Time machine migration when apps on new computer are later versions

I have a time machine backup of my old macbook, just got a new one and it comes with iLife 11 preinstalled. I don't want these apps to be overwritten with my older (iLife 09) apps.
Should I rename them first, or delete the older apps off of time machine or is there any other way to make sure I don't get these overwritten.
(I imagine the iLife apps must be on the install disk in case I do have to reinstall iLife 11), but I don't have that currently, it was all installed at the university - hence I just want to know the quickest way to do this
Thanks!

Pete Thomas wrote:
My problem was that I asked a specific question and was directed to an FAQ that was a different, much more general question:
Take a look at your first post -- there's no mention there that you'd done any research at all, or whether you'd already started up the new Mac. And it ends: "I just want to know the quickest way to do this."
"How do I set up a new Mac from my old Mac or its backups?" - not what I asked. FAQ 19 is mostly about how to use set up assistant which I already know and is irrelevant in this case as the installation had already taken place and therefore I cannot access Set Up assistant
You didn't mention any of that.
so the FAQ was telling me to reinstall or create a temporary account, time consuming and not very helpful when all I needed to be told was "you can run migration assistant and it will be fine", which was the very helpful and speedy advice I got elsewhere.
Again, that was far from clear in your first post. And the next sentence starts "After your Mac is up and running, you can use the similar Migration Assistant ..." with a link to that page. Many, many people start up their new Mac, skip +Setup Assistant,+ and create a new user account, and use it for a while. Then they run Migration Assistant and wonder where all their data is, and once they find the migrated account, want to consolidate the two. We see those roughly once a day.
After reading all the way to the bottom, there is a sort of answer to my question:
"Note that Setup Assistant is smart enough not to replace newer Apple apps that came with the new Mac with older versions from the old Mac or backups."
But then a caveat that confuses the whole issue for me:
"In some cases, there may be a few exceptions:" followed by lots of links to follow.
Should I have just ignored the fact that some apps aren't compatible with Snow Leopard? Or that in some cases you may have to re-enter serial numbers?
It would have saved us a lot of time, if you know the direct answer to the very specific question to say what the answer is rather than "read the FAQs". I'd already done a search to see if my question was frequently asked, and it wasn't.
Again, had you indicated that . . .

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I am getting error "The disk is used for Time Machine Backup" when installing the new OSX Mountain Lion upgrade"

I am keep getting this error "The disk is used for Time Machine Backup" when installing the new OSX Mountain Lion" when doing the upgrade to newly OS.

The folder would be at the root of your hard drive. Double-click Macintosh HD and look there.
If it isn’t there, I’m not sure what it is seeing.

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Hey joven_photo,
Thanks for the question. Your iTunes playlists are stored within the iTunes Library files. The best option may be to move your entire iTunes Library to a new computer, as outlined in this article:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
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Can I Use Time Machine Restore Files to a New Computer?

I use Time Machine to backup my data to an external drive. Let's say that my computer crashes and I buy a new computer with Leopard installed.
Two Questions:
If I plug my Time Machine drive into the new computer, will I be able to recreate the old files and settings? Or does Time Machine only work to restore information on a specific computer?
If Time Machine WILL restore the documents onto a new computer, what happens if the first computer is Power PC and the new one is Intel?
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Dan D\'Errico

