Need advice- using migration assistant in first 10.5.2 setup or not?

So, I just bought the newest MacBook Pro and sold my Powerbook G4 12-inch, before selling it I, of course made a clon of it's HDD with an external FireWire Iomega HDD with Carbon Copy Cloner (Superduper! gave me an error when creating the backup but CCC never did). So my question for all of you expirienced migrators from PowerPcs to Intel (going from tiger to leopard too) is that should I use the migration assitant (choosing the option to migrate from another mac in intial setup) or just start from 0 (a big pain u know where) and drap and drop my iTunes folder, assuming it would be recongized well with iTunes in that machine, from my clone and not to drag and drop apps but reinstall them? I heared that dragging and dropping doesn't work good for apps cause both of the arquitectures doesn't install them the same way. I of course will also drag and drop my documents folder and my iPhoto library..
So, please, really, what is the best option?
Thanks in advance guys, peace!
-Fernando

FCA wrote:
yes it is the newest one, very excited! Now, remember I was in tiger so I wouldnt be able to make a TM back up also what do you mean migrate some parts? Is there an option to just migrate dcuments of something like that? Thanks for your response!
I am not sure about Migration Assistant. Only going by what I read somewhere, that you can select what you want to migrate, with some limitations.
Don't confuse Migration Assistant with Transfer Assistant, which does move everything.
I used Transfer Assistant when I got my new MBP. Put the old one in Target mode and waited.
It worked, but both were running Tiger.
Someone else might have direct experience with Migration Asst. and give you more details.
On my G5, I installed Leopard on an empty drive and used MA. It worked but some apps came with warnings and they didn't work.
I just opened MA and it says you can migrate
User Accounts
Applications
Network and Computer settings
Files
Volumes
So I guests that answers your question.

Similar Messages

HT3231 Need help using Migration Assistant

Does migrating files and applications from one computer to another delete the files on the first computer?

Thanks! Wish Apple wouldn't say "transfer" as it implies the files will be removed. "Moved" would be simpler....

Can you use Migration Assistant to restore from a previous backup date (not the last Backup)?

How can I restore from a previous backup? I need all my photo's, ical, and past work for all applications. I think Bacically I need to restore all users data.
Thanks
Uhgolfer

It is better to do a full restore.
But look at Q14-16 in Pondini's KB
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

I used Migration Assistant and now it says the itunes is not up to date/will not let me open or update itunes. What do I do?

How do I go about downloading or reloading Itunes onto my computer, without loosing all of my uploaded music? I have attempted to reupload itunes and it will not successfully complete the download/does not give me an option to update itunes when i try to open the program on the computer.

Hello ambluth,
Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you are not able to upgrade your version of iTunes. I found an article that provides steps on troubleshooting the installation of iTunes on a Mac computer:
Troubleshooting iTunes installation on Mac OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2311
There may be multiple instances of iTunes on your computer and if iTunes is not in the Applications folder, it may not update. The article I mentioned earlier suggests to try this:
Opening iTunes
It's possible that clicking the iTunes icon in your Dock or double-clicking an iTunes icon on your desktop could open an older version of iTunes. Open iTunes from the Applications folder to be sure you are opening the right version:
Double-click your hard disk.
Double-click the Applications folder.
Double-click the iTunes icon.
If that doesn't work, follow the steps in the article from the beginning. The iTunes application is stored separately than your music, so as long as you don't delete the iTunes folder that contains the iTunes Media or iTunes Music folder, it should not effect your music.
Best,
Sheila M.

Need to create temp account if you don't use Migration Assistant first?

I don't have access to my old iMac right now, so I've gone ahead and created a main account on my new one. When I'm ready to bring over stuff from my old computer, do I need to create a temporary account first on my new iMac? I've heard that unless I do that, Migration Assistant won't bring over the info into my main account but rather will create an entirely separate account with all the old info.

