Transferring iLife stuff to a new iMac

I bought my wife a new iMac 24. ( refurb ).
I want to transfer all my music, photos, movies, etc from an older PowerPC G5.
I don't want to transfer all my user settings as the new iMac will be setup for my wife.
I have an external HD with a SuperDuper clone of the G5.
What is the easiest way to transfer the media files properly to the new iMac?
Thanks
Len

What OS is the G5 running and what OS is on the intel? You could use Target Disk Mode to drag over the media files from the G5 to the intel.
If they are running the same OS, you could reverse clone from your SD backup, but everthing would come over, all your user settings etc, so Target Disk Mode is the way to go.

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TS1389 I used to have another email address associated with Itunes and transfered my songs to my new Imac now some of the songs wont play because they were athorised on another computer and I cannot remember my old Itunes password associated with the old

I used to have another email address associated with Itunes and transfered my songs to my new Imac now some of the songs wont play because they were athorised on another computer and I cannot remember my old Itunes password associated with the old email.

Hello Johnny Reptile,
The following article details the necessary steps for resetting your old Apple ID's password.
Apple ID: Changing your password
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5624
Cheers,
Allen

What I Learned About Transferring Stuff To A New iMac

Just got the new 21.5" iMac with Fusion drive. First time that I ever attempted transferring from the old to the new. I wanted my excel/word docs and photos in particular to transfer. That was my main goal anyhow. But on the prompts from the new computer I transferred the whole shebang, not exactly knowing what the whole shebang would be....the only broad categories given by the system at the time were Users, Settings, Documents, and I think one more thing I cannot recall. Had the option to check or uncheck the four boxes, they were pre-checked by apple, I assumed this was the common thing to do so I just did it.
I was going to use Numbers this time on this computer and avoid having Microsoft Office for Mac on the computer and all of its trash program...well...all that transferred over....so now Excel 2008 works, which is a good thing, but I know I have the undesirable files loaded too...not happy with that but it is what it is.
Makes me wonder what other things were on old computer I could have lived without on new....on a side note, right after the computer sprung to life and said it was ready to go it gave me a message the Flipmac4 was not the right version or something. Not sure how much it is needed or if it is outdated. I think it has something to do with watching videos. Perhaps I can uninstall it permanently and still watch Youtube and other vids. Anyone know about this please pitch in.
It is nice to have all the photos and documents transfer over seemlessly like they did I just wish there was a way to be more selective in the process maybe I would have nixed Microsoft Office for Mac and other thing...I dunno....not really complaining just expressing what I have learned today....Please respond with things I might have done better if you know of anything so next time, maybe another three years from now ha ha, I can be better at it....
THANKS ALL!
PS, even the passords for the internet apparently transferred....like when I went to sign on the apple communities the user ID and password were already pre-filled with my data.

I would first go through Setup Assistant (which opens automatically) without migrating anything. Run Software Update to install the latest updates from Apple, but otherwise use the iMac +as is+ for a while. When you are satisfied that it is working 100% perfectly, you can run Migration Assistant from Applications/Utilities/. This way, if you have a problem, it will be easier to troubleshoot.
Note: Since this is a refurb iMac, it is possible that it will have Leopard pre-installed instead of Snow Leopard. It should come with a disc for upgrading to Snow Leopard, if Leopard is pre-installed. If that is the case with this refurb, you should upgrade to Snow Leopard and test run it for a while before migrating the user data from the G5.
In Migration Assistant, you will be asked to select the data source. You can connect the two Mac, but you can also use that external drive with the clone. If that external drive is FireWire 400, you will need a cable that goes from FireWire 800 (9-pin) to FireWire 400 (6-pin), for example
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/1394B96036/
because the new iMac will only have FireWire 800 (if it's the early 2009 model). If the drive has USB 2.0, you can connect it that way to the new iMac. The option in Migration Assistant is +From Time Machine backup or other disk+. The external drive clone is the "other disk."
Then, Migration Assistant will ask what to migrate. Here, you should select to migrate only Users. Do not select +Applications, Settings, or Other...+ This will migrate user data from the old installation and leave everything else alone.
That is the easiest way. You can also connect the external drive clone and use Finder to copy the files over manually. That's the way I usually do it myself, so that I have more control over what gets transferred.

