Getting old data onto new hard drive

I've backed up my current hard drive and I will be replacing it with a new one tonight. My question is once I do this, do I just plug in my external drive with the back up and then...? How do I get my old data onto the new hard drive? Thanks!

How did you back it up, Surfer?
If you "cloned" the existing internal to the external, using SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner, then you simply boot from the external drive, use Disc Utility to make sure that the new drive is formatted using the GUID partition scheme and HFS(extended) file system (and reformat it if it is not), and then clone back to the internal.
If you backed up using Time Machine or Disk Utility, then it will depend on what you chose to back up, but you may be best off re-installing the OS from your OS DVDs and then "migrating" the material from the drive (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1553 and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427 for some general information and links to other relevant material).
If you simply backed up data by dragging it across to the other drive then you will need to re-install the OS and applications from the original discs, set up a user account and then drag things back to the appropriate locations.
In all cases you should make sure that the drive is partitioned with the GUID partition scheme, and formatted as HFS(extended) first, though.
Cheers
Rod

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Have Old Hard drive and want to move old data onto new hard drive in imac.

I am trying to get my files off of an old hard drive. I have it hooked up through a sata drive. I am able to access all the programs but for whatever reason I am unable to access any of the files, i.e- 1,00's of pictures, videos, music, and documents. Is there something else I need to do in order to get the files, or is it possible that all the programs could still be on it but the files are just missing? In the current Sata it only has two plugs but on my hard drive it looks like there is another place to plug something in.

Hello again Shadow,
The way I do this is to:
1) Install your new hard drive into your iBook
2) Get your iBook reassembeled
3) Place your old hard drive in your firewire enclosure
4) Insert your install DVD into your iBook and restart with the C key held down. When the installer launches, select your language in the first pane, click 'continue' and in the upper dropdown menu in the next page select Utilities > Disk Utility. After DU is open, select your hard drive from the list of volumes on the left (the very top one), and then click the 'Partition' tab to the right. Then select 1 partition (normal) and make sure that you have 'Mac OS Extended (journled)' selected in the lower section. Then click 'partition'
5)Quit disc utility, which brings you back to the installer. continue with your installation of OS X. In one of the first steps you will see a button on the lower left which says 'options' click on that and make sure that the option 'Installs OS X for the first time' is selected. It will normally be selected by default with a new drive.
6) After the installation, the Migration Assistant will ask if you would like to transfer your information from another mac. click yes then follow the instructions. but instead of using another mac, connect a firewire cable from your enclosure with your old hard drive installed. The installer will think that this is another mac and will transfer all of your account information and user files (everything!)from your old drive to your iBook's new drive. Just diconnect when it says to and complete the installation sequence.
You're done!
Check back again if anything is unclear.
Randy
Message was edited by: DesertSage

HT203167 external hard drive died and have new one. how can i get my old purchases onto new hard drive?

help! my external hard drive died. have tons of tv shows and movies on it. how can i get my old purchases from itunes onto my new hard drive?

Just plug it in and sync it.
(60463)

Old data to new hard drive ...

I am about to upgrade both the RAM and hard drive in my early 2008 (black) macbook.
YIKES! I've never even changed the battery in a computer! Actually, though, I'm not so worried about the physical aspect but about the intelligence aspect.
I've purchased an enclosure for the current (old) HD and plan to do the restore from there. That was the suggestion of the very helpful people at Other World. However, just in case...
I have done a Time Machine backup to my WD MyBook. At least I hope I have. So, one question is:
How do I know that I've got a complete clone on my external drive?
When I look at "restore files" I don't see all of the applications, etc. But it doesn't really seem to give me the option to see that. I'm using WD SmartWare. (This may be a question for the WD boards but I'll ask it here too.)
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Hello again Shadow,
The way I do this is to:
1) Install your new hard drive into your iBook
2) Get your iBook reassembeled
3) Place your old hard drive in your firewire enclosure
4) Insert your install DVD into your iBook and restart with the C key held down. When the installer launches, select your language in the first pane, click 'continue' and in the upper dropdown menu in the next page select Utilities > Disk Utility. After DU is open, select your hard drive from the list of volumes on the left (the very top one), and then click the 'Partition' tab to the right. Then select 1 partition (normal) and make sure that you have 'Mac OS Extended (journled)' selected in the lower section. Then click 'partition'
5)Quit disc utility, which brings you back to the installer. continue with your installation of OS X. In one of the first steps you will see a button on the lower left which says 'options' click on that and make sure that the option 'Installs OS X for the first time' is selected. It will normally be selected by default with a new drive.
6) After the installation, the Migration Assistant will ask if you would like to transfer your information from another mac. click yes then follow the instructions. but instead of using another mac, connect a firewire cable from your enclosure with your old hard drive installed. The installer will think that this is another mac and will transfer all of your account information and user files (everything!)from your old drive to your iBook's new drive. Just diconnect when it says to and complete the installation sequence.
You're done!
Check back again if anything is unclear.
Randy
Message was edited by: DesertSage

