Migration Assistant - worth using?

Dudes,
Am just about to upgrade to a Unibody Macbook from a white MacBook and need to move all my stuff over.
The last time I did a transfer was when I went from a G4 iBook to the MacBook, and I meticulously copied over all the files and data I had using FW. Which took forever. And I had to redo all my settings too. I'm not sure whether I should have used Migration Assistant then, but I certainly have heard a lot more people talking about it now to give it some consideration for the new move.
Is it a reliable way to move all your data over? Does it really transfer all your files and data and settings? Does it leave anything behind (either in a good way, like caches, or bad way like stuff you might want to keep but have saved in an obscure location)?
Any thoughts/feedback/info appreciated.
Needless to say I'll backup using TM before I do anything and both Macs are/will be running Leopard.
One final question - sometimes it's good to start afresh when getting a new computer / OS, like a clean install. Would using MA to move everything over still maintain this "freshness/newness" of the new Mac, or will it overwrite everything from the crudded up OS on the old MacBook to the new MacBook? Hard to explain, but I'm sure some of you know what I mean
Thanks!
JC

So is it better to install all your apps fresh, then?
Yes. You should go to their web-sites and get the latest versions.
That's a shame as I was hoping that MA would cut out pretty much all the work of transfering my data from the old MB to the new one.
So it's OK for data (and user settings, prefs etc I presume) but not for much else?
The last time I used it, I let it move the applications, since I new they were all the latest versions. Most worked, but some were not able to do certain operations because some files did not have the special settings needed.
Is email included in your user files?
Yes, but the first time you use Mail it will rebuild its database to include all the old mail.

Similar Messages

MIgration Assistant Stalls using FW disk as source? New i7

Hi folks,
Just got my new i7 today and have a Firewire 800 connection to an external drive. When using the migration I chose to migrate from another disk rather than using my desktop as a target. It seem to go along fine until I got to 30 minutes remaining and then it seems to have stalled, The blue progress bar is still revolving, but it is not getting any further. I marked the location with mouse and it has been stuck for over 30 minutes.
I'm not sure what the problem is. The external does not seem to be asleep and the i7 beeps if I press any key on the keyboard as if it is busy. It says it is "transferring files and folders" from the target disk. The i7 is on external power and there is plenty of room on the local HD.
If this fails, what do i do? I suppose I have a corrupted migration?
Jeff

I tried using my desktop as a target disk, and it also failed with 42 minutes left. I wonder if I have a bad hard drive on my new laptop????

After Migration Assistant, Time Machine refuses to use old backups

I've got to say I'm pretty disappointed with Time Machine.
I just dropped $2,000 on my second-ever Mac, a 15" MBP (Core i7 2GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB 5200rpm hard drive, the stock low-end 15" config). From what I'd heard about Migration Assistant, I believed it would easily move my stuff over to my new Mac. For the most part it did, but a few things didn't transfer. Other posts on the topic detail them accurately - Desktop icon layouts, some settings, Growl, etc.
I told Migration Assistant to use my Time Machine backups, which have been happening without incident for a long time. My oldest backup is December 2010.
Now that my new MBP is about 99% set up like my old MBP, I am having a problem with Time Machine.
I get the error "Time Machine could not complete the backup. This backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 355.61 GB but only 176.44 GB are available."
Looking at the Time Machine drive in Finder, I found that Time Machine is trying to create a new folder for backups and do a full backup. Where there was once one folder, "[My Name]'s MacBook Pro," there is now an additional folder, "[My Name]'s MacBook Pro 2." Time Machine is trying to back up into that second directory.
Now, I get it that this is a different computer. But really, if I use Migration Assistant to restore my Time Machine backup, I think it would be safe for OSX to assume that I want to continue using those backups. What is especially disappointing for me is, there were things that Migration Assistant did not restore properly. I probably haven't found them all. That makes it CRUCIAL that I have my Time Machine backups, but it seems that Apple thinks it's perfectly normal for me to want to FORMAT my Time Machine drive after Migration Assistant did a half-*** job of migrating my data. I need those backups now more than ever.
I do also have an online backup, but I still don't feel very comfortable destroying six months of local backups just to make Time Machine work again. Both MBPs were running the same (latest) version of Snow Leopard, so it stands to reason all that needs to happen is a very small incremental backup.
I have been Googling for hours. All I've found is a procedure for 10.5 that doesn't work in 10.6 where I get down into the Terminal and change a MAC address in a file on the Time Machine volume. But that's it. In fact it seems like there's no answer.
Come on Apple, you do everything else better than the competition. Why do I have to nuke six months of backups or buy a new 2TB external drive to make Time Machine work again? I assure you I want to continue making incremental backups against my old Time Machine backups, and promise to hold you not responsible should I screw something up by grabbing an old system file or something from February.
Would appreciate any help anyone could offer.

