine will backup to a local drive (e.g. via USB or FW HDD) using a folder structure. When backing up to a NAS (e.g. Time Capsule or USB HDD connected to a TC or Extreme), TM utilizes a sparsebundle. You cannot easily convert a folder structure to a sparsebundle. The best plan is to start a NEW backup to TC. Connecting via ethernet is highly recommended for the initial backup.
P.S. You can still access the old TM backups until such time that you want to reclaim the use of the HDD.

How can I transfer all my apps from one library to another?

I got a new laptop and I would like to tranfer and back up all my apps on to my new computers library? I have the latest version of itunes, and my computer has windows 8, can anyone help me please?

use home sharing then you can import from one itunes to another
Understanding Home Sharing
Setting up Home Sharing

How can I transfer a naviagtion menu from one site to another site?

I have generated a very simple lab web site. http://neurobionet.neurobio.ucla.edu/~feldman/. One page in the main site has a link that takes you to a list of publications (i.e., click on Publications). This page that has the list is really just another iWeb generated site. I would like to have the same navigation menu on both sites. Is this possible? I do not mind mucking around the code if necessary.
Also are there any plans to have simple niceties like anchors incorporated into iWeb? In the same Publications page, it would be great if people could go directly to the year that they wanted to. Right now, the only way to do that would be to generate a separate page for each 5 year grouping.
Regards,
Mike

Hi Mike,
If both sites are WITHIN one iWeb domain.sites file- as in you've created them in the same account and in the same computer - you can drag&drop pages from one site to another.
If they're created on two seperate accounts, you can't. Migrating 2 domain.sites files into one single file would be the outmost nightmare.
The navbar is dynamically created from the available pages. This is cool.
I've got some expertise on modding the templates - i've even created a whole new style navigation-bar and know quite well what can be done.
members.chello.nl/haan2 for more info on this stuff...
Workaround...
in iWeb with the site open which has got most of the stuff, create new pages based on copy/paste from a browser.
You still can have two "sites", albeit in 1 account.
BACKUP your domain.sites file before attempting these kind of things.
It's located in ~/Library/Application Support/iWeb
Regards,
Paul

Can you transfer all your content from one computer to another?

We have a slower computer and a faster one and all our music and apps are on the slower one. Is there any way to transfer all our stuff from one to the other?

These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entire iTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library.
If you have an iOS device that syncs with contact & calendar data on your computer you should migrate this information too. If that isn't possible create a dummy entry of each type in your new profile and iTunes should offer to merge the existing data from the device into the computer, otherwise the danger is that it will wipe the information from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.
tt2

Transfer Time Machine backup from one external drive to another

Surely this has been covered, but I can't find it.
If you have your time machine backup on an external drive and get a new (larger) external drive, what is the best way to transfer the backup from one drive to the other (and define the new drive as the backup drive)? Straight copy ? Then to define the new drive, rename old drive to something else and name new drive the backup name?

I haven't tried this yet but a few other methods are described at http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071128055047339

Transfer Time Capsule Files From One Mac to Another

I have a MacBook Pro that is on the blink and I can't afford to fix it right now. Can I transfer some of the files from my Time Capsule to my son's MacBook Pro?

Hi, and welcome to the forums.
You have a couple of options.
You could use +Migration Assistant+ to transfer your user account to the other Mac. You can select/omit the top-level folders in your home folder, but not within them. See #19 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum) for details.
You could restore selected items from your backups to the other Mac. Probably your best bet would be to use Migration Assistant to transfer just your account (name and password), but omit the data files, then restore selectively via the +*Browse . . .+* option. See #17 in the FAQ.

Can I transfer time machine image from one MacBook to another if both have same OS version and both have same size hard drive?

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