Switching data between MacBooks (everything from one to the other)
I need a faster notebook for business. My wife's MacBook is newer than mine and has agreed to switch with me.
Both laptops are backed up to the same Airport Time Capsule.
What is the best way to switch the data on both machines, from one to the other?
Thank you,
Bill
There are probably other ways to do this.
One way to accomplish what you want to do is to make a current backup of both computers. For an option in case there is a Time Machine problem, I would also make a clone of each hard drive and temporarily store the clone on the Time Capsule.
Boot into the Recovery Volume (hold down command - R or hold down option key) and restart. I would run Disk Utility Repair Permissions and Verify/Repair. Then use Disk Utility to erase the disk. The format is Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Then reinstall the OS.
Reinstall OS
Reboot normally and then attempt to inherit the Time Machine backup for the computer you are working on. Use Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant to restore the backup. Using the same user account name as on the old computer may make things easier.
Inherit a Backup
Inherit a Backup (2)
If for some reason you have trouble inheriting the Time Machine backup, attach the Time Capsule to the computer, mount the clone in Finder, and copy the files you want to restore.
Once everything is completed, you can delete the clones from the Time Capsule to allow more room for the Time Machine backups.
I would seriously consider buying a 2nd Time Capsule and create two separate backups before attempting anything. One backup isn’t enough because hard drives do fail. Time Machine will allow you to backup to 2 disks and will alternate between them. Instead of using Time Machine on the 2nd hard drive, you might want to consider using the second drive to store a clone on because you can make a bootable clone.
Cloning programs.
Clone - Carbon Copy Cloner (Often recommended as it has more features than some others)
Clone – Data Backup
Clone – Deja Vu
Clone - SuperDuper
Clone - Synk
Clone Software – 6 Applications Tested
Similar Messages
-
I have an iMac (OSX 10.9.2) and a Macbook (same). I want to copy photos from one to the other. how?
I'm sorry. I got a little off-the-wall there.
I want to have the same iPhoto files on both machines. A few days ago I spent several hours swapping photos back and forth until I had one event with identical picture files on both. Yesterday I scanned some old photos into the Macbook. Today I wanted to copy them to the iMac. I could not remember what I had done a few days ago, so I spent a couple of frustrating hours trying to either remember or find another way, to no avail. I have no idea what I did right before; I only recall that it was pretty easy.
I didn't write anything down. I used to do that, but what I do is so intermittent that by the time I want to copy pictures again either (a) the app has been updated and the old way doesn't work (b) I've lost the paper with the notes on it or (everything seems fine but it just doesn't work. So I gave that up.
Yes, I do want both iPhoto libraries to be the same. The Macbook is the one with the scanner and I download from my camera on the iMac, so I need to be able to move photos from one to the other, I think. -
how do I share movies/music between my computers. I have opened shared on both computers and both are on, but i am not able to drag anything from one to the other. Does anyone know where the settings button is on the bottom of the itunes screen?
Oops, I forgot a step between 7 and 8 ... before syncing the iPhone I need to explicitly send the document back to iTunes on the iPhone, or the changes won't come over at all ...
and then one more thing ... Numbers on iOS does NOT recognize a number of key features of the OSX app, such as conditional formatting ... so after editing my document on iOS and syncing it back to OSX on my Mac, all of those settings are lost (no more conditional formatting, have to do it all over again)
What am I doing wrong ? -
I am using duel thunderbolt displays with a MacBook Pro. I only have the option to have sound come from one or the other. Has anyone thought of making the left channel come from both speakers on the left Monitor and the same of the right? If yes, how is that done? The MacBook Pro could even be a center channel if configured in that order.
See the following thread on the same topic:
2 Thunderbolt displays MBP = sound coming from both displays? -
i just bought my first imac i have 2 seperate drives on it. how do i move photos and documents from one to the other.
This is our resident iPhoto guru, Terence Devlin's, advice:
You can move your iPhoto Library to an external or secondary internal disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library Folder as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space. -
I have two macs in my house. One is newer and came with the os x mountain lion software and the other one needs to be upgraded. I was wondering if there is a way to take upgrade from one to the other? Should not have to buy this software again.
Welcome to Apple Support Communities
Buy it for the other computer. Mountain Lion is preinstalled on the new Mac, but you can only use it in the new one -
How to place two different indesign documents side by side on my desktop in order to copy and paste images and text from one to the other?
Or choose Window > Arrange > Tile
And, you of course can copy/paste without tiling. -
My iPod touch is connected to my phone on Bluetooth but it won't let me sent things from one to the other and y won't adobe flash work I'm confused
The BT profiles on the iPod only support pairing with headphones, speakers. keyboards and other iDevices via apps mainly for peer-to-per gaming. See:
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Supported Bluetooth profiles
Regarding Flash, read the following by S Jobs:
Thoughts on Flash -
I have a new iPodtouch 5th generation. I currently have a 4th generation. Is there an easy way to transfer from one to the other or should I start a new setup?