Did you use Setup Assistant when your new Mac first started up, or skip that, create a user account, then use the Migration Assistant app in your Applications/Utilties folder?
If you used Setup Assistant, when you started your first backup you should have gotten the message in #B5 of Time Machine - Troubleshooting. It sounds like you didn't (or chose Start New Backup). And no, the Leopard procedure doesn't work on Snow Leopard. That's what #B5 is for.
Usually, if you use Setup Assistant, Time Machine will still say it's going to do a full backup, and make room for it, but actually do an incremental backup (very, very slowly).
Either way, it usually deletes a lot of old backups. We're hoping that will be fixed in Lion.
Once it's decide to make a new backup, there's no known way to prevent it.

Migration Assistant fails to recognize a Time Machine disk (itself migrated using Disk Utility)

So I outgrow my Time Machine disk. I listen to the advice (repeated in multiple places) that one can simply use Disk Utility's Restore tab, select the old time machine disk as source and the new one as destination, and click restore to copy block-by-block, then rename the disk.
This works very well. I have indeed been able to use Time Machine on the new disk without losing any of the history.
But now I am in trouble. I am also outgrowing my MacBook disk. I put a larger disk in and install Snow Leopard from scratch. Now Migration Assistant does not recognize the new Time Machine disk (perpetually spinning wheel). Renaming the disk to the old name does not help. M.A. does recognize the old Time Machine disk, but that means manually managing the changes (and giving up on the larger TM disk). I reinstall Snow Leopard and do not miss that time the option to restore from Time Machine, but it still does not see the new Time Machine disk.
How does one convince Migration Assistant to use a Time Machine disk that duly has Backups.backupdb as a root folder and where "ignore ownership on this volume" is not set?

Thanks, Pondini, but the Time Machine disk passes the Disk Utility repairs and only the spinning wheel was visible under both the Setup Assistant and the Migration Assistant.
I now have some good news, and some bad.
First the good news: Lion's Migration Assistant offers the option to copy user (and other) files from the previous OSX disk, not just the Time Machine disk. If this option was already in Snow Leopard, then I missed it.
Now the bad news..
I spent several hours reading (Pondini's and others') suggestions to ensure that my Time Machine is as seamless as possible, namely, for the next backup to be incremental. No luck: all user data are copied. Until the interface of Time Machine stops trying so hard to shield us naive users from making decisions on our own, one idea is to keep the iPod and pictures/video collection backed-up by the straight-forward rsync. Then whether Time Machine is really incremental will not matter, and in any case a spare copy of the documents you wrote by hand is nice in case the some blocks of the disk fail.
But I may have been the one who messed it. In Preferrences \ Time Machine \ Options... I excluded all users except the user "Admin" who restored the user accounts. The idea was to test first whether the mildest user will get a full backup. It may be that Time Machine does not look in the history to see if a given file or set of files already have some copy in the past. If a file does not exist in the very last backup, it is saved to the Time Machine disk.
If you're reading this and are keen on an incremental backup, try this: restore your user accounts using a user Admin, but do not start to backup until after the accounts are restored. Will the backup afterwards be incremental?

