Manual Migration

A bit of a philosophical question, perhaps, possibly to be filed under "old dog can't learn new tricks", but I've gone through seven Macs and more OS radical updates I care to count in some 25 years, we thought going from OS 6 to the famed "System 7" was terrifying, almost a millennium bug thing, in those days...
Well, it was a breeze then, really, but things got a lot more complicated with time, if you still want to move your essential System and Application related files to a new computer "by hand". It was just a matter of copying a couple of Preferences files, maybe an Extension or three, and Bob was your uncle then, there's a million places with bits and pieces these days, and you can't even find your own User Library anymore (not easily at least), can't begin to fathom why...
I know there's a Migration Assistant supposed to deal with that, and it's not even that I don't trust it... well... old habits and all that...
I guess the basic problem is that I don't want ALL files from my old computer moved to the new one, I'm not sure how far I can "fine-tune" the Migration Assistant in that respect and I'm not sure how to go about that hardware-wise, either...
Starting point is a 2007 iMac 24", stuff to be moved to a current Mac Mini, so no FireWire direct connection is possible (I guess...).
All workfiles are being moved via an external LaCie HD (Thunderbolt/USB3) and/or a USB3 pendrive (you do forget stuff ). Further shareable item is a NetGear modem/router, still boxed (got that yesterday).
Well, summing up, and sorry about that bit of a rant, I'd like to know if there's anything like a "Manual Migration for Dummies" type of guide somewhere, but tips about using the Migration Assistant would be welcome too... I DO still want to learn new tricks, I just find it a bit hard

Unfortunately the information below won't help much if the hard drive damage prevents access to the files and folders you need to copy. If you have either Disk Warrior or Tech Tool Pro you may be able to repair the damage or at least repair it enough to get your data. If not then you may need to use data recovery software such as ProSoft's Data Rescue II.
<font "size=+1">Folders You Can Move to Your new Mac
From the Home folder copy the contents of Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, and Sites.
In your /Home/Library/ folder:
/Home/Library/Application Support/AddressBook (copy the whole folder)
/Home/Library/Application Support/iCal (copy the whole folder)
Also in /Home/Library/Application Support (copy whatever else you need including folders for any third-party applications)
/Home/Library/Keychains (copy the whole folder)
/Home/Library/Mail (copy the whole folder)
/Home/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist (* This is a very important file which contains all email account settings and general mail preferences.)
/Home/Library/Preferences/ copy any preferences needed for third-party applications
/Home /Library/iTunes (copy the whole folder)
/Home /Library/Safari (copy the whole folder)
If you want cookies:
/Home/Library/Cookies/Cookies.plist
/Home/Library/Application Support/WebFoundation/HTTPCookies.plist
For Entourage users:
Entourage is in /Home/Documents/Microsoft User Data
Also in /Home/Library/Preferences/Microsoft
Credit goes to another forum user for this information.

Similar Messages

Manually migrate iPhoto 8 Library to iPhoto 9.5

Hi, I have a new MBP. Instead of using the Migration Wizard, and I want to manually move documents from my old MBP to the new one. I want a clean system, as there is a lot of cruft on the old machine from many prior migrations from machine to machine.
My first attempt at moving the iPhoto Library did not go well. I got the Unreadable Files error (1300 files) and iPhoto just hung thereafter. So, I want to try again. But, perhaps I'm not clear on the process of how to manually migrate the iPhoto Library. I did the following - is this correct, or should I have done something else?
Carbon Copy Cloner backup to external HD
Copied iPhoto Library from backup HD to /User/Pictures/ folder on new MBP
Opened iPhoto. It started importing and I went to sleep.
Awoke to review iPhoto import: Result was Unreadable Files error and a hung iPhoto
I had the following folders in /Users/Pictures: iPhoto Library_2 (this is what I copied from backup), iPhoto Library.photolibrary
System details:
Old MBP:
OSX 10.6.8
iPhoto 8.1.2
New MBP:
OSX 10.9.4
iPhoto 9.5.1
Should I have followed a different process?
Thanks in advance.

You screenshot does not display for me so I'm answering with the benefit of seeing it.
Opened iPhoto. It started importing and I went to sleep.
Did you try importing the iPhoto 8 library into a new library or just try to open the V8 library directly with iPhoto?
Get a fresh copy of the library from the EHD into the Pictures folder on your new Mac and do the following:
1 - copy the iPhoto 8.1.2 application from the EHD to the desktop, rename it iPhoto 8.1.2.app and place in your Applications folder.
2 - launch iPhoto 8.1.2 with the Option key held down, select the library and try to open. If it opens OK close iPhoto 8.1.2.
3 - launch iPhoto 9.5.1 with the Command+Option keys held down to open the First Aid window. Be sure to follow the circled recommendation in the screenshot.
3 - run Option #4, Rebuild Database.

