HT204350 Trouble transferring data between laptops using Time Machine

I am trying to migrate data from Time machine from my old MacBook to my new MacBook Air. I'm using Migration Assistant but when I connect the external hard drive that has my time machine backups on it, the new laptop doesn't appear to be reading anything. It has been plugged in for an hour and still says "looking for other sources" as if the hard drive wasn't even there.

I had the same problem, and the reply above led me to the solution: You actually have to click the disk icon shown above the never-ending "Looking for other sources" text. Once you select the icon then you can click Continue. Hope that helps!

Similar Messages

  • Can my Acer laptop use Time Machine wi-fi?

    Can my Acer laptop use Time Machine wi-fi? Is there some Apple proprietary software
    that prevents me from accessing the security
    enabled wireless network?

    Chances are, your Time Capsule's wireless security settings are using WPA2 Personal encryption, which is a very popular industry standard used by both PC manufacturers and Apple.
    You can confirm this as follows on your MacBook:
    Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utillities > AirPort Utility
    Click Manual Setup
    Look for the Wireless Security setting (about half way down the page)
    What setting do you see?
    If your Time Capsule is using WPA2 Personal security, then you would need to check with Acer Support to see if the laptop is capable of connecting to a WPA2 Personal wireless network.

  • Will external hard disk with firewire help me to back up my laptop using time machine?

    Hi,
    I have macbook pro from 2011 with 750GB hard disk and I try to back up my hard disk using time machine for the first time.
    I used time machine before in the previous OSX versions but I had to format the external disk.
    I have an external Western Digital hard disk with 3TB space. It has only usb connection.
    When I try to backup all my data (650GB) the speed is 25GB per day, so it will take me about a month to backup my disk.
    It's my work laptop, so I can't leave it for backup for more than 2-3 days.
    I read a lot of forums and tried to see if the small speed is only at the beginning of the back up.
    I also tried all the tricks with turning off the spotlight indexing and so on.
    Nothing really helps, so my question is:
    Is it going to help, if I buy an external disk with a firewire connection? Will I be able to backup my data in 2-3 days?
    Thanks,
    Arshavski Alexander

    A Firewire drive would only be about twice as fast as USB 2, so you're still looking at 15 days. Something isn't right.  I'm usinge FW800, and my my 1TB backs up overnight.
    Take a look here and see if anything helps: http://pondini.org/TM/D2.html

  • HT5139 I recently backed up my daughter's laptop using time machine.

    I backed up her then (last month) new hard drive (the old one just died and was replaced under warranty with a fresh new drive) to an external drive using Time Machine (the back-up was done AFTER all the third party software was installed). Her new room mate fried the machine with an accidental coffee spill. She's now replace the laptop with a brand-spanking-new version (aaarrrrgggghh!). How does she retrieve her data and software (esp her brand-spanking new copy of Microsoft Office for Mac)? The system software was up-to-date before the spill, and the new laptop is, of course, up-to date.
    Many mahalos and blessings in advance for your help. You guys are awesome!
    Tom

    When the Mac is first started up either as a fresh and new system or after a recovery boot, wipe and restart sequence, OS X can migrate in the data from the old backup.   This process uses the Setup Assistant stuff when first installed, or uses Migration Assistant.   The difficulties here tend to arise if (when?) this migration is not started at first use, and the user's old and new files and tools have begun to diverge.

  • Trouble transferring iPhoto library from a time machine back up.

    Hi!
    I recently upgraded to the new OS and decided to do a clean install as my mac book pro is running a little slow. I did a time machine back up to save my files. When i went to put my iphoto library back it would not work as i needed the newest version of iphoto (i think i had the same one from when i got the laptop in 2009!). So i updated to the newest version and was able to retrieve the photos. The problem is i now have multiple copies of photos some with good and some with poor quality. I also have multiples of many photos and thousands of 'faces' grabbed by iphoto. Now with almost 40,000 photos its almost impossible to sort through. Any ideas how i can get my old, organized library back?
    Thanks so much!
    Erin

    You need to restore the library from the TM backup by opening TM
    and doing it from within TM:
    OT

  • Transferring profiles between computers via time machine

    This may be a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway.  My new MBPR is one of the ones with a faulty battery in the 100k+ thread below, and Apple agreed to send me a brand new one.  The problem is, they're not sending it until they receive the defective one back.  I need to migrate over the profile to this new computer.  Files aren't my concern, as they're all backed up - but my profile and network settings are. 
    In my company, our Mac "specialist" took a new job, and they're in the process of trying to replace him.  So, I don't want to go through the nightmare of reconfiguring the network settings on the new machine. 
    But, if getting a new machine is the only option - is it possible to restore that sort of thing from a HD backup, the same way that you would migrate in a direct connection from computer to computer?