Migration Assistant with External Hard Drive

Can the Migration Assistant be used with an external hard drive which has a complete install of OS X on it?
I am finally upgrading my old iMac for a new iMac. I plan on harvesting the old iMac's 60 GB drive and put it in an external enclosure for added storage. Though the old one's firewire ports work fine, I thought it might be easier to migrate the old iMac's settings from the "new" external drive rather than going through the targeted disk mode and all.
Thanks for any opinions,
Michael
iMac DV, G3 400 MHz, Grape Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I did this just yesterday yesterday. I put a new disk into a G4 iMac, installed a fresh copy of Tiger on it and then migrated the user folders across from the old drive that I put in a firewire enclosure. Obviously if you go for an Intel Mac then you will have to be careful with the applications.

Migration Assistant in OSX 10.8.2

I have an ailing MBP 13" 2.26 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo w/ 8 gig of RAM, that depsite reinstalls of OSX 10.8.2, using Repair Permissions, etc in Disk Utilities from the installer disk, the Mac is still running irraticaly.
As a prior Apple Solutions Expert I find the best way to troubleshoot this is to wipe the drive clean and reinstall the software, etc. prior to replacing the HD altogether.
Can the Migration Assistant be used to successfully reinstall the User's Account data, such as for Mail data, etc., from a typical FW backup? And if so, are there any precautions, tips or techniques I should be aware of before starting, etc.?

Well, I bit the bullet, whiped the drive and did a clean install off a USB Drive -- unfortuately, the Setup Assistant does not see the FW drive and I had no other choice but to skip ahead and establish a temp account -- the install appears fine, did upgrades for Safari and iTunes and the FW drives are visible on the desktop.
However, Migration Assistant, as well as Setup Assistant, fail to recognize the FW drives as well. Kinda prblematic as it stands -- ideas?

Migration Assistant transferred applications but not other files

I just bought a new MacBook Air yesterday and connected wirelessly to my 2007 MacBook to transfer everything via Migration Assistant. All of my applications were transferred, however none of my 'desktop' or 'downloads' files made it over. I've tried twice now. Any ideas why that might be and what to try?

If the data is from another account, then they're there, but only accessable by the account that has ownership. Transfer those manually or use the other account to change the permissions outside of the home folder, or in the shared folder for that aaccount.
Transfer manually, anything else. Here's an in depth help guide for Time Machine and Migration.
http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html
Reason 105 of why Setup Assistant is better than Migration Assistant to use on a new Mac the transfer from an old Mac. You would not have had this problem.

Migration Assistant Crashes Every Time! Help!

Brief Version: Old computer crashes when Migration Assistant is used
Full version: I am the computer guru in my household. My mom was having trouble with her fully updated 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4 and Backup. I suggested what I used to do, which is use Migration Assistant to backup my Home folder onto a different computer. Since I have plenty of room after I quadrupled my hard drive on my fully updated 1.33 GHz iBook G4 capacity to 160 GB, I figured my hard drive would be able to house her home folder quite nicely. I start up Migration Assistant. I restart my mom's PowerBook in Target Disk Mode. The FireWire symbol is bouncing around like normal. I connect the two w/ FireWire. I go through the steps. I get to Select User Folders to Transfer or something. It keeps loading. I look at my mom's mac. The FireWire icon is not moving. I push the power button on my mom's mac. It doesnt turn off right away. It's crashed. I hold down the power to force it to shut down. I back up Migration Assistant and try again. I get through the select user folder screen. I get all the way to Transferring files. Fire wire stops moving again. I try repeatedly and I'm sick and tired of this! Please offer input!
iBook G4 1.33 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.9) Memory: 1.5 GB; Optical Drive: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-845; ATA Hard Drive: 160GB 5400RPM

Hi iBoy, Welcome to Apple's Users Help Users Forums.
Please tell us what offering you made to the computers. ;~)
Got any idea what you did differently?