Manually migrating iPhoto and iTunes from Snow Leopard to Lion..

Hi all,
I received a shiny new iMac yesterday and in my haste to get it up and running, I began to run the migration assistant on wi-fi. Unfortunately, my 2006 macbook model is so old that my firewire cables don't actually fit the firewire port on the back of the iMac!!
11 hours later, there was still 40 hours left to go. At this point I manually quit the migration assistant. Partly because I have to work and to work I need to use a computer and partly because I realised that I don't want all the old crud from my previous system.. all I want is my iTunes (songs, apps, playlists etc) and my iPhoto to migrate.
The original admin account that the migration assistant was going to replace was still there. Everything seems to be working fine... I did a quick repair of disk permissions and all seems fine. So, I think I flirted with danger by quiting the migration assistant, but danger doesn't seem to have flirted back.
I've searched high and low on the web and I can't find any advice on migrating just your iPhoto and iTunes from Snow Leopard to Lion. I did read a post somewhere (relating to a migration to Leopard) where someone wrote that, for iPhoto, you simply had to replace your iPhoto Library in your pictures folder on the destination machine and then simply start iPhoto. iPhoto would upgrade the databases etc and all would be fine in the world. I cannot find a post online that suggests that this is also the case for Lion.
Can anyone here give me some hints on how to manually migrate the iPhoto and iTunes libraries over (and still preserve playlists in iTunes, albums/events in iPhoto etc)?
I figure that I cannot be the only person in the world who wants a "fresh start" on their machine, with the exception of iPhoto and iTunes.

Resident apple gurus at work have advised me to use the migration assistant and plug an ethernet cable between machines.
I'll give this a go and then go through the process of removing and cleaning up whatever old data I can.. but if someone posts a response to this question for me, I'll happily roll back in time-machine and go again in a cleaner way. :-)

Apple Mail Manual Migration 10.6 to 10.8

I am currently making the switch from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion. I have always manually migrated all of my data because I feel its better to give the hard drive a chance for some spring cleaning and get rid of the junk that accumulates over the years. Apple mail seems to organize the mail files a little differently than in 10.6. I see a V2 folder in it and I made a test account to compare with how my Mail folder looks, and they do look a bit different.
My Question:
I read in another forum that if you simply paste everything from the old mail folder to the new one (along with relevant preference and keychain files) that mail in 10.8 will do what it needs to do to organize them. Is this true? If I simply drag and drop everything from my old mail folder, will mountain lion mail recognize those files and work without a problem?

I'm in the process of upgrading from an early 2008 iMac with Snow Leopard 10.6.8 to a Mid 2011 iMac with Mountain Lion 10.8.3 and had a similar query but things seem to have gone smothly for me with a manual mail transfer / migration.
I have 3 email accounts but quite a lot of messages along with folders, rules, etc to filter them all. At the very least, I just wanted to get all the messages across in tact and preferably in the correct folders. I was willing to set up the rest manually.
I have actually managed to transfer all messages, folders (with structure), rules and mail accounts with all server details. All I had to do was provide the 3 passwords. The ML installation was clean from scratch (bought it 2nd hand) and I did not open Mail at all. I don't know for sure whether this is very important but I worked on the basis that it might be.
I managed this by first rebuilding every mailbox and folder on the SL iMac. I then quit Mail and in Finder, I navigated to the Library where I copied the 'Mail' and 'Mail Downloads' folders to a USB stick. I also went to the preferences folder (still in Library) and copied the com.apple.mail.plist file but also came across another apple mail plist file with a lot of numbers and letters so I copied that to the USB stick too. So I have two folders and two plist files.
On the ML iMac, I navigate to Library (with a Finder windo open, click on the Go menu, hold left option key and it will appear in the menu). For safety's sake, I made a copy of the existing Mail folder which contained a V2 folder and some stuff under that. I then deleted it from the Library and copied the two folders on my USB stick. There were no mail plist files in the preferences folder (presumably because I hadn't run Mail at all yet), so I dropped in the two plist files from my SL machine.
That was it, so I ran Mail which came up with a first time use screen, then there was a splash screen informing me that it was updating / upgrading my migrated mailboxes, etc and that this may take a few minutes. I didn't time it but it didn't take very long and then it asked for passwords for each of my email accounts. After that, Mail opened a proper displaing all mailboxes, smart mailboxes, folders, accounts, etc. Rules appear to be in tact. Looking at the library now and the folder structure has completely changed with a V2 folder and so on.
This is exactly what I was hoping to achieve and I didn't think it would work but for those moving from SL to ML, it can be done. If it hadn't worked, my next move was to upgrade the SL iMac to ML and then try to migrate that way.
Hope it helps someone.