ITunes keeps asking me to choose (locate) iTunes library after I transferring all my stuff to my new iMac

In Match I got a new iMac and transferred everything from my old iMac to the new one. After that iTunes sometimes ask me to locate the iTunes library and I do that every time. But almost every time i open iTunes it asks again (not always). Sometimes I also get a popup saying something like, its not been able to save preferences. Also if I want to convert a recording to a mp3 file I go and change the import preferences and next time I open iTunes I have to do it again (almost every time - sometimes it is saved). iTunes 11.0.4 - Mac OS X 10.8.4
Regards
Hjortur

Solved - I am using "Shortcuts" for keyboard shortcuts and I used "alt" in combination with "ctrl" and an F-key to open iTunes. Since "alt" is used to hold down while opening iTunes to choose a diifferent librery I think that is what happend.

Link(s) on how to move PC stuff to a new iMac

I need to transfer stuff (all stuff) from a pc to a new iMac.
I know there is a guide "switch to a mac", but that seems to just help you or convince you to switch to a mac. Doesnt really list details on moving-transfering your files and such. I would like to know how to transfer all files and settings from a PC machine to a new iMac. And do it right.
Ps. I dont use itunes on the pc so do not need help with transfering itunes media.
Message was edited by: randym431

Hello randym431
Does > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2518 help?
Unfortunately your windows settings can not be transferred to OS X, you will need to do the basic's during setup and then later change or adjust the System Preferences to accommodate your needs.
See > http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
Lastly if you choose to run windows on your iMac, there is an entire Forum Category called Bootcamp that is dedicated to running windows on your iMac.
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=237
Dennis

Transfering PC iTunes Library To New iMac

Hi Everyone
I am very very new to macs and have been a pc user for the last 10 years. I have recently bought the new iMac and was wondering how to transfer all my music from the PC to it??
I sort of have an idea how to do it but I do not want to lose any of my playlists as I am a DJ and have somewhere in the region of forty. I have started by coying the entire iTunes folder on my PC harddrive onto a portable harddrive. Is all I have to do is connect this to the Mac and then copy the music files into iTunes and then go to consolidate library which will make a copy onto the Mac?? It seems simple enough but is this how to do it and will this keep all my playlists??
Any help is great
Al.

How to Copy and Move your Music Files from One Computer to Another
This is the conceptual framework with related and important links. Apply it to your specific situation and resources.
The safest, quickest, and most optimal method to move your Library to a new computer is to actually clone the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure, rather than just copying just the song files. By copying the entire ‘iTunes’ folder and all sub-folders, you capture not only the music files, but the all-important ‘iTunes Library.itl’ database file (usually located in the ‘iTunes’ folder), which contains all the data about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
Install iTunes on the new computer. Then go back to your old computer and move (copy) the "iTunes" folder which usually resides inside your "My Documents\My Music" folder from the old computer to the exact same place on the new computer. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will look and behave exactly the same way it did on the old, Play Counts, Ratings, Comments and all!
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
Here's a list of methods to copy and move your music files from one computer to another:
1) Use an External Hard Drive (ExHD) to move the complete files and Folder structures from one computer to another (my preferred option). You can clone’ the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure in one very easy step. Also great to have available for complete backups of your Library. External hard drives now run less than $100 for 200-250GBs of storage. See This Link
2) Directly connect the two computers:
2a) Connect them through a Router
2b) Connect using a Direct (w/Mac) or Crossover (PC/PC) Ethernet cable (See: http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3001.html)
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. See: here as an example. There are many out there (Google).
Copy files from one computer to the other.
3) Use the iPod as a transfer device, as this extensive Apple link explains. It will be a bit easier if your iPod has a larger capacity than your music collection, otherwise you will need to perform multiple copy/move transfers. This well written process also works fine while using any other data transfer medium (ExHD, Flash Drive, DVD, CD, Zipp, Jazz, etc.).
4) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7GBs each) with your music data files and folder structure, and load them onto the new computer. Re-writable DVDs are more cost effective (if your DVD drive can manage these types).
5) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #4 above and load the files and folders on the new computer. Re-writable CDs are more cost effective (if your CD drive can manage these types).
6) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to move the files and folders. Best if the flash drive is larger than your Library, otherwise you will need multiple copy/move transfers.
Switch from PC to Mac Using the iPod
hudgie: Migrating iTunes for Windows to a new PC
How to copy music between authorized computers

Transferring files from OS9 to new iMac with OSX

Hi,
I'm one of the (very) slow ones to upgrade. Just got my new iMac G5, and want to move my data and files over from my iMac G3 400 hrz graphite. I've got an ethernet network set up, but looking thru various instructions, I'm told that OS 10.4 won't allow transfers using Appletalk and I think it's telling me I need to go thru tcp/ip. I"m not finding any info that tells me how to do this. Anyone have the know-how, or can point me to find it?
Thanks, I hope---
marshgoose