How to recover data onto new hard drive

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BB probably wants to sell you a copy of Windows.
Watch this>>
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******Clicking the Thumbs-Up button is a way to say -Thanks!.******
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Please Help!!!
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i copied itune music from old hard drive to memory disk the copied onto new hard drive into itunes and music wont play unless removalbe disk is inserted

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Have you followed these instructions, specifically formatting your new HDD?
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Problems with copying iPhoto library onto new hard drive from external HELP

I had to get a new hard drive installed onto my MacBook Pro, but was able to copy my iPhoto library onto my external hard drive via another computer before the old hard drive failed. Now, I am trying to copy that library back onto my MacBook.
After I copied the library onto the MacBook, when iPhoto was opened, it showed no photos but I could see album titles. Then when I opened iPhoto while holding down the option key, it was all clumped into one event and not nearly all of the photos were there. Also, I have right-clicked on the library to see package contents and everything seems to be there, but I don't know how to make it all show up in the library.
I've downloaded iPhoto Library Manager because I thought that might help (but haven't used it yet -- don't know how) and I just need some help to recover my iPhoto library... and is there a way to restore all the separate events imported and time/date stamps, in order to get all the photos in chronological order?

Should I just go through the iPhoto Library package contents and drag every folder into iPhoto?
No. That will get you massive duplication.
Try these in order - from best option on down...
1. Do you have an up-to-date back up? If so, try copy the library6.iphoto file from the back up to the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.
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3. If neither of these work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new *iPhoto 08* library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Events and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.
Regards
TD

840 photos imported onto new hard drive have no originals

I've been anxious to get my fresh start with iPhoto 6 on a new hard drive. I'm determined to have better photo organization from the start. I've been using this method (which I learned here on the discussion boards) on my laptop recently and it's worked flawlessly. This is how I imported them:
I had my preferences set to let me use Image Capture upon connection to my computer, then I sent all the photos to a folder on my desktop. From that folder I opened all the photos in Preview. There I went through each photo and deleted the bad ones from the folder before importing to iPhoto. I also sorted them into sub folders and gave them names I wanted to appear on their roll titles. At that point I drug each folder over to the library in the left hand column of iPhoto and let them import. After they imported, I hit delete on the folders on my desktop with the belief that they now resided in iPhoto.
I tried dragging a couple of photo onto my desktop so that I could resize them and post them on a forum and it said I couldn't access them because the original was in the trash. I looked at the information panel in iPhoto and it listed all the data, including file size. Here's where I made my terrible mistake. I thought that the computer did not like there being two copies of the originals, one being in the trash, so inspite of the "This action cannot be reversed" warning, I deleted the trash.
Now it appears all I have in my library is the alias of each photo. It will allow me to enlarge the photo momentarily before it tells me there is no original and goes to the dreaded gray blank with the dashed line.. WHY? I imported it. I don't understand.
Am I simply out of luck with this one? Is my only option to size the images of my lost photos to the largest I can before they turn to ghostly blanks and use grab to salvage the small image that's left? Oh how tedious, but I need some of those images! I know the pixels will be gone and the size is less than I want but some I could still use on the forum I want to post them on. I am so disheartened about this.
What's even more aggravating is that this is an empty hard drive and I could have easily drug them out of the trash and put them all in a folder with no strain on my memory. I'm just so used to being up against the wall with no memory left that I hit delete. I'm kicking myself pretty hard right now!

MacLoyal:
Did you have iPhoto's Advanced preferences set to NOT copy the files into the library when importing? It sounds like it, particularly the Originals folder contains nothing but alias files. If that's the case then you were required to keep those files you so carefully organized in folders. Those are the source files. If you haven't used your Mac a lot you may be able to recover most of them with SubrosaSoft FileSalvage. You can download and run it in demo mode to see who many of the image files it can see and recover before committing to purchase.
Also if you haven't reused the memory cards MediaRECOVER can recover them. It too has a demo mode to see what it can recover.
Bottomline: using the alias mode you must retain those files you imported into iPhoto and should have them in their permanent location before importing.
Do you Twango?

Getting old data onto new hard drive

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