    Make a Time Machine backup of your current computer. When the new computer arrives, use Setup Assistant to restore the Time Machine backup of your old computer to your new computer. Your new computer will then be identical to your old computer...network settings and all.

  • Can I use Time Machine to backup to partition on external drive and a Time Capsule?

    Trying to plan in advance...
    I was wondering if I can (with a laptop) use Time Machine for both:
    1. Creating Time Machine backups on a partiion of an external drive. My plan was going to create  2 partitions: one to be used for Time Machine backups of another external hard drive (that holds all of my media) and then the other partition was going to be a bootable clone of my internal drive (totally separate from Time Machine)
    and
    2. Also use Time Machine for my Time Capsule, to create Time Machine backups of my internal drive.
    Is this possible? I had heard that you can't use TM to make backups to a partition on an external drive, AND use it for another drive (like Time Capsule) at the same time. But I would think that this should be possible-
    Thanks everyone-

    Yes you can, and if you are using Mountain Lion it's easy.
    If you are using Snow Leopard (as in your profile - this is the Mountain Lion forum), you have to manually select the backup volume each time. Tedious, but possible.
    Read Apple Support Communities contributor Pondini's FAQ on that subject: "Rotating" Time Machine backup disks

  • HT201250 Will using Time Machine on my external drive, reformat or wipe my external drive?

    I need to backup my whole computer, and was wondering if I can do this with Time Machine using my external hardrive. The problem is, that I am using this same external hardrive for other things and I don't want to lose that data. Will using Time Machine wipe my external hardrive? Apple did not make it so clear in their guide on using Time Machine, but I have a feeling that it must reformat the hardrive. If my hunch is correct, is their any other way I can backup my computer using an external hardrive without having to wipe it? I was thinking about just dragging Macintosh HD into a folder on my hardrive and letting the file transfer. What are the downsides of doing this?
    NOTE: Don't know if this makes a big difference, but I am running OS X 10.8.3

    If the drive is not formatted correctly for Time Machine, then it will have to format it. But, it won't do that automatically. It will ask if you want to use that disk for Time Machine when you attach it.
    You can have Time Machine on a drive with other data. See Pondini's Time Machine FAQ: http://pondini.org/TM/3.html

  • Cannot back up using Time Machine - MacBook OS X 10.5.8

    Hello there
    I am having trouble backing up my files using Time Machine.
    I was using an old external hard disk. When I started using Time Machine, I didn't know about partitioning it. It worked for about 2 years until around the February of this year. I kept getting the error message "Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume." The advice on the Apple web page suggested only restarting the computer and trying again. This didn't work. I then read about partitioning the external hard disk. I tried that and I still had the same error message. I came to the conclusion that my external hard disk was just getting old and wasn't up to the job.
    So today I bought a new external hard disk. I partitioned it and then tried again with Time Machine. And I had the exact same problem. With about 10GB to go on the back up, the same error message appeared.
    What can I do to get Time Machine working again? Could it be a corrupt file? Any advice would be very welcome. I am very nervous that I currenlty have no back up.
    Thanks.

    Pondini, one of the high level users of these forums has compiled a great reference page for Time Machine. It includes this page which seems like it addresses your question.
    Best of luck.

  • Use Time Machine for transferring data to new drive

    2008 pre-unibody 17" 250GB MacBook Pro4,1 - 2GB RAM, 10.6.8, 2.5ghz
    How can I use Time Machine to transfer data to hybrid 1TB Seagate SSD?

    Hi V.K., was just reading your instructions for jumper25 about transferring all info to a new HD and had a question. I am in the same situation where i have bought a new 320Gb to replace the OEM 120Gb in my MBP. Everything is very straight forward from what you have posted but i only have the original Tiger 10.4.9 install DVD and I am running Leopard 10.5.5. Will I be able to use my Tiger install disk and then use my TM back up even though it Leopard? Or will I need a Leopard install disk to complete? Also is there another way around this problem if i can not use the Tiger disk such as mirroring the 120Gb disk on to my 320Gb?
    Thanks in advance for your time and expertise.
    P.

  • I recently upgraded my Macbook pro with a new Hard Drive.  I then transferred the data using Time Machine.  Now when I want to backup using Time Machine again, it won't do it as it did before to the same external HD.  How can I get it to reconnect?