Dan D'Errico wrote:
I use Time Machine to backup my data to an external drive. Let's say that my computer crashes and I buy a new computer with Leopard installed.
Two Questions:
If I plug my Time Machine drive into the new computer, will I be able to recreate the old files and settings?
Yes - see my comments below regarding "Migrating User Data From One Mac to Another".
Or does Time Machine only work to restore information on a specific computer?
No
If Time Machine WILL restore the documents onto a new computer, what happens if the first computer is Power PC and the new one is Intel?
Then you should choose to Migrate your personal data over but NOT Applications. They may likely not be compatible with the new system.
*_Migrating User Data From One Mac to Another_*
*Firewire Disk Mode*
If you have a FireWire cable, you can connect one Mac to the other via FireWire Disk Mode. Then use Migration Assistant to transfer all of your files and applications over from the older Mac. It should result in a virtually identical setup as your previous Mac. Follow the instructions in this KB article:
“How to use FireWire target disk mode”
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
*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.
Start the new Mac and begin the setup process. At some point it will ask you if you would like to Migrate/Import user data from another computer or a Time Machine backup disk. Follow the prompts and select the date of the backup you would like to restore your user data from. Once the migration is complete use Disk Utility to repair any permissions issues.
*Using Time Machine After Initial Launch of New Mac*
If you have already created a User Account on the new Mac using a DIFFERENT Username and Password from the old Mac, then do the following:
Attach the hard disk containing the previous Macs' Time Machine backups to the new computer.
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".
Select the hard disk containing the previous Time Machine backups. (Give Migration Assistant some time as it scans the disk for eligible data to migrate.)
Now select which User Accounts you would like to migrate over.
However, if you have already created a User Account on the new Mac using the SAME Username and Password as the old Mac, then you will need to do this:
Create a new User Admin Account on the new Mac with a completely unique name.
Now, delete the first User Account you created on the new Mac - The one that is identical to the old Mac. (Of course, backup any important files that were created using the new User Account before deleting it.)
Finally, use Migration Assistant as described above to move the old User Account data over from the Time Machine backups.
*Full Backup After Restore*
Bear in mind that in all cases Time Machine will perform a full backup after a full restore. 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 your previous backup volume. 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 was helpful.
Cheers!

Opinions - time for a new computer? need more RAM, Time Machine back up full - get new computer?

I am in a quandary. My early 2008 iMac needs more Ram. I could upgrade from 2gb to 4gb for around $60. My 1T external hard drive for Time Machine is full and I do not relish the idea of it erasing old data if I continue to use it this way, but then I am shelling out more money for a new hard drive. Can get new 3T hd for about $200. Is it worth it to shore up my computer? I have recently upgraded OS to ML and it is really starting to act sluggish. I hate the idea of having to transfer everything over to a new Mac and therefore new OS. I need a working computer every day for business for my husband, so it would be impossible to go without a computer while things are being transferred over - and how long would it take for me to do that. Plus, will files and photos be transferred over exactly as I have organized them? I have spent a lot of time organizing bookmark folders in Safari, mailboxes in Mail and albums and folders in iPhoto. Don't want to start from scratch again. Also don't like the idea that the new iMacs don't have a slot for dvds and cds, playing and burning. I do a lot of this kind of thing. So then I would need to buy a separate thing for doing this as well as the computer itself. Have wondered how many things have changed from ML to Maverick. Another big learning curve???
Would really appreciate any thoughts and opinions. I am a senior citizen and don't know how to sort through this. One thing I think about is that I don't know how much longer I will be living and able to do computer work. I know everything is a risk, but would like some advice even if it is only an opinion.

It's probably time for a new machine. You won't have to start from scratch. Migration Assistant will bring over all of your data and apps (some may need to be re-activated using product keys). Depending on how much you actually have, a few hours should be all it takes over Ethernet.
Time Machine should continually erase the oldest backups when it needs space for new ones.
You might want to do both. Upgrade the RAM in the old machine to the max it will take, and buy a new machine as well. If your husband really needs a machine available all the time for business, having a 'spare' is a good thing.
Check out what's available in the refurb store. They are virtually indistinguishable from new retail stock and come with a full warranty. You can save hundreds.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Can you transfer files using Time Machine back-up to a new computer?

I have an early 2006 iMac and would like to get a new one. Would I be able to copy the files that I want moved to the new computer by using my Time Machine back-up? I would only want to transfer a handful of items including my iTunes and iPhoto libraries as well as my iWork files.

You most certainly can. What you want to do is to go to System Preferences>Time Machine>Advanced> and exclude everything except the files you want to bring over. Then, plug the Time Machine Backup into the new machine and use Setup Assistant; It'll walk you through the rest.
Move your content to a new Mac - Apple Support

Time Machine thinks it's a new computer - ok to continue though?

