HT4413 Migration Assistant for a brand new mac that has been used already?

My dad bought a Mini but has been using it for a few months but didn't transfer anything from his old Mac. All his address book entries and files are still on his original Mac. Can Migration Assistant still be of help to transfer over the data without erasing what he's accumlated on his new Mac? Is it going to write over his email for instance?
Thanks!

Migration Assistant is not the tool you need to use at this point. Instead you should manually copy the data you want from the old computer to the new computer. If both computers have Firewire ports then use Target Disk Mode - Transferring files between two computers using FireWire. Boot the old computer into TDM and the new computer normally. You should then find a disk icon for the old computer's drive on the Desktop of the new computer.
Before you do any of the described file copying below be sure you have quit Mail and Address Book if they are now open except where directed.
For Mail you open Mail and select Import from the File menu. Check the top option to import from Apple Mail. Navigate on the old computer to its /Users/username/Library/Mail/ folder and then locate a folder named "Mailboxes." Select the folder and click on the Open button. Select the mailboxes you want to import and click on the Import/OK button. This will import the old mail to a new set of mailboxes in Mail under a mailbox named Imported. You can then move the old mail to wherever you want in Mail.
For contacts locate the /Users/username/Library/Applications Support/AddressBook/ folder. Copy the entire folder to the new computer to the same location on the new computer.
Last, navigate to the /Users/username/Library/Preferences/ folder and copy these preference files: com.apple.mail.plist and all beginning with com.apple.AddressBook. Copy them to the same location on the new computer.

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