I have never used Migration Assistant with an Erase and Install, as I have never had 2 computers running at the same time. I always migrate things manually one at a time from my backup external hard drive using the "Import" and "Export" functions under "File". I don't know about the network settings--I just generally set them up anew with the Network Assistant. I don't know about a .Mac account since I don't have one, but I imagine you could do something similar. I like to just start off with only the the address book and Safari Bookmarks and be sure everything is working properly before importing other files, and then I just bring those in one at a time. If you have a good backup of everything, you should be able to import anything you want after an Erase and Install. But it is essential to have a good and complete backup of everything important to you.
Good luck!

Second go using Migration Assistant, do I need to rename user?

I used migration assistant once to move certain items to my new MacBook Pro. When I go back and try to move other items from that same user (I have 4 users, all me), I am asked if I want to rename the user. What should I do?

Every time MA transfers data it does so to the user account of the backup. However, MA will not overwrite a user account on the destination with the same name. So it offers you the option to stop or rename the account. It will do this every time. You end up with user, user1, user2, user3, etc. until you cannot count any higher or run out of users, whichever comes first.
If all you need to do is transfer some files and not the entire account then use the Time Machine application to restore from the Time Machine backup. Activate the Finder or click on the Desktop, then select Help Center from the Finder's Help menu. When the Help window opens enter, "restore items backed up with time machine" and press RETURN. Click on the first or second link returned under Results from:.

I have new hard drive, should I use migration assistant before I install Snow Leopard or install Snow Leopard first?

I just had a new hard drive installed after a hard drive failure. I need to install Snow Leopard, Lion and VMware Fusion. Should I use migration assistant to reinstall my old files and applications first or should I install the new Operating Systems first? Some of the old files do have corrupt data and I will have to pick and choose what back-up files I re-install.

Pondini wrote:
memalyn wrote:
Some files were backed up on another external drive but not all.
How was that done? Drag & drop? An app like CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper?
Initially files were backed up on the iMac with Time Machine. I purchased a My Book external hard drive and after doing a full back up on it, I began doing all of my incremental back ups on it using Time Machine. Sometime later, I purchased a Western Digital external hard drive that included back up software on it called "WD Back-up" so I could use it to store all of my Music and Audiobooks on to keep my iMac and My Book free of those file types. The WD Backup software allowed me to pick and choose what files I wanted to back-up. I don't think I had been backing up Music and Audiobooks on the Mac anyway or maybe I was, I don't remember if I can selectively pick and choose files with Time Machine - I have not checked as I have not yet plugged it into my new hard drive. Once The My Book drive became full with regular back ups, around June or so I had to switch over to the WD Back up drive. I recall that I was very concerned that I could not do a full back up on the WD drive because if I did, I would have to reformat the drive and I did not want to do that, so I think I was able to selectively back up some additional files from my iMac but again, I do not know for sure since I have not looked at what is on the drive. I do know that if I was able to back up additional files I had to do it with WD Back up and not Time Machine, if that matters.
I know that the files in the partitioned drive and files associated with VMware Fusion are damaged. If I do a full restore, it will restore the VMware Fusion app and partioned drive
We need some clarification:
Do you mean there were 2 partitions on your internal HD? If so, how was the second one formatted? Was it backed-up?
No, there was only one partitioned drive. The way I understand it is the VMware Fusion software does the partitioning and the app resides on the Mac. After that was done, I then installed the Windows software on the partitioned drive. There is a critical file on the Mac under a Folder called Virtual Machines and in the Virtual Machines folder, the "Windows Bundle" or some such thing keeps locking each time the software crashes due to the problem files somewhere within the files in the VMware Fusion software that (I think resides) in the Windows environment that I cannot access. The Virtual Machine file on the Mac gets backed up so the Windows Bundles files get backed up and that includes all the screen shots (essentially backups) of the Windows environment. The Windows environment includes some of the apps and their data in Windows such as Quicken. Theoretically, the partitioned drive does not get backed up but in reality if the screen shots do, some of the partitioned drive does - corrupt or not. If you have a Quicken file open and a drop down screen in Quicken frozen when the system crashes, that is what gets backed up and there is no way you can get back into Windows or Quicken.
               If I do a full restore, it will restore the VMware Fusion app
If you restore an OSX volume, yes, that will restore all apps, but that's not necessarily bad. If necessary or desired, you can always delete or reinstall a suspect app. That way, all your other apps will be ok. For most users, reinstalling all apps is a considerable project. See Transferring Applications for an explanation.
Well, that is true. To reinstall VMware Fusion, Windows and Quicken would much, much easier than all of the Mac software I have. Plus, the VMware Fusion version I have is not compatible with Lion and my goal is to install Lion, so I will have to upgrade VMware Fusion no matter what. Further, I'm so aggravated with the dual operating system, I've been looking at products to replace Quicken, so if anyone knows of a good home, small business and home rental financial product they can recommend, I'm all ears!
               If I do a full restore, it will restore . . . and partioned drive
If there are 2 partitons, a full restore only restores the OSX partition. If a non-OSX partition was backed-up, it must be restored separately.
               Now that I've said I only have 1 partitioned drive, does that mean it will restore the partitioned drive? I would prefer it did not. It seems now that it would be much cleaner to restore the OSX drive. Would I be able to do that?
So, depending on the exact circumstances, your best be may be to restore the most recent OSX partition, then restore/copy those files that were backed-up on another drive; reinstall VMware if necessary; restore the other partition.
So . . . things may be a bit more complex than we though, but perhaps less dire.
More detail on the various partitions and backups should clarify things.