Migration Assistant iMac & Power Mac G4

I'm new to Macs so I don't know if these are stupid question. My sister just bought a refurbished iMac Intel Core 2 Duo (still in box) to replace a dying Power Mac G4 (PowerPC). Can Migration Assistant be used for the following:
* Transfer applications (since the CPUs are different)?
* Transfer data via network or do I need Firewire cable?
TIA

Well I completed the Setup/Migration Assistant yesterday so I thought I'd report my experience.
After verifying that the firmware of the G4 was up to specs for the transfer I powered up the iMac. When I got to the Setup Assistant, I followed the instructions but after connecting the firewire cable, the iMac couldn't connect to the G4. I tried various ports, but without success.
I then realized that about a year ago my sister said that she was having problems with her Firewire ports and wanted me to install a firewire card that she bought.
I tried to use the ports from the addon card but that didn't work with Setup Assistant either. I moved the cable back to the built-in port and suddenly Setup Assistant recognized the G4, saying "A FireWire connection was established". Hmmm....
So I continued on. It shows the "Transfer your information" screen and at the bottom it says that it's "Calculating". It sits there for a while, but I wait. After 15 minutes I google and find a post of someone who was stuck at the same point.
http://discussions.info.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=12106549
After two hours I try restarting by clicking "Go Back" (I'm wary of shutting down and powering back up worried that I might not get back to Setup Assistant). I have problems getting connected with FireWire again. I'm frustrated...
I then try the "Use Ethernet" button and connect the two computers with an Ethernet cable. But then it says that I need the OS X Install Disc for the G4 and install the "DVD or CD Sharing Setup software". After a long search I find what I think is the correct DVD.
The instruction is a bit confusing. Step 2 it says to Open Migration Assistant (on G4) under the Utilities Folder. It's already there, so do I have to install the "Sharing Setup" software?
I bypass the installation and just run Migration Assistant (though the installation DVD is in the drive). I enter the passcode that is displayed on the new iMac. It seems to be working. It again shows the "Transfer your information" screen and displays "Calculating" at the bottom. But after a few minutes it shows the list of things to transfer!!!!
I select all items to transfer and start it off. After about 6 hours, about 90 GB was transferred.
So my take is, Setup Assistant works fine with a network cable. Perhaps it's slower, but it does work.

Migration assistant for videos

can migration assistant be used to transfer movies from an older iMac to a new iMac so that they are ready to be used by iMovies on the new iMac? The old iMac is running iMovies '11 version 9.0.9? The new iMac should have iMovies version 10.0.5.

The main difference is that MA is not a file by file tool. Furthermore, it will not write files into an already existing account. Drag and Drop can be used that way as can most any backup utility. If maintaining privileges is important then use a backup tool. Here are some good ones:
1. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Get Backup
3. SuperDuper!
4. Synk Pro
5. Tri-Backup
Others may be found at MacUpdate.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

Migration Assistant Restore From TM

Can an older TM backup be used by the Migration Assistant to restore the Home Folder or does it only use the most recent TM backup? How does one choose a particular TM backup for the Migration Assistant to use if, in fact, that is possible?

When using MA you can select from whatever Home folder backups are available depending upon how far back TM has maintained the Home folder.
For more help see Apple - Support - Discussions - Time Machine -- Frequently Asked Questions.

Upgrading: Migration Assistant & External Firewire Drive w/ Image

Hello, and thanks in advance for your guidance with this inquiry! I am considering upgrading from my PowerBook 12" to a current MacBook Pro 13": If I back up the PowerBook to an image via Disk Utility or SuperDuper and onto an external firewire drive and restore it there, will I be able to then use Migration Assistant to transfer that data to the MacBook-or can Migration Assistant be used only to transfer data directly between the two laptops? Thanks again so much, and a quick reply is especially appreciated since I may be selling my PowerBook tonight! : )
Best Regards,
Robert

Migration Assistant offers the option of migrating data from "Another volume" or something like that, which includes external hard drives. I used that option to migrate data from an external USB drive to my daughter's new unibody MacBook last December, when it proved impossible to migrate directly via Ethernet or FireWire connection from her old Powerbook running Panther. We cloned her internal drive to the USB drive using SuperDuper, and then the migration from that drive worked flawlessly.

