How do i transfer files an external hard drive to a new macbook pro

how do i transfer files from an external hard drive to a new macbook pro?

thank you.  i did that with my old computer, and it saved it as a whole other computer on my new macbook.  now if i do the same for the external hard drive, i guess it will save it as another separate computer on the new one.  so i guess what i should have asked is, is there any way to copy my whole old computer and external, but have the files integrated into the new mac, so i don't have to log in and out of 3 computers just to use my old programs or to see pictures or movies or files from the past.  ???  and i now have the apple tv and i have to turn on my macbook and log into the old computer to see certain old files and pictures or home movies????  there has to be an easier way???

Similar Messages

  • How do I transfer files from external hard drive to my new macbook

    I am new to apple and just received my lap top today, and i'm pretty clueless. When I connect my external drive to the mac it recognizes it and I see my files however I can not figure out how to transfer them to the hard drive on the mac. Any help would be appreciated I am sure there is an easy solution. Thanks.

    Have you tried selecting the files you want to transfer on the external drive and just dragging them to your new Mac's desktop?
    lenn

  • How do i transfer files from my external hard drive to my new macbook pro?

    how do i transfer files from my external hard drive to my new macbook pro?

    Hi niel, when I open my hard drive in my mac, I cannot find any files in there. I guess its not reading my hard drive.

  • How do i download my files from an external hard drive to my new macbook pro

    how do i dowload my files from my external hard drive onto my new macbook pro?

    Can you not just drag them from the external drive to a folder on your new computer?

  • How can I transfer files from my 2007 iMac to my new MacBook Pro?

    How can I transfer files from my 2007 iMac to my new MacBook Pro?  It cannot be does over wi-fi as my old computer is too old.  Please advise!

    Use a Thunderbolt to Ethernet or FireWire adapter.
    (95019)

  • How do I transfer files from external hard-drive onto Macbook Pro?

    How do I transfer files that were put on my external hard-drive (from my old Macbook Pro) via Time Machine onto my new Macbook Pro?

    I've already set up my new MacBook (which is Lion, I think the other mac had the snow lepoard version)...so I guess I'll have to use the Migration Assistant, not the Setup Assistant?  I know if I do that it'll set up a new user account instead of synching it up like I wanted but that's OK.  But when I plugged my external drive into the new mac, it just backed up the mac and didn't give me an option to transfer files.  I guess I'll study this link and see if I can't figure it out...thanks for the link!  If you have any other advice about specifically migration assistant, let me know...

  • 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

  • I have connected an external hard drive to my new macbook pro.  I only have read access.  How do I copy folders to the external hard drive?

    I have a new Macbook pro retina.  I have connected a WD external hard drive, but have only read access.  I want to back up my computer, and have the ability to archaive files.  Any suggestions?

    I have connected a WD external hard drive, but have only read access.
    As ds store already pointed out, if the drive is formatted as NTFS, you can't write to it. Fortunately, the fix is easy, just erase the hard drive using Disk Utility as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
    I want to back up my computer, and have the ability to archaive files.  Any suggestions?
    Backups and archival backups are not necessarily the same thing. An archival backup is to be kept indefinitely far into the future, and should never be changed after it is created. That does not mesh well with being on the same drive as a backup maintained day-to-day. Ideally, archival backups should be written to one drive - possibly multiple backups, but each one should never be touched after it is written - and other backups should be maintained with greater frequency on one or more other drives.
    You can get a bit of compromise with an incremental backup, like what Time Machine does. That will keep old data as long as there's still free space on the drive, then will start removing the oldest copies of files to make space for newer stuff when necessary. Another alternative is the way Carbon Copy Cloner does incremental backups, where the data keeps piling up until the drive is full and then the backups fail until you remedy the situation. (This could allow you to fill up a drive and then put it on a shelf as an archival backup and start a new backup on a new drive.)
    If you can specify more what you want to do, we can advise you better.

  • If I buy an external hard drive for my new MacBook Pro with the retina display, can I play The Sims 3 on it?

    Hi!
    I recently bought the new MacBook Pro with the new retina display, but since it does not have a dvd/cd drive, I was going to buy an external one. I think I will be able to use it to watch dvds, but can I also play the computergame The Sims 3 on it? If not is there anything else I can do?
    Thank you!

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    You can try formatting the external drive on your eMac using Disk Utility and choosing a well-known format > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU1.html. It's quite possible that your new iMac would be able to read it, but first, tell us which formats Disk Utility lists.
    If you have those songs in iTunes, simply go to Music folder and copy the iTunes folder to the external drive. Then, connect it to the iMac and copy the iTunes folder to Music folder.
    If they are not in iTunes, copy your songs to the external drive. Then, connect it to your new iMac, open iTunes and drag the songs into it

  • How do i transfer data from a windows 7 external hard drive to my new macbook pro