New hard drive: Do I need to reinstall OS X if using Migration Assistant?

I have a new internal hard drive on the way, along with an enclosure to use the existing hard drive as an external drive.
Here's my question: Do I need to install OS X on the drive in order to use Migration Assistant to move the data over? I think I do...
And yes, I've made another backup too!
Thanks in advance!!!

I would use Mike Bombich's CarbonCopyCloner or Shirt Pocket software's SuperDuper (former is freeware, latter will allow a free full clone, but has a small shareware fee for full featured use). Both are excellent programs with a long and very well regarded track record of use.
What you will want to do is put the new drive in the enclosure, and check it's partition scheme. Use Disk Utility, and, if it is not already GUID partition and HFS+ (journeled) formatted, then use Disk Utility to make it so.
I would then run software update on your machine with the old drive (might as well be sure it is all up to date), and repair permissions. Then attach the new drive and run CCC or SD and make the clone (read the instructions for whatever program you end up using).
Then, IMPORTANT STEP, reboot the machine with the cloned drive still plugged in, and hold down the option key while it boots. You should be presented with a choice now of which drive to boot from. Select the external drive, let it boot, login and check that all is as it should be (just to be sure it went smoothly).
At that point, swap the drives and you should be good to go.
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html

After using Migration Assistant some apps need to mount old drive

I recently used Migration Assistant to move ONLY my account info & files from my old G4 (running 10.4.3) to my new G5. I did NOT have it migrate any of my installed apps - I did clean installs (and then upgrades) of all apps.
Unfortunately a few apps ask to mount the old G4 drive before they will finish launching. Am giving the option to Cancel or Continue - if the old G4 is not on (with file sharing enabled) the affected app will hang, if the old G4 is on then clicking Continue will automatically mount it and the app will then work without problem.
Obviously there is a preference that was migrated from my account on the G4 to the G5 that has the old hostname embedded in it that is causing this. I have deleted all preferences (and other associated files) that I can find for the affected apps and then re-installed but still cannot run these apps without first mounting the old G4's drive.
The affected apps are Firefox and Photoshop CS2. Other web browsers such as Safari & I.E. work without problem, likewise for other Adobe CS2 apps such as InDesign & Illustrator. All of these apps were previously installed on the G4 when I did the Migrate - all were re-installed on the G5 instead of being Migrated.
Any ideas?
Best I can think is that some preference for these apps was moved from the G4 to the G5 when I migrated my account files/settings, but I've yet to be able to find it. (I even got so desperate as to try a recursive grep from / of * for the hostname of the old G4 and haven't found anything)
Thanks in advance.