Migration Assistant over ethernet crashes with wifi turned off

I am attempting to migrate data from one macbook (early 2008, 10.7.5) to a newer macbook (mid 20180, 10.9). Both systems are fully up to date. The connection I am trying to use is a gigabit ethernet connection and both systems are connected to the same gigabit ethernet hub and they booth have an IP address. Before I start Migration Assistant on both systems, I turn off wifi. I then start Migration Assistant on the newer macbook and get it to the point where it is looking for sources. I then start the Migration Assistant on the older macbook and set it to transfer data to another mac. At the newer macbook I can now see the older macbook and select it. I then see a code on the newer macbook and then on the older macbook. I select continue on the older macbook and continue on the newer macbook. At this point, I am assuming that the newer macbook is attempting to get a listing of users and settings to update. This is when the Migration Assistant on the newer macbook exits. The screen goes gray and then I see the login screen. It doesn't matter the order that I start Migration Assistant on the two macbooks, it always dies in the same way. The only way to get Migration Assistant to get to the point of selecting users and settings is to let the wifi connection stay on on the newer macbook. Unfortunately, I don't think that the newer macbook is using the gigabit connection to get the data. The estimated completion times goes all over the place, 2 hours, then 6 hours, then 24 hours, now 26 hours, after 2 and a half hours wall clock time. I also don't see any lights at the gigabit ethernet connection. I guess my question is two-fold:
1. Why is the Migration Assistant crashing? I can't find a log file conspicuously named that contains Migration Assistant log settings. By the way, I feel that Migration Assistant should have an option similar to the Installer that allows the user to see the log file messages while it is running.
2. How can I force Migration Assistant to use the gigabit ethernet connection?

What I have seen that I didn't mention is that Migration Assistant would always complete after many hours. I do have confidence that it would copy files over no matter how slow it was going. The fact that I could get Migration Assistant to crash just by turning off wifi before starting it is a little troubling but not critical at this point. What I was more concerned with was how to make it use gigabit off a switch rather than directly connect it (question 2) and how to ensure it was using gigabit ethernet by examining a log file (question 1). Since I already had gigabit connected, I was never asked to connect them together as you mention.

Migration assistant stuck on new 15' MBP. Help!

I've been having a terrible time with the migration assistant. I have a new 15'MBP retina fully loaded. Been trying for days to transfer my old applications, etc from my older 15' MBP. I could not do it through the wifi (tried but it just died after 18 hours). So I hooked up the computers with fw800 (with thunderbolt adapter on the new computer) and that didn't work. Then I backed up my old computer using time machine and am trying to setup new one with that backup but it's been 18 hours and seems yo be stuck. The bar is at the same place it was 8 hours ago. The estimated time went up from 3+ hours to 5 hours, so I guess something is happening even though the bar hasn't moved? I have about 350gb of stuff so I get it could take a while but it's been about 18 hours. What should I do! This is driving me crazy... I need to be up and running for work tomorrow.

Hello
try this
put your tow imac side by side then plug an ethernet cable between us , ethernet logo look like that
then on each imac desable wifi ( air-port )
go to system preferences -> network , you should see somthing like that
select from Configure IPv4 to MANUALY on both imac , then fill info for ehternet exactly as folow
for 1st Imac
for 2d Imac
then try launch again migration assistant , or use file sharing options on old imac
HTH
Pierre

Migration Assistant - individual users?

Just a shot in the dark here -- I would assume the answer is no.
I'm receiving my 20" iMac G5 tomorow, and I plan to set up user accounts for both myself and my wife. I'm hoping there is a way to use the Migration Assistant to pull her account off her Mac Mini and mine off my PowerBook. Can you "migrate" into specific accounts from different machines?
Asking too much? Probably so.
Thanks for any help.

You can use the Migration Assistant to import users from different machines provided that only one machine contains accounts protected by FileVault if any do. The computer with the FileVault-protected accounts must be migrated from first. To access the Migration Assistant after using it the first time, open it from the /Applications/Utilities/ folder. Basically, the answer to your question is yes.
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Migration Assistant - worth using?

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