    I had just ordered this MacBook Pro (first timer w/ mac) and was looking forward to transfering the data from the Dell XPS Studio to the MBP... When my wife called me at work to tell me:  While speaking with her mom on Skype (on the dell) ... she was trying to show her a bowl full of "shrimp"... yes "shrimp"... when she poured several ounces of shrimp water (salty/fishy) into the keyboad and trackpad of the Dell.
    It stopped working... 3 days later my (this) MBP arrived.. was able to start dell and use a mouse and keyboard... attempted data transfer with "Parrallels" software... and it failed ... Parrallels does not work with "OEM" sofware... Have to buy a seperately licensends Windows 7 software at $120 to make parrallels work.  Sent software back to Parrellels with nasty note...
    Dell computer began to stop responding... as the salty water/corrosion was reeking havoc on the electronics.  Took Dell to repair store where they removed and installed in to a SIIG Hi-Speed USB to Sata 2.5" Enclosure... The last time I attempted to transfer data I was very frustrated... as there are more than 120 gig... it takes a long time... only to find out it didn't work...
    Please help !!
    NOTE: I do have a 2T Time Capsule... that I'm "NOT" completley familure with as well... if this helps.

    Take the drive out of the enclosure and use a SATA to USB adapter for $12-$30 you can get online.
    The Mac can read NTFS drives, but not write files to that format unless you install more software which you will have to pay for and keep upgraded.
    Once you have your files off the drive, transferring manually via drag and drop methods, reformat it which will erase it, that way you can use it likely back in the enclosure as a storage drive.
    Avoid using gimmicky software to migrate for you, learn to do it by hand and then you'll always prefer this method for it's ease, control, reliability and directness in times of crises.
    Yes if you want to run Windows on a Mac, you need a licensed disk version. Parallels would be sued out of existence if they used a OEM copy.
    Drives, partitions, formatting w/Mac's + PC's

  • How do i transfer files from my hard drive to an external hard drive as FAT files?  Laptop hard dive is full and I need to clear space.

    How do i transfer files from my hard drive to an external hard drive as FAT files?  Laptop hard dive is full and I need to clear space.

    In Disk Utility use MS-DOS
    Try http://www.mactip.net/guide-how-to-format-an-external-drive-to-work-seamlessly-w ith-macs-and-pcs-without-third-party-software/ for additional directions.
    Allan

  • I have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk?

    i have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk through disk utilities without erasing data (but will it delete my programs such as photoshop, office, creative suite?

    Connect the computer to another Mac and put it in FireWire Target Disk mode, or use the Disk Utility to clone the drive or image specific folders with the USB drive as the target. After you've copied off everything you want, you'll likely need to erase the drive and reinstall the applications.
    (69695)

  • I just bought a MBA and I need to move my photos and itunes to an external hard drive (from my old MacBook Pro) because they won't fit on the Air.  I got the photos moved fine and I followed an online tutorial to move the necessary files for itunes, but i

    I just bought a MBA and I need to move my photos and itunes to an external hard drive (from my old MacBook Pro) because they won't fit on the Air.  I got the photos moved fine and I followed an online tutorial to move the necessary files for itunes, but it didn't work.  The files copied fine, but when I tell iTunes on the Air to look at the external drive for the library, it doesn't find anything.  What I copied was the entire iTunes Media folder.  So, how do I move the necessary iTunes files from my old Pro to a external drive so I can access them from my new Air?  Whew!

    iTunes- How to move the library to an EHD
    After you move the library you need to open iTunes by first depressing the OPTION key then launching iTunes. You will be given a choice of which library to use. This can then be made a permanent change, if you wish, in the Advanced section of iTunes preferences.

  • Hello! Help please! Best external hard drive preferably 1TB for macbook pro 2011. thank you!!!

    Hello! Help please! Best external hard drive preferably 1TB for macbook pro 2011. thank you!!!

    You can pickup any 1TB USB powered drive for about $100 at just about any local office supply store.
    It comes formatted FAT32 (MSDOS) for reading by OS X and Windows PC's.
    However if your files sizes are going to be larger than 4GB in size (like video tends to be) then your going to need to select the drive in OS X's Disk utility (in the Applicaitons > Utilities folder) and format the drive exFAT instead.
    exFAT is a drive format that 10.6.5 and later Mac's, Windows Vista and 7 machines can read just fine. XP machines need a free exFAT drive install from Microsoft.
    Do backup the 1TB to another 1TB drive using Carbon Copy Cloner or another backkup utility because 1TB is a lot of data to lose on a $100 drive.
    I don't advise the "port powered" USB drive as these tend to have power issues and with 1TB of data on it, very risky. Use a powered drive if you can all help it.

  • HT2729 Digital Copies to my IMac with external hard drive, then on my MacBook Pro I can see the movies, but if I close out my IMac, I can't access my movies on my laptop???  Can anyone help me out here?  Thanks.

    I have my itunes stored on my external hard drive of my IMac.
    I have started to put my Digital Copies to my IMac with external hard drive, then on my MacBook Pro I can see the movies, but if I close out my IMac, I can't access my movies on my laptop???
    Can anyone help me out here?  Thanks.

    I have my itunes stored on my external hard drive of my IMac.
    I have started to put my Digital Copies to my IMac with external hard drive, then on my MacBook Pro I can see the movies, but if I close out my IMac, I can't access my movies on my laptop???
    Can anyone help me out here?  Thanks.

Maybe you are looking for