I was finally able to fix this by using a couple of preference management utilities. Either I missed a key preference file for each app, or there are some hidden preference files, but when I used the prefence management utitilities (such as Preferntial Treatment, PrefEdit, Defaulter, or PlistEdit Pro) I was able to look at the prefs for Firefox and Photoshop CS2 and see where the hostname for the my old G4 was listed. (in the case of Photoshop CS2 it was actually in the list of recently opened files!! I should have noticed that from within Photoshop)
Now that I've removed those entries from preferences both Photoshop and Firefox run without prompting that the old G4 had to mounted.
oh, also... I found that for both Photoshop & Firefox I could actually get them to work without mounting the old G4's root volume - it just took clicking past the pop-ups (about 10 of them for each app) and waiting a long time as it searched around for the next one (maybe about 10 minutes total ... normally I don't have time to waste like that, but I got curious and made the time).
Thank you for your suggestions. as I had suspected, Migration Assistant moved some preferences from the old G4 that had it's hostname embedded and for some reason the apps weren't clearing them out when they were launched on the new machine (again, odd since I didn't have Migration Assistant move the apps from the old G4 to the new G5 - I installed each app on the G5 as a new install (aka: a "clean install") to avoid just this type of problem).
My real thanks are to the authors of the above mentioned preference management utilities.
Quad Core PowerMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Advice for Migration Assistant Needed

I will be transferring my data from my current powerbook to a new mbp. I've read some posts recommending not using migration assistant, so I'm looking for the best advice concerning this. I have no non Apple applications or software on my pb other than Camino browser and the Macjanitor utility. I could manually transfer my itunes music, contents of my documents folder, iphoto library, etc. I've done this before using my ipod when I set up my imac, but the mbp will replace my powerbook and I want it set up exactly the same way so it seems like using migration assistant would be far less tedious. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
John

Interestingly, only this week I got a new MBP and move all my stuff from my old PowerBook G4 (Titanium) with no problems.
I simply plugged in the power on the MBP, booted it. Waited for the intro to finish, then clicked on the option to copy stuff from a previous machine. Plugged in the FireWire and rebooted the PB in Target Disk mode, selected the items I wanted to copy (all) and after about 30 - 40 mins, everything was done and I had 2 identical desktops. Everything just worked, it even copied my trash.
Since then over the course of the week, I have noticed one or two apps etc that will not run on the Intel machine. All I have done is download the Universal binary for them, deleted the old PPC one I had, installed the new one and all go.
I was amazed how easy it was, everything I had copied but it also left what was already on the MBP in addition. I got all my email in Mail including all folders and prefs, all Safari prefs, history and autofills and favourites, all items in my Dock and Menu bar, all there perfectly. All my documents, folders, items on my desktop. It was just perfect.
I have had no issues and no perfomance issues. The odd thing does not run as fast as I would expect but I assume this is due to some things being PPC and running using Rosetta slows them. The odd thing that was TOO slow or would not work at all, I just located the Universal Binary for and away I go.
So I would say 150%, use the assistant. I used the one at boot up (set up assistant or something) but I assume migration assistant does the same thing.

HT3231 i have used migrate assist to transfer wirelessly from my PC to my new iMac but i cannot find my documents on my iMac, first time iMac user, what have i done wrongG

I used Migration Assistant to transfer all my documents from my PC to my new iMac but i cannot find them on my iMac. I am a first time iMac user. What am i doing wrong or where to find them?
thanks
marlene

They're in a new user account created by the Migration. When you next log on, you should get a prompt to assign a password for the new account.

Just bought my first iMac - used Migration Assistant - Where do I find file?

Used Migration Assistant to transfer all word processing, data, contacts and over 5 hours of music. Now I can not find them on my new iMac. What to do?