My MBP just got back from AppleCare. They found a main logic board error that I didn't even know about and replaced it.
I've noticed a couple of things since then. For example, I had to re-authorize my iTunes library. I guess there is something on the motherboard that was replaced that identifies my computer.
Just now, Time Machine told me that the existing backup was for a "different computer" and if I continued to use it my "original computer" could no longer use the Time Machine backup. I went ahead anyway. Otherwise it would have to create a completely new backup and it seemed like a waste of time.
If I need to restore it should be ok though, right? It's just files...
Thanks,
doug
Message was edited by: Doug Lerner2

Doug Lerner2 wrote:
My MBP just got back from AppleCare. They found a main logic board error that I didn't even know about and replaced it.
I've noticed a couple of things since then. For example, I had to re-authorize my iTunes library. I guess there is something on the motherboard that was replaced that identifies my computer.
Just now, Time Machine told me that the existing backup was for a "different computer" and if I continued to use it my "original computer" could no longer use the Time Machine backup.
that's because of the logic board change. TM backups are tagged with the MAC address of the logic board. that's how TM know which backup belongs to which computer.
I went ahead anyway. Otherwise it would have to create a completely new backup and it seemed like a waste of time.
If I need to restore it should be ok though, right? It's just files...
yes. you will be fine. you re-associated the old backups with the new motherboard. you don't need to do anything else.
Thanks,
doug
Message was edited by: Doug Lerner2

HT3275 How to reset Time Machine to use with a new computer?

I have used my Time Machine to back up my two macs, now I am consolidating to a retina macbook, and I want to clear my Time Machine of the backups of the former computers, and use it with the new one. I am not seeing the answer to this...? thanks. Steve

The simplest and therefore best answer is to erase the Time Capsule disk.
Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utillity
Click on the Time Capsule icon
Click Edit in the box that appears
Click the Disks tab in the next window
Click Erase Disk
The "Quick Erase" option will only take a minute or two, then you can start the new backup of the new Mac.

After first time machine backup half available GB on computer are gone

I did my first backup up to an external HD using Time Machine. Pre backup my computer showed 713 GB available. After backup my computer showed 334 GB available (less than half pre-backup!) and the external HD showed 713 GB available. What happened? Is this normal?

I called Apple Tech support. For anyone interested, here's the explanation I got:
In time machine, when you look at finder windows back in time the "GB available" shows the available space on the external HD, not the Mac HD (even though Mac HD is selected under devices). The "now" window shows the GB available on the Mac.
In my case: Mac HD info shows a 595 GB capacity; I use 228 GB so I have 367 GB available. My external HD is 1 TB or about 1,000 GB. Backing up 228 GB on the external HD should leave about 772 GB available on the external HD.
In Time Machine all past finder windows show a number close to 772 GB available (currently available on the external HD) while "now" window shows 367 GB available (currently available on the Mac HD).
I was worried the backing up somehow changed the available GB on the Mac drastically from 772 to 367 but the Mac never had that much space available in the first place. Backing up has no effect on GB available on the Mac HD no matter how it may appear in Time Machine.
If anyone disagrees with this, please let us know. Thanks to everyone for their input.

Can't find iphoto library after time machine migration of 2011 imac to osx 2014 imac

I recently purchase latest 5K Retina display iMAC with Yosemite. Had a 2011 Intel iMAC it had a flash drive with latest iphoto library. An older iphoto library was located on the standard HD on the 2011 iMAC. EVerything on this computer was backed up with Time capsule.
When I purchased new computer, I used migration assistant and the Time capsule to migrate files to new iMAC. The newer iphot libray is present but cant find the older one.
What did I do wrong?

Download Find Any File (www.macupdate.com) and do a search for the library.

Hi, ive been backing up my computer to an external hard drive (with time machine). When i buy a new macbook will that hard drive put all my info on to the new computer?

hi, ive been backing up my computer to an external hard drive (with time machine). When i buy a new macbook will that hard drive put all my info on to the new computer?

When you boot the new machine for the first time, you'll be prompted to import your data from a Time Machine backup.

HT201250 I use Time Machine to back up my entire computer with my external hard drive. I am getting a brand new iMac this month and was wondering what is the process of using this back up to restore my new computer exactly how my old computer was?

I use Time Machine to back up my entire computer with my external hard drive. I am getting a brand new iMac this month and was wondering what is the process of using this back up to restore my new computer exactly how my old computer was? I want to make sure I will still have various important files on my new computer, like my songs in iTunes, my photos in iPhoto, etc, etc. Thanks so much in advance!

