[dopik]

I have just bought a new PB15'' that I should receive in a week or so.

However, I would like to know what the best way is to transfer my data from my current PB to my new one.

I want to keep my keychain password, my iCal and Address Book info, my iTunes ratings - how should I do for the music I have purchased from iTMS -, my iPhoto, my synchronization with my bluetooth cell phone, my email sent from Mail...

However, I want to make fresh install for my softwares so I do not plan to copy the Applications folder.

I have a .Mac account. Should I use backup to do so? is there a better way?

Thank you for your help.

Do

[Voch]

Is this what the Mac OS X Setup Assistant is for?

Voch

[SMacTech]

And the setup assistant works well too. Just used it today with my new 12" PB.

[TheIceMan]

Voch: Hey, thanks. Quick and simple.

[David Hagan]

The OS X Setup Assistant is brilliant. I can't believe how well it works. All you need is a 6-pin to 6-pin Firewire cable...which is the same cable used for an iSight.

[Voch]

I've heard folks on the forum talking about using it. I have yet to migrate from a Mac OS X-to-Mac OS X machine yet, but hopefully I'll try it soon (actually, all I need is my Documents folder...everything else is replacable).

Voch

[romeosc]

Originally posted by Voch:
I've heard folks on the forum talking about using it. I have yet to migrate from a Mac OS X-to-Mac OS X machine yet, but hopefully I'll try it soon (actually, all I need is my Documents folder...everything else is replacable).

Voch

Yeah,

but it takes weeks to re-enter passwords, and get preferences set up like you like it, plus photos, music etc stored in your users folder!

[dopik]

Thanks for all the replies. I will try that way then

[Randman]

The Software Assistant works brilliantly. It even works with external FW drives (though my clone on the external was made bootable via CCC).

[Simon]

Originally posted by romeosc:
Yeah, but it takes weeks to re-enter passwords, and get preferences set up like you like it, plus photos, music etc stored in your users folder!

It's not that bad. Your passwords can be migrated by copying the keychain file (that's what it's for). Preferences are located in /Library/ and ~/Library/ and can be migrated as well by copying the appropriate files. Photos and Music are the easiest, because you just need to transfer files and make sure you also take over iTunes' and iPhoto's pref files. Apple's migration tool will help you do that. It takes me four hours to transfer from one of my Macs to a new Mac with clean install and fresh start by hand, even w/o Apple's migration tool. It's really not difficult.

[iREZ]

Say I was going to use an external HD to boot off of and I wanted to