How to manually migrate user data under Mountain Lion?

I want to manually migrate my user data from a cloned back-up to my iMac after a clean install of Mountain Lion. I do not want to use Migration Assistant because of the probabily of re-importing some of the problems I'm trying to fix. (This is at the tail end of a long trouble shooting process trying to fix a very very slow computer aftere a ML upgrade from Lion. Clean install of ML is a last resort)
There used to be an excellent list by Kappy (I think) on this sort of migration under earlier systems and from PPC to Intel. But that link seems to have been taken down.
We plan to reinstall all software from scratch after the clean install, so that is not an issue. And I know how to move the normal files in documents, music and the like. I am most concerned about are:
• Making sure I move the right files/folders in the Library related to Apple apps like iTunes, iPhoto, Address Book, Calendar, iWork apps, iPhone backups, etc. plus system/network settings.
• Are there other specific files/folders necessary due to iCloud that are new to Mountain Lion that need moved?
• How to do this in a way that ensures that all permissions will be OK under the new user?
The goal is a new fresh user on a clean fresh ML install that is identical to the current user in name, function and above all, permissions.
Can anyone provide a list of the main files/folders necessary to transfer ideally along the lines of Kappy's earlier and excellent guide?
Thanks for any help!!
~Roger

So long as you use iCloud for Mail, Contacts and Calendars, run software update(s) after installing each app, they will build new preference files for themselves. iTunes will back up the phone too. System settings are likely to change. I found the firewall off and energy saver preferences default. Trackpad options for tap to click and drag lock may change.
Some of the updates are quite large so it takes a few hours and you need any purchase key codes handy for re-registration of software.

Tips for manual migration from iBook G4 to MacBook

I have tried to use the migration wizard 4 times and it always gets stuck from my iBook G4 to my new MacBook.. I have reformatted my MacBook and will do the migration via and external Hard Drive manually. The documents are easy. Photos and Itunes is easy. Now I need help with manually migrating the following...
1. Safari and Firefox bookmarks, saved passwords, etc.
2. Mail, folders, history and accounts.
3. Other programs, i.e. Office, Photoshop, etc
Am I missing anything. I am sure I am overlooking some stuff that will make my move to the new computer much better. Can someone please post a "how to" bullet point list for the Mac challenged. Thanks!

You'll get more info posting here
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1219
as this a forum for Servers.
But just so you know, I wouldn't recommend using migration assistant to move more than documents from a G4 to an Intel Mac.

Manually migrating to new Mac: how to move iOS Apps

I am doing a manual migration from my old Mac to my new Air.
I understand (I think) how to move my itunes Music Library).
However, I don’t know how to move all of my iOS apps (some of which are installed on my iPad and iPhone and some of which aren't).
Thanks for your help!

I'm no expert on the iTunes library situation, I'll leave that for others.
I can help on the Aperture move. There are two possible answers.
If you have a Managed Library (all the Masters are inside the library), the job is easy. Just go to Finder and drag and drop it to the new location.
If any of your Masters are "Referenced Masters" (that is they live outside the Aperture Library), then you still move the Library as above, but DO NOT USE FINDER TO MOVE THE MASTERS!
You MUST use Aperture's "Relocate Masters" function to do the move of the Masters. If you move them using Finder, Aperture gets all confused, and while it is possible to straighten the mess out, it's not fun.
Most people have a "Managed Library", so it's probably very simple.
To tell if you have "Referenced Masters", go into Browser and select 'Photos" in the Library Inspector, click on one image and select all images (Command-a).
Then choose "Locate Referenced Files..." in the File menu. If it says "No Referenced Files", you have your answer - it's a totally "Managed" Library, so drag and drop it.
If you have got Referenced Masters and need help, post back.
Hope this helps
John

Manual Migration to Mountain Lion: but can't see the home library folder.

Hi,
This is my first post in the Apple support community.
I'm moving from iMac running Snow Leopard to my MacBook Pro retina running Mountain Lion.
I only want to move what I really need, and leave all the old software and old files behind.
I put the MacBook Pro in target disc mode and started moving things through a FireWire 800 cable, connected to a Thunderbolt port through an Apple adapter.
Until I came to the items in the home library folder to move - and, of course - I couldn't see the home library folder on my retina MacBook Pro.
The key question is: can I make it visible for the time of the move?
Should I put the old iMac in target disc mode and handle the move from the retina Macbook Pro side and unhide the library folder using the Command + Shift + G keystroke?
Or are the days of manual migration over due to the hidden home library folder?
Applecare support noted I should use the migration assistant, and that I could chose the files I wanted to move.
Can you really do it in such a detail as during a manual migration?
Thanks!