Hello
Try this
go to system preference -> account , click icon look like this show list of users on left side
then click option button to see login otions ,you should see some thing like that
then choose "automatic open session" set at "desable ", restart your mac and choose from user list the user newly imported your data must be present and usable , music with itune , photo with iphoto , documents in document folder
HTH
Pierre

HT204350 Can I use Migration Assistant to transfer data from macbook running 10.7.5 To a macbook air running Mavericks? On first attempt destination machine says that os versions are not compatible for Migration Assistant.

I am trying to transfer contents from old macbook running os 10.7.5 to a macbook air running os 10.9.1 using migration assistant but the destination macobook air says that migration cannot proceed (yellow triangle) because the os on the macbook is not up to date (assuming that eans 10.9.1). However old macbook cannot be updated to 10.9.1.
Can anyone suggest a way around this please?

Try looking at this section in the Migration Assistant article.
Migrating using FireWire or ThunderBolt

Duplicate applications after using Migration Assistant

I'm posting this because I haven't seen this topic addressed yet regarding using Migration Assistant for transferring data from old G5 to new Mac Pro.
I used the Migration Assistant, which took hours to transfer data and stopped the first time due to a power backup overload. The second time I ran it, everything had transferred successfully, and I've been using my Mac Pro for almost two weeks now, with slight glitches that have been easily solved.
Here's my situation: In my Applications folder, there are a number of applications that have "(from old Mac)" as a suffix. Specifically, all of my Adobe Creative Suite applications have duplicates, as does Cocktail Extras, Corel Painter IX, DiskTracker (Mac OS X), Extensis Suitcase X1, Fetch 4.0.2, Finale 20045 and 2005b, and FontDoctor X for Macintosh.
Needless to say, I would like to recover the additional disk space that these duplicates are occupying, but is it okay to simply trash the ones that say "(from old Mac)", as I backed up my old G5 right before runnning the Migration Assistant, and I still have it sitting here, just in case something bad happens while I'm in the middle of a project? Or, should I trash the new ones? The Creative Suite apps have been activated on the Mac Pro, so I'm assuming that the "old Mac" ones could be deleted.
Anyone having any experience with this? I don't want to reinstall a lot of things unless I have to, as I will be upgrading a lot of the apps as soon as Intel-native versions are released, and things are working well so far.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
2 x 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Mac OS X (10.4.8) 8 GB RAM
1.8 Mhz G5 Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Yes, it's OK to trash them. You have transferred items that are from a PPC Mac to an Intel Mac that apparently had Intel versions of the same software already installed. You definitely do not want PPC versions (this does not apply to most Adobe software which is PPC-only.)
Unfortunately, Migration Assistant doesn't always know when not to transfer PPC software to an Intel Mac. This is especially a problem for the /Home/Library/ and /Library/ folders because MA may overwrite Intel components with PPC components. This can cause the Intel Mac to run slowly or not at all.
A Basic Guide for Migrating to Intel-Macs
If you are migrating a PowerPC system (G3, G4, or G5) to an Intel-Mac be careful what you migrate. Keep in mind that some items that may get transferred will not work on Intel machines and may end up causing your computer's operating system to malfunction.
Rosetta supports "software that runs on the PowerPC G3 or G4 processor that are built for Mac OS X". This excludes the items that are not universal binaries or simply will not work in Rosetta:
Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications
Screensavers written for the PowerPC
System Preference add-ons