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
When you turn on the new iMac for the first time, Setup Assistant will ask you to restore a backup, so connect the external disk and follow steps to restore all your files to your new iMac. Your new Mac will have the same settings and programs as your old computer.
In other cases, I would recommend to restore the whole backup without using Migration Assistant or Setup Assistant, but a Late 2012 iMac uses a special OS X build, so the OS X version that you're using on your old Mac won't work on the new one. For more information, see > http://pondini.org/OSX/Home.html

Time machine on old machine, can I restore to new computer?

I have an external drive with Time Machine backups from my old computer. When I mounted that drive on my new computer, I was asked if I wanted to use that for Time Machine and I said no. I have just copied what I need from that drive to my new computer. My question--can I restore all the files on that drive to the new computer? Or will Time Machine want to overwrite my files so it can backup my new computer? Thanks.
Bea/CA (my alias of Bea/NJ is no longer true)

Now for something completely different...
I bought a new MacBook Pro and used a Time Machine backup from my iBook G4 to get my new MacBook Pro set up. Everything worked great.
So I would definitely recommend using a Time Machine backup to get your new Mac running.

Time Machine from old Mac to new Mac

I recently changed my Macbook Pro (mid 2010) to one of the newer models.
I use an external HD via an Airport Extreme (I know its not recommended, but its been working perfectly for over 18 months)
I attempted to use a time machine backup to setup the new Macbook, but had to opt for using the Migration Assistant. I was able to restore from my last backup, but now Time Machine inisists on creating a new backup, instead of continuing to use the previous backup.
I've noticed that within the actual HD that it has a SparseBundle for the old Macbook, which can be mounted, but I cannot access any of the files due to restricted priveleges?
When TM begins creating the new backup, it creates the Backups.backupdb folder as expected, so I'm just wondering if theres anything I can do to try clean all this up so I can continue to use the same backup hierarchy as from the previus Macbook?
Apologies if I'm missing anything here or lack clarification, but I'm a first time user of the communities

Hi, and welcome to the forums.
Just change the new Mac's +Computer Name+ in System Preferences > Sharing.

HT3275 Reuse Time Machine Backup after moving to new Machine

So I've been using TIme Machine for ages, and usually the restore are fine, but one thing has always bugged me:
When I restore (say for a new hard drive) or bought a new machine (in this case i got the Retina MBP)... and i turn on Time Machine again... I haven't been able to find a way to use the old backup disk on my Time Capsule.
Looking into the support info, I found this:
Message: Time Machine starts a new, full backup instead of a smaller incremental backup
There are three reasons why this may occur:
You performed a full restore.
Your Computer Name (in Sharing preferences) was changed--when this happens, Time Machine will perform a full backup on its next scheduled backup time.
If you have had a hardware repair recently, contact the Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store that performed your repair. In the meantime, you can still browse and recover previous backups by right-clicking or Control-clicking the Time Machine Dock icon, and choosing "Browse Other Time Machine disks" from the contextual menu.
Reading that, I'm led to assume that's just one of the quirks and I can't do anything, and deleting Time Machine backups is quite a hassle as it is.
Is there really no way for my new Retina Macbook to use my old MBP time machine backup and just keep adding incremental data to it? It seems redundant then as say a week ago I deleted something... I actually have no way of getting to it now if I deleted the backup and started again. At the moment, my Time Capsule doesn't have enough space for a complete new one, so i'd HAVE to delete the old one.
Is there a way around this?
Thanks.

ladines wrote:
My account name is the same in both systems.
The account name isn't what controls the permissions; it's the automatically-assigned and mostly-invisible User ID number, also called a UID. The first user account you create is number 501, the next 502, etc. So if you ever had more than one user account, the one(s) you have now may be different. See the pink box in Problems after using Migration Assistant for a detailed explanation.
You really can't change the permissions on Time Machine backups (that would kinda defeat the purpose).
Try creating another account, and see if it has permission to the backups. If it does, you have a couple of options:
* Copy everything now on your system to the new User Account you created above. That's tedious and error-prone, but can be done. See Transferring files from one User Account to another.
* Your existing user account should be able to see and restore from new backups (done from the new drive). When you need to view or restore things from the old backups, use the new account. Eventually, as the older backups are deleted, the problem will fade away.

Time machine migration when apps on new computer are later versions

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