Choose Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu and provide ~/Library/ as the path.
(73480)

Manual Migration vs. Migration Assistant

I am finally going to upgrade my Mac Pro to Mavericks. It is currently running SL 10.6.8. I will definitely perform a clean install and then reinstall all applications manually. But I can't decide if I should use the Migration Assistant to move my data over or if I should do it all manually.
Reason for a completely manual migration:
A clean start. My system currently contains over a decade's worth of clutter. My user library folder is several hundred GB in size and I have no idea what most of the stuff in there is. It's a mess and it doesn't feel right.
Reason for using migration assistant:
It basically guarantees that nothing important is forgotten and - more importantly - it automatically takes care of stuff that can be very troublesome to transfer manually, like Mail data for example. The Migration Assistant seems safer in this regard than a completely manual migration.
What do you think?

I would use neither of those, and use Setup Assistant instead. Setup Assistant is available right after you boot up from your newly upgraded system; it asks you if you want to transfer your data over. Answer yes. It will be quick and easy. Answering no and attempting to do it later, whether by Migration Assistant or by manual copying, is usually a mistake in my experience.

I'm manually migrating from 10.4 to 10.6 and I have a few synch questions

hello,
I have a more or less corrupt installation of 10.4 (you know, boot issues, permissions going whack every now and then, lots of procrastinating about it) that I'm finally going to wipe completely clean so I can start over with 10.6. but since I am not making a simple upgrade and since I can't just use time machine and have to back everything up manually onto an external firewire drive, I have a few questions. I would be extremely glad if you could give me a few hints, pointers, ideas.
iphone
I have a 3gs and I don't want to lose all my data on it. I don't want to (a) not be able to access my songs after installing the new os and (b) I don't want it to wipe the phone when I connect it. I heard my phone will be authorized without any problems once I enter my itunes store email/password but I wanted to check with you guys since I can't check myself. is this correct?
itunes
I'd love for my library and playlists to show up just as they are right now. is there a way to achieve this or do I need to import it all anew and create new playlists?
stickies
last time I migrated the stickies file I copied from and pasted into the applications folder didn't work. bummer. so I exported stickies once and only realized every export I did only copied one stickie and not all of them. there must be a shortcut, right?
safari
I currently use pithhelmet to block banners in safari3 but it seems simbl isn't working in safari4 yet, so I need to find an alternative. any recommendations? you know, for aggressive banner blockers that actually work?
that's a lot and I thank you for even reading this far. anyone trying to help me out here please allow me to thank you already. I'm just way nervous I'm gonna miss something, thus all the questions.

memos to the future wrote:
hello,
I have a more or less corrupt installation of 10.4 (you know, boot issues, permissions going whack every now and then, lots of procrastinating about it) that I'm finally going to wipe completely clean so I can start over with 10.6. but since I am not making a simple upgrade and since I can't just use time machine and have to back everything up manually onto an external firewire drive, I have a few questions. I would be extremely glad if you could give me a few >hints, pointers, ideas.
I would move to Sno only if proper precautions are taken. More specifically, as suggested by V.K., I wouldn't do it unless I first made a bootable clone of my internal volume on and external drive partition. Your clone would be your backup, minor migration medium, and fail-safe device.
From what you have said, I definitely would do an erase and install. But, note also that, after an erase and install of Sno, the more you recover from your clone the more likely you are to bring problems with your Tiger install to your Sno install.
So, I would drag and drop my files from Tiger to Sno using [this guide|http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6185507]. Before doing so, I would acquire [Preferential Treatment|http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/22790] and use this app to fix your user preferences--the items in your User/Library/Preferences folder(s). And, I would not migrate my users, settings, or apps.
Check the Sno [compatibility of all your software and hardware here|http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/forum:start]. By checking you will know where software and hardware hot spots are likely to be before doing your erase and install.
iphone
I have a 3gs and I don't want to lose all my data on it. I don't want to (a) not be able to access my songs after installing the new os and (b) I don't want it to wipe the phone when I connect it. I heard my phone will be authorized without any problems once I enter my itunes store email/password but I wanted to check with you guys since I can't check myself. is this correct?
I can't help you with this issue.
itunes
I'd love for my library and playlists to show up just as they are right now. is there a way to achieve this or do I need to import it all anew and create new playlists?
The guide I linked will help you with iTunes. I am not positive if everything >will be as it is now.
stickies
last time I migrated the stickies file I copied from and pasted into the applications folder didn't work. bummer. so I exported stickies once and only realized every export I did only copied one stickie and not all of them. there >must be a shortcut, right?
I can't help you with the stickies issue.
safari
I currently use pithhelmet to block banners in safari3 but it seems simbl isn't working in safari4 yet, so I need to find an alternative. any recommendations? >you know, for aggressive banner blockers that actually work?
I am unaware of a replacement for pithhelmet. But, there should be a Sno compatible beta or release pretty soon I believe. Here is a quote from the pithhelmet website.
"A very early beta release for PithHelmet 3.0 is now available. You must have already installed SIMBL-0.9.x. I tried to build a .mpkg metapackage, but apparently that doesn't work at all under Snow Leopard. I wasted nearly 6 hours trying to figure it out (thanks Apple) but to no avail. "