All Unsanity Haxies
Browser and other plug-ins
Contextual Menu Items
Applications which specifically require the PowerPC G5
Kernel extensions
Java applications with JNI (PowerPC) libraries
See also What Can Be Translated by Rosetta.
In addition to the above you could also have problems with migrated cache files and/or cache files containing code that is incompatible.
If you migrate a user folder that contains any of these items, you may find that your Intel-Mac is malfunctioning. It would be wise to take care when migrating your systems from a PowerPC platform to an Intel-Mac platform to assure that you do not migrate these incompatible items.
If you have problems with applications not working, then completely uninstall said application and reinstall it from scratch. Take great care with Java applications and Java-based Peer-to-Peer applications. Many Java apps will not work on Intel-Macs as they are currently compiled. As of this time Limewire, Cabos, and Acquisition are available as universal binaries. Do not install browser plug-ins such as Flash or Shockwave from downloaded installers unless they are universal binaries. The version of OS X installed on your Intel-Mac comes with special compatible versions of Flash and Shockwave plug-ins for use with your browser.
The same problem will exist for any hardware drivers such as mouse software unless the drivers have been compiled as universal binaries. For third-party mice the current choices are USB Overdrive or SteerMouse. Contact the developer or manufacturer of your third-party mouse software to find out when a universal binary version will be available.
Also be careful with some backup utilities and third-party disk repair utilities. Disk Warrior (does not work), TechTool Pro (pre-4.5.1 versions do not work), SuperDuper (newest release works), and Drive Genius (untested) may not work properly on Intel-Macs. The same caution may apply to the many "maintenance" utilities that have not yet been converted to universal binaries.
Before migrating or installing software on your Intel-Mac check MacFixit's Rosetta Compatibility Index.
Additional links that will be helpful to new Intel-Mac users:
Intel In Macs
Apple Guide to Universal Applications
MacInTouch List of Compatible Universal Binaries
MacInTouch List of Rosetta Compatible Applications
MacUpdate List of Intel-Compatible Software
Because Migration Assistant isn't the ideal way to migrate from PowerPC to Intel Macs, using Target Disk Mode or copying the critical contents to CD and DVD or an external hard drive will work better when moving from PowerPC to Intel Macs.
Basically the instructions you should follow are:
1. Backup your data first. This is vitally important in case you make a mistake or there's some other problem.
2. Connect a Firewire cable between your old Mac and your new Intel Mac.
3. Startup your old Mac in Target Disk Mode.
4. Startup your new Mac for the first time, go through the setup and registration screens, but do NOT migrate data over. Get to your desktop on the new Mac without migrating any new data over.
4. Copy the following items from your old Mac to the new Mac:
In your /Home/ folder: Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, and Sites folders.
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.
If you need to transfer data for other applications please ask the vendor or ask in the Discussions where specific applications store their data.
5. Once you have transferred what you need restart the new Mac and test to make sure the contents are there for each of the applications.
Written by Kappy with additional contributions from a brody.
Unfortunately, if you find problems with your new computer it may be due to problems that arise when migrating from a PPC Mac to an Intel Mac using Migration Assistant. If this be the case your only recourse is to reinstall OS X. You should also reinstall your third-party software (or update it) to be sure you are using universal binary versions (if available.)
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Using Migration Assistant from iMac G5 to Intel Core Duo