I do have the original Graphite, then.
Thanks for all the responses! I did do the transfer with a Firewire, and all is well (after freezing the G5 screen into a gray-chroma vertical line pattern--must have moved a corrupted file into it. Necessitated a nice little talk with India tech and several passes with Disk Doctor on the G3, but I think it's sorted out now. Just the usual New Computer Cakewalk.
Appreciate the help!
marshgoose
G3 imac Mac OS 9.2.x

Transferring files from G4 to new iMac

I just purchased a new iMac to replace my old G4 AGP 400Mhz Powermac. My old G4 had two hard drives installed each of which contained a number of partitions. The only partition which is transferred to my new iMac using the firewire target disk mode is the partition containing the operating system OS X 10.3.9, which was the old start up volume for this Mac. I have numerous other files, applications on the other partitions. Is there any way I can transfer these files? I can't use my new iMac as a firewire target disk, since the monitor on my old Mac no longer works. That's one reason why I decided to upgrade to the iMac. Thanks!

Hello! The monitor doesn't have to be working to use FTD mode however FTD mode only sees the master on the ide chain. I'd suggest either a cheap firewire enclosure to mount the drives in or a 1 gig flash drive. Tom

Transfering music from Nano to new iMac without old computer

I recently had a hard drive fail on my old PC laptop and can't access my iTunes music for my Nano. Is there anyway you can download music onto the new iMac without having access to the old PC? I'm talking about music that's been loaded onto the Nano via CD (not iTunes Store) - Please help

Hey there,
There are several ways you can pull the music off your iPod and onto iTunes. The first link after the Apple support document below provides step-by-step instructions for the direct method if you have a PC as well as a few third party applications (for both the Mac and PC) if you choose to go that route instead. You can also do a simple google search for "copy music from iPod to computer" and you should receive a number of sites that can help you out.
Just make sure that when you have your iPod plugged into your computer, that you don't hit "Erase and Sync" before completing the task of copying your music over.
Also, if you have any purchased music, you will probably have to re-authorize your computer by heading to the Store drop down menu and choosing "Authorize computer."
[5 Ways to Copy Music OFF your iPod and onto iTunes|http://www.metaphoriclabs.com/articles/5-ways-to-copy-music-off-your-ipo d-windows-mac-os-x>
Here are a few more helpful sites.
[Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide|http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipo d-to-computer>
Hope this helps.
B-rock

Transferring old macbook pro to new imac

Hi, I was running a macbook pro as my new machine but just took delivery of new imac. Last time i changed machine the set up assistant dealt with this. Unfortunately, set up assistant didn't start up first time as it should have, i checked the help section and it says use migration assistant, is this the right way to make my new mac copy ove my old mac completely?
Also, the new machine won't let me in to to do this as it has the administrator account set up but i've been given no password. The user name is 'user', does anyone have a clue what the default password might be?
Regards
Steve

Hi, I've never unboxed a New Mac that has a User already set up.. The only time I have seen this is when a store sets them up for demo/display..(BestBuy-CompUSA etc)..Maybe even a 3rd party Refurb.
I would certainly before using the machine find out the history..
Sorry to be a bearer of "bad news" .........L

Transferring from MacBook Pro to new IMac

Hi
I started up the new IMac and choose to synchronise between the Macbook Pro and the IMac via ethernet. Everything was going well till it hit the timzone settings. It has now been stalled on this screen for 2hrs and nothing is changing.
I'm wondering what to do
- should I shut down the Imac and start again?
- wait?
- something else?

Abort and try again.

Transferring old iPhoto library to new iMac with iPhoto 11

I have an external hard drive which contains my old iPhoto library (let's call it iPhoto A library) with about 10 years of pictures. This was saved from an older version of iPhoto. Since then, I started a new iPhoto library (let's call it iPhoto B library on my old computer but with iPhoto now upgraded to iPhoto 11).
My question is: now I have a brand new iMac with iPhoto 11 (and absolutely no pictures currently in it!). How do I successfully transfer both of my iPhoto libraries over to my new iMac? I would prefer that they be in one library, but I'm not strongly opposed if they need to be in separate library. My second question: if they are in separate libraries, when do I save them? Same folder? Where?
By the way, when I try to open my iPhoto A library, it says "The photo library needs to be upgraded to work on this version of iPhoto. Your photo library will not be readable by previous versions of iPhoto after the upgrade. The upgrade process for very large libraries may take an hour or more to complete."
Thanks so much to the Community for helping me!