    Purchased a new, larger solid state drive to replace my old drive.  I installed OSX then I had Time Machine do it's magic. 
    Now when I want to do a backup using Time Machine, it tells me that the external HD is full.  When I did so prior to upgrade, it would erase old backups and then do a new backup.
    Please help.  I am worried about losing files, and am tired of seeing the "Time Machine hasn't backed up in xxx days" Error Message.
    Thanks.

    it thinks yours is a new machine so it doesn't want to start deleting another machine's backups
    see the bottom of this page
    http://pondini.org/TM/19.html

  • Old computer I had is OSX Snow Leopard with Entourage. New one is OSX Mavericks. Using Mail where are my addresses and old address book. Transferred old computer backup by Time Machine and other things work? Can't see a symbol for address book.

    Old computer I had is OSX Snow Leopard with Entourage. New one is OSX Mavericks. Using Mail where are my addresses and old address book. Transferred old computer backup by Time Machine and other things work? Can;t see a symbol for address book.

    Where are addresses kept on MAIL?  I don;t like the new format at all. Frances
    Begin forwarded message:
    From: Frances Topping <[email protected]>
    Subject: Re: - Old computer I had is OSX Snow Leopard with Entourage. New one is OSX Mavericks. Using Mail where are my addresses and old address book. Transferred old computer backup by Time Machine and other things work? Can't see a symbol for address book.
    Date: August 25, 2014 at 9:46:01 AM EDT
    To: discussions-replies <[email protected]>
    Old Entourage is POP and new Mavericks MAIL  is IMAP I believe. I don;t know how to export in the forms you mention. Frances

  • I have a powerbook G4 with macosx10.5.8 (as far as I know the latest possible OS with powerPC). Can I use Time Machine to restore my data on an Intel Macbook?

    I have a powerbook G4 with macosx10.5.8 (as far as I know the latest possible OS with powerPC). Can I use Time Machine to restore my data on an Intel Macbook?

    Well the newer TimeMachine model as stated in current Support pages isn't directly compatible on OS X 10.5 now, as noted in above link provided.
    What OS X does your newer MacBook have running in it? (Not linux?)
    With the current setup you have there may be a way -among other details in the support page- to do the migration of data from Mac, including a subnote on Time Machine, in a section below the main article with triangle by it,  from links here:
    •OS X: How to migrate data from another Mac using Mavericks 10.9:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5872
    •OS X: How to migrate data from another Mac using Mountain Lion 10.8 and Earlier:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4889
    In the support articles there are various troubleshooting and help items about the technology, some data back some time and whatever still stands would be there. Some archives are no longer current and say so.
    Perhaps someoone still using older PPC Macs and Leopard 10.5, will say how to backup into a G4 PowerBook, from a Time Machine.
    Unless the TimeMachine backup from the older PPC G4 PowerBook is used in the migration process of transferring personal account files from there to a new MacBook running (?) OS X. This probably could be done. You may be able to access older libraries, such as iPhoto, iTunes, etc and import them from the archive, to a newer Intel-based MacBook.
    Sorry for any confusion.
    I'll more carefully reply in the future.
    Good luck & happy computing!
    PS: a different direction on archives, time machine, clones, and other devices:
    •About Time Machine - Time Machine vs. Clones and Archives:
    http://pondini.org/TM/Clones.html
    •Apple OS X and Time Machine Tips:
    http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
    {edited to add link details}

  • I am trying to restore my old Macbook Pro data using Time Machine on a new Mackbook Air from external hard drive, but when I install I get two different loggin accounts and I only want one loggin account

    I am trying to restore my old Macbook Pro data using Time Machine to a new Macbook Air from an external hard drive, but when I restore I get two diferrent loggin accounts and I only wnat one loggin account to access all my data/files?

    This web site might answer all of your Time machine questions:
    http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html
    Ciao.

  • How can I restore my data from iCal? I didn't make any backup, but I use  time machine with an external HD. I deleted iCal when I deleted my gmail account. I have tried to restore, but I can only restore the iCal software and not the data.

    How can I restore my data from iCal? I didn't make any backup, but I use  time machine with an external HD. I deleted iCal when I deleted my gmail account. I have tried to restore, but I can only restore the iCal software and not the data.

    So what is your question?
    If you forgot your encryption password:
    Warning: Make sure it's a password you will remember or write it down for safekeeping. If you encrypt an iPhone backup in iTunes and forget your password, you can't restore from backup and your data will be unrecoverable.
    If you can't remember the password and want to start again, you must perform a full software restore and chooseset up as a new device when iTunes prompts you to select the backup from which to restore.
    The above comes from here:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946

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