Q on new set up, manual migration iTunes (Library)

Hello all,
I am getting a brand new iMac very soon and this time, I have decided I am not going to use Migration Assistance to migrate everything from my 3-year old iMac, simply 'cause there is just "too much trash" in it that I do not want to move over.
Plus, now a lot of mine 'personal' settings are iCloud-based, so all I need is to sign in my Apple ID/iCloud ID and most of my stuffs like contacts, calendars and emails will be in place.
One of my major concern is my iTunes (library).
If I manually copy over from User (home folder) > Music > iTunes, to the new iMac.
Everything will be in place? Including all the Playlists etc I have created?
Thank you very much and have a great day.

Hello mightymartin,
Thanks. I have checked my User-Shared folder and it is empty.
Anyway what matters most is the
Playlists I've created 'cause some are mix-and-match songs compiled into a playlist
The rest of the media - songs, shows etc
Not so much of the apps 'cause I know I can re-download them again, actually so are all the media since I am on iCloud and I have iCloud Match.
So it is the data/Library file that is probably the most important
Cheers

HFM Application Manual Migration w/o LCM

Hi Gurus,
I want to migrate the HFM 11.1.1.3 application running on Oracle 11g database from Production to Development environment. Both system are running on Windows 2003. The LCM is not an option here due to some internal issues. I need help how to move the application manually from one environment to the other and looking for help from you Gurus.
Regards
Shashi

Chris,
I tried to run the Copy Utility but getting message "You must migrate the application using BPMA instance". Can I use any other manual method like database export import and moving the Application File System etc ?
Thanks for reviewing and suggestions.
Shashi

Manually migrating mail from Snow Leopard to Mavericks via Time Machine backup

Just performed a clean install of Mavericks 10.9.2 onto my computer and I would now like to manually bring in my mail from my time machine backup. Can you tell me what files to copy over and in exactly what folder they should go? P.S. I don't want to use migration assistant because Mail is the only thing I care about carrying over. Thank you.

If the two machine's have two different username/password combos, you cant' do what you want. The only solution is to create a duplicate account on the MB, mimicking the one on the iMac and then copy the Mail folder into that user's Library folder. Then, use that as your primary user account, deleting the the useless other one.

Partial, manual migration

I've been using a MacBook Pro while deployed to Iraq. Now that I am back, I'd like to move my some stuff back to my Mac Pro and make it my primary computer. Does anyone know the best way to migrate only my e-mail data; aperture library; and my safari bookmarks?

Your email data should be in <yourhomefolder>/Library/Mail. If you can and if you want to replace all the email data on the Mac Pro, and both Macs are running the same version of Mail, I'd copy the entire folder. Once you launch mail with the "new" data, you may need to use the menu option Mailbox > Rebuild to rebuild each mailbox. This approach won't help if you're trying to add email from the MacBook Pro to the email that's already on the Mac Pro. It also won't work if the two Mac's aren't using the same version of Mail.
As for the Aperture library, I don't use that, but I'd start by looking in your user's Pictures folder.
Your Safari bookmarks should be in one of the files in <yourhomefolder>/Library/Safari, but I'm not sure which one.
Two more comments:
1) You posted your message in the Mac OS X v10.7 Lion section, but your system details mention OS X 10.6.2. What you need to do will depend on those details.
2) If you're running OS X 10.7 Lion, you'll have to hold down an option key when you pull down the Finder's menu option Go > Go to Folder to see the Library folder.

Manually migrate Mail 8.2 rules - yosemite

I have an old IMac running yosemite with Mac Mail 8.2 and I would like to copy the rules to my new IMac. I have over 50 rules with many different filters and recreating would take very long and I am trying to keep the new machine clean by only migrating select files.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select LibraryMail/V2/MailData/SyncedRules.plist.

Manual Migration

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