How do I successfully transfer both of my iPhoto libraries over to my new iMac?
drag them over (of course they can not have the same name) - Connect the two Macs together (network, firewire target mode, etc) or use an external hard drive formed Mac OS extended (journaled) and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity from the old Mac to the pictures folder of the new Mac - launch iPhoto on the new mac and it will open the library and convert it as needed and you will be ready move forward.
I would prefer that they be in one library, but I'm not strongly opposed if they need to be in separate library.
There is no way to do this with iPhoto - if you have iPhoto '11 version 9.3 or newer you can purchase Aperture and use it to merge libraries. Or you can purchase iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - and use it to merge iPhoto libraries.
My second question: if they are in separate libraries, when do I save them?
Where ever you want - if you have seperate libraries you switch between them by depressing the option key and launching iPhoto and using the switch library window
By the way, when I try to open my iPhoto A library, it says "The photo library needs to be upgraded to work on this version of iPhoto. Your photo library will not be readable by previous versions of iPhoto after the upgrade. The upgrade process for very large libraries may take an hour or more to complete."
That is correct - old versions of iPhoto can not access newer versions libraries
and what ever you choose to do be sure tha tyou backup procedures are backing up everything
LN

Transferring iTunes 6 Library to new iMac with iTunes 7

This is probably very easy. But, I wanted to make sure it would work before I start moving things around, etc.
I upgraded to a new iMac recently and I would like to use my old iTunes library (on an external firewire HD) in iTunes 7. Basically, I'd like to keep all of my music on the external HD and use it solely as an iTunes drive like i did with my old G4. So, I would go under Preferences and tell iTunes to look on the external HD for all of the music files. And, in order to get all of my playlists, ratings, etc. back, I would need to copy my old iTunes Library xml file over into my new Music folder, replacing the existing one. Right?
Here is my question...I was still using iTunes 6 on my old G4 because it didn't handle 7 very well. So, my old iTunes library xml files are iTunes 6 files. Will iTunes 7 be able to recognize an iTunes 6 xml file? Will it simply prompt me to upgrade it to a shiny new iTunes 7 file?

Cool! Thank you so much for the quick response.
So, just to be clear, what I will need to do is...
1. open iTunes.
2. under preferences redirect it to the music folder on my external drive.
3. Close iTunes.
4. drag my old xml file into the iTunes folder on the iMac (it will ask me if I want to replace the existing...i say yes...)
5. Open iTunes and all of my old playlists, etc. should be there.
Is that correct?

Transfering old G4 contents to new iMac.

Is it possible to convert Appleworks6 documents for acceptance and display on new 21.5-inch iMac (have 'Numbers','pages' and 'Keynote" apps installed)?

Pages will read AW word processing documents. Numbers can accept AW spreadsheets if you export them to CSV files. I don't think Numbers will read the native file. That's it.
The best way to be sure you can use the AW documents is to export them first to a common format such as text files, CSV or tab delimited files. Be sure you save your AW documents in these common formats because once you move over to Intel hardware there is nothing you can do with them.
A Basic Guide for Migrating to Intel-Macs
The Knowledgebase article Intel-based Mac: Some migrated applications may need to be updated refers to methods of dealing with migrating from PowerPC chips to Intel with the Migration Assistant safely. The authors of this tip have not had a chance to verify this works in all instances, or that it avoids the 10.6.1 and earlier Guest Account bug that caused account information to get deleted upon use of the Migration/Setup Assistant. However, a well backed up source that includes at least two backups of all the data that are not connected to your machine will help you avoid potential issues, should they arise. In event it does not work, follow the steps below.
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:
1. Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications
2. Screensavers written for the PowerPC System Preference add-ons
3. All Unsanity Haxies Browser and other plug-ins
4. Contextual Menu Items
5. Applications which specifically require the PowerPC G5 Kernel extensions
6. 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, TechTool Pro , SuperDuper , and Drive Genius 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:
1. Intel In Macs
2. Apple Guide to Universal Applications
3. MacInTouch List of Compatible Universal Binaries
4. MacInTouch List of Rosetta Compatible Applications
5. MacUpdate List of Intel-Compatible Software
6. Transferring data with Setup Assistant - Migration Assistant FAQ
7. OS X Lion: How to use Migration Assistant to transfer files from another Mac
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 Transferring files between two computers using FireWire.
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:
a. MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (15-inch,
      Late 2008) - What to do if migration is unsuccessful;
b. MacBook Air - Migration Tips and Tricks;
c. 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 5/21/2011

Transferring photos from PC to new iMac

I just got my first Mac and need to move my photos from the old PC. What's the best way to do this? Thanks for helping out this newbie!!!

You might try plugging in the external HD into a different port or use a different cable. You mac should be able to read the PC formatted HD. Otherwise this Apple document might provide you with a solution: How to transfer data from a PC to a Macintosh.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.≤br>
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

Transferring iLife stuff to a new iMac

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