Using Migration Assistant to move to a new MacBook Pro generated 80 GB of additional data that cannot be traced on the HD

I used Migration Assistant to setup my new MacBook Pro (Retina) and to transfer my user account from my 1-year old MacBook Pro. Both computers have the same harddisk (500 GB SSD), but the new one now only has 85 GB of free HD space, whereas the old one still has 168 GB free space.
The space seems to be from files that show up as "Others" on the HD, but the large folders (music, movies, photos, documents, system, library etc.) are the same size on both computers.
Does anyone have any idea where the extra data could come from? I assume that languages would be stored in the System or Library folders, so even if I had deleted all unused languages from my old computer (which I may have done a year ago, I am not sure), this should not result in a more than 80 GB difference in free space, should it?
I would be glad if anyone had an idea where all the data may come from or how to get rid of it. Thanks a lot.

baltwo wrote:
I'd get an external, bootable FireWire enclosure, put the new HD into it, ensure it runs the MBP, and then swap.
One thing to consider going forward: the new MacBooks (annoyingly!) do not have a Firewire port, so it might be a good idea to consider dual Firewire & USB 2 external drives/enclosures for future purchases. It won't matter for this swap but it will help avoid buying something that can't be used with any new Macs that don't have Firewire.
An low cost alternative for those that just need a temporary way to mount an external drive for uses involving only Intel Macs are the newish bare-bones USB drive adaptors, such as the NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter. The advantage to these gizmos, besides low cost, is that they work with both ATA & SATA drives. Some, like the NewerTech model, also support other devices, like some optical drives.

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Using Migration Assistant to move to a new MacBook Pro generated 80 GB of additional data that cannot be traced on the HD

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