Click here and follow the instructions.
(95861) -
just bought a new laptop but dont know how to transfer my itunes libary from one to the other i have signed in my my new laptop but still no music help please !!!!!!
Signing into the iTunes account has never made content magically appear... it still amazes me that people think this will actually work.
Type "move itunes library" into the search bar or your favorite search engine. You'll find multiple results for how to move the iTunes library. -
Hi, I'm upgrading from my iPad2 to the iPad Air. What is the most painless way to transfer all my data from one device to another?
I have iannotate, which I've just found out is no longer syncing via iCloud (I thought that's what I was paying all that storage for) and a lot of catalogued PDF's on it. Is there any other way besides plugging it in to my old Mac via iTunes to do the transfer?Favor the route via iTunes and local storage on the computer. MUCH faster than any cloudy backup, no matter the speed of your Internet connection. No network beats the speed of a hard drive. Just make sure there's enough room on the computer before you start, must contain all that's on the iGadget.
-
I gave my 2yr old my 16gb ipad 2 when I upgraded to a 64gb ipad 3. They are on the same account so that I can share certain apps between them, but because they consider themselves one in the same I can't use airplay or face chat with my daughters ipad. How do I do these things?
Airplay doesn't work between two iPads so you don't need to worry about that, however, you can change the name of an iPad in Settings > General > About > Name.
-
HT204053 I have two Apple ID's, can I transfer purchases from one to the other
I Created an Apple ID when I purchased the original Iphone, after I purchased a Macbook a year later and purchased mobile me, It prompted me to create a mobile me ID.(I did not realize at the time I created a second ID, over the years somehow I logged into Itunes with one ID or the other, and made purchases on both. Now I want to merge the two ID's but cant. but is there a way to transfer ownership of apps and songs from one ID to the other?
Click here and request assistance.
(71204) -
Hello
I have uploaded and installed ICLOUD to all three of my devices MAC, i pad nd Iphone.
From Ipad to Iphone i am able to retrieve PAGES documents as i write them. BUT now that i am back home i see that none of the new documents i am working on which are stored on my desktop are showing up in my PAGES file on my Ipad or Phone.
How do i save to icloud from mac, how come i can't retrieve docs from IPAD to MAC either?
should i back up my mac ICLOUD FIRST? and if so, Where do i back it up from?
going mad as i edit on one during the day and the other in the evening , and would like them to sync automatically
please can you help
thanks
marellaoppSADLY not as i downloaded an upgrad to my original PAGES/
i have in the meantim had to open www.icloud. then from there import the file that i am working on and then check on ipad if it uploaded/ yes it did.
but what a waste of time as it doesn not save any changes done automatically back in the cloud....
i am now downloading the new LION and hope that it will fix the problem
i cant find any other way. I was lead to believe that you wrote, it saved automatically, on to the cloud, you then opened anohter device in anotother country even, and the new file was there, waiting, in its latest version.......
and the same magic was supposed to happen in reverse.
It doesn't/
if i have to open a browser, go to www.icloud....why on earth did they not just leave us an icon to drop it in in that case?
I hope the new lion will help resolve the isssue/
any other ideas> keep em coming...thank you so much. -
I have two iPad 2 with separate iCloud accounts. I want to copy folders of weblinks from one iPad to the other. Email solution? Answer needs to be written for a user who doesn't know how to select a folder or a number of icons and email or copy them to something that can be emailed. I know how to do it one at a time by opening weblink and then emailing the link from safari.
Good idea. I've already used the feedback for my general suggestions to improve the way Apple handles bug reports (and tried sending it to Steve Jobs too), but I'll send a specific suggestion for a bug app on the iPhone.
However, my question is whether there is a simple way to send bug reports from the iPhone now that I have overlooked.
Maybe you are looking for
-
Text Messages & Calendar Time off by 1 Hour
Hi. Does anyone else have this problem? I can't seem to find it in the forum discussions when I search. Please direct me if I missed it. My time zone is correct. Here's the situation. When I open the text message app all the messages are listed a
-
How to separately backup the Boot Camp drivers partition from Leopard DVD?
I used Disk Utility and my only (and expensive) DVD+R DL disc to make a backup copy of my Leopard DVD, and it worked perfectly to install Leopard on my MacBook Pro. However, that was before I learned that the Boot Camp drivers was now on a separate,
-
Printing SFP ADOBE generated pdf from spool.
I am trying to print ADOBE PDF file to HP Designjet Z5400 plotter. It successfully writes a pdf file to the spool. When I either release that spool file to print or have the print job set to print immediately I get a spool error - unable to read fo
-
Thought the computer had a problem, had it checked, spent 250usd on some spare part, which probally didn't need to have been changed. I'm very disappointed with Lightroom.
-
I bought my Macbook Air a few days ago with the OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 update software already installed on my laptop. I'm suppose to get Keynotes, Pages, and Numbers for free under purchases in my app store but unfortunately I haven't seen any of tho