I've developed a problem while transferring files using Migration Assistant.
I've inadvertently created two accounts. I misunderstood what was going to happen when renaming one of them. I thought I had to change the old home folder/user name to avoid a conflict when creating a new Admin/user acct on the new computer .... don't ask!! So, I now have several folders: some that came on the new iMac, the others that read 'from the old Mac'. It's apparently the new login/acct name that's linked to the 'from the old Mac' files . Hope this is making sense.
If I go up to the top right menu and select the newly named acct., it rotates and brings up all the settings and preferences I wanted transferred and obviously were. If I use the old login name, it's just the basic iMac settings without my settings, prefs,etc..
How can I delete the basic acct. and use the imported settings/preferences? I want only one Admin Acct./log in with my imported settings/prefs. Do I delete folders and rename the 'from the old Mac' to just the folder name? I've read some of what Kappy has said aout migrating files from the G5 to the Intel, and I know he's an expert, he's helped me before, but in truth, I don't really understand what he's saying about how to migrate to the Intel.
Can someone offer some advice? I'd appreciate it.

You may not want to keep the Home folder you've migrated. See the following:
A Basic Guide for Migrating to Intel-Macs
If you are migrating a PowerPC system (G3, G4, or G5) to an Intel-Mac be careful what you migrate. Keep in mind that some items that may get transferred will not work on Intel machines and may end up causing your computer's operating system to malfunction.
Rosetta supports "software that runs on the PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor that are built for Mac OS X". This excludes the items that are not universal binaries or simply will not work in Rosetta:
Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications
Screensavers written for the PowerPC
System Preference add-ons
All Unsanity Haxies
Browser and other plug-ins
Contextual Menu Items
Applications which specifically require the PowerPC G5
Kernel extensions
Java applications with JNI (PowerPC) libraries
See also What Can Be Translated by Rosetta.
In addition to the above you could also have problems with migrated cache files and/or cache files containing code that is incompatible.
If you migrate a user folder that contains any of these items, you may find that your Intel-Mac is malfunctioning. It would be wise to take care when migrating your systems from a PowerPC platform to an Intel-Mac platform to assure that you do not migrate these incompatible items.
If you have problems with applications not working, then completely uninstall said application and reinstall it from scratch. Take great care with Java applications and Java-based Peer-to-Peer applications. Many Java apps will not work on Intel-Macs as they are currently compiled. As of this time Limewire, Cabos, and Acquisition are available as universal binaries. Do not install browser plug-ins such as Flash or Shockwave from downloaded installers unless they are universal binaries. The version of OS X installed on your Intel-Mac comes with special compatible versions of Flash and Shockwave plug-ins for use with your browser.
The same problem will exist for any hardware drivers such as mouse software unless the drivers have been compiled as universal binaries. For third-party mice the current choices are USB Overdrive or SteerMouse. Contact the developer or manufacturer of your third-party mouse software to find out when a universal binary version will be available.
Also be careful with some backup utilities and third-party disk repair utilities. Disk Warrior 4.1, TechTool Pro 4.6.1, SuperDuper 2.5, and Drive Genius 2.0.2 work properly on Intel-Macs with Leopard. The same caution may apply to the many "maintenance" utilities that have not yet been converted to universal binaries. Leopard Cache Cleaner, Onyx, TinkerTool System, and Cocktail are now compatible with Leopard.
Before migrating or installing software on your Intel-Mac check MacFixit's Rosetta Compatibility Index.
Additional links that will be helpful to new Intel-Mac users:
Intel In Macs
Apple Guide to Universal Applications
MacInTouch List of Compatible Universal Binaries
MacInTouch List of Rosetta Compatible Applications
MacUpdate List of Intel-Compatible Software
Transferring data with Setup Assistant - Migration Assistant FAQ
Because Migration Assistant isn't the ideal way to migrate from PowerPC to Intel Macs, using Target Disk Mode, copying the critical contents to CD and DVD, an external hard drive, or networking
will work better when moving from PowerPC to Intel Macs. The initial section below discusses Target Disk Mode. It is then followed by a section which discusses networking with Macs that lack Firewire.
If both computers support the use of Firewire then you can use the following instructions:
1. Repair the hard drive and permissions using Disk Utility.
2. Backup your data. This is vitally important in case you make a mistake or there's some other problem.
3. Connect a Firewire cable between your old Mac and your new Intel Mac.
4. Startup your old Mac in Target Disk Mode.
5. Startup your new Mac for the first time, go through the setup and registration screens, but do NOT migrate data over. Get to your desktop on the new Mac without migrating any new data over.
If you are not able to use a Firewire connection (for example you have a Late 2008 MacBook that only supports USB:)
1. Set up a local home network: Creating a small Ethernet Network.
2. If you have a MacBook Air or Late 2008 MacBook see the following:
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)- Migration Tips and Tricks;
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)- What to do if migration is unsuccessful;
MacBook Air- Migration Tips and Tricks;
MacBook Air- Remote Disc, Migration, or Remote Install Mac OS X and wireless 802.11n networks.
Copy the following items from your old Mac to the new Mac:
In your /Home/ folder: Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, and Sites folders.
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/ (copy the whole folder)
/Home /Library/Calendars (copy the whole folder)
/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 Macjack for this information.
If you need to transfer data for other applications please ask the vendor or ask in the Discussions where specific applications store their data.
5. Once you have transferred what you need restart the new Mac and test to make sure the contents are there for each of the applications.
Written by Kappy with additional contributions from a brody.
Revised 1/6/2009

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