Need advice about migrating data

Question

I just bought my daughter a new MacBook. She launched the Migration Assistant tool to transfer her data from her iMAC. Both computers are running Leopard, and the iMAC is just 1 year old. The problem is that she set up the transfer to go through our home wireless network, which is only wireless G, and the computers indicate the transfer will take 18 hours.
My question is this: Can I just click off the transfer and start another transfer approach that will be faster? For example, when she first started working with the iMAC, we migrated about 25 GB of data from a Windows machine using an external hard drive that was the back-up drive for the Windows machine. This transfer occurred very quickly, well under an hour. Is it possible to transfer the data directly from the Time Machine external drive, which had been attached to the iMAC, to to the MacBook using the USB ports (there is no Firewire port on the MacBook, believe it or not)? I should be able to just copy the data files and paste them into the new MacBook, just as I did when I transferred her data from the Windows maching to the iMAC.
Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
seeker45

Answer 1

seeker,
This KB article has some suggestions for migrating data for the new MacBooks.
[http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1291]
Also, an ethernet cable between the 2 Mac should work great for you. The info below might be helpful as well.
You shouldn't have a problem re-trying the migration again. If Migration Assistant detects duplicate user accounts it will give you the option to overwrite them with the new copies or rename them.
*Using Time Machine Before Initial Launch of New Mac*
Before starting the new Mac for the first time, attach the hard disk that contains the Time Machine backups from the old Mac. (For Time Capsule/AirDisk users: If you will be attempting this wirelessly, ensure that you are in range of your Airport wireless device. Alternatively, for faster migration of large quantities of data, connect your Mac via ethernet to your wireless device.)
Procedure:
Startup the new Mac and begin the setup process. You will initially see the video introduction.
At “Welcome” select your country and then preferred keyboard.
At “Do You Already Own a Mac?” you are asked “Would you like to transfer your information?”
+from another Mac+
+from another volume on this Mac+
+from a Time Machine backup+
+Do not transfer my information now+
Select “from a Time Machine backup” and click “Continue”.
At “Select a Backup Volume” choose your Time Machine backup disk and click “Continue”. (If you are attempting the migration wirelessly, then click “Join...” and select your network first.)
At “Transfer Your Information” check all the categories you wish to migrate over. If you wish your Mac to be in the same state as your last backup, then check everything. If, however, you are only interested in transferring one user account, then click the little disclosure triangle next to "Users". A list of all the previous users will appear. Just uncheck the user accounts you do NOT wish to migrate over. In other words, have only the desired account checked.
Give the installer time to calculate sizes.
Once that is complete, the “Transfer” button will become active and you can click it.
After the migration, verify the registration information, click “Connect” and you are done.
Once the migration is complete use Disk Utility to repair any permissions issues.
*Using Time Machine After Initial Launch of New Mac*
If you happened to initially set up the new Mac using a different username than the username on the account you wish to migrate, then skip to “Attach the hard disk containing...”.
If, on the other hand, it is the same username as the account you wish to migrate over, then do the following:
Go to System Preferences --> Accounts.
You may need to unlock the lock in the lower left to make changes.
Below the pane on the left click "+" and create a brand new Administrator User account on the Mac with a completely unique name - not the name of your own User account.
Now logout of the account you are currently in and log back in using the new Admin account you just created.
Attach the hard disk containing the previous Macs' Time Machine backups to the new computer. (For Time Capsule/AirDisk users migration will be much faster if you connect your Mac directly to the router via ethernet.)
Now go to Applications --> Utilities --> and launch Migration Assistant.
At the welcome dialogue click "Continue." You may be required to enter your Admin password.
For Migration Method chose "From a Time Machine backup or other disk". (Do not choose…
"Full System Restore" unless it is exactly the same Mac you are restoring to.)
At “Select the System to Transfer” choose the hard disk containing the previous Time Machine backups and click “Continue”. Give Migration Assistant some time as it connects to the drive and scans the disk for eligible data to migrate.
At “Select User Accounts to Transfer” put a check beside each account you would like migrate over to the new Mac.
At “Select the Items to Transfer” you can choose to migrate “Applications” over. If an application already resides on your new Mac, only the newest version will be transferred. Additionally, other “Files and Folders” that resided at the top level of your old Mac can be transferred at this point as well. Files from the “Library” folder of your old Mac will always be transferred over unless you uncheck the other two options.
Click “Continue”.
At “Select Computer Settings to Transfer” choose which settings you would prefer transferring to the new Mac. If you want a completely fresh system to start with, then do not check any of these options. This can be helpful if your previous system was experiencing issues.
Click “Transfer”.
If you have already created a User Account on the new Mac and it happens to be named the same as the User Account that is being migrated then Migration Assistant will report,
+"There is an existing user account with the same name as an account you are transferring."+
At that point, you will be able to choose one of the following:
+• Rename the user account you are transferring+
+• Replace the existing user account with the one you're transferring+
+• Do not transfer this user account+
If you wish the new Mac environment to be exactly the same as your old Mac, then avoid selecting “Rename the user account...”. Rather, select “Replace the existing user account...”. It will not be deleted but saved in a new folder labeled “Deleted Users” found in the main Users folder. Click “Next”.
At this point the transfer will begin with a bar displaying the progress. Once completed click “Quit”.
*Full Backup After Migration to New Mac*
Bear in mind that in all cases Time Machine will not continue to backup the previous Macs’ backup sets but will perform a new full backup. This is normal. Time Machine will resume incremental backups after the full backup has completed. To view previous backups, Control-click or right-click the Time Machine icon in your Dock or Option-click the Time Machine menu extra and Choose "Browse Other Time Machine Disks," then select the previous Mac’s backup set. You will enter Time Machine and be able to browse your previous back ups and restore files. [http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1338]
Let us know if this resolved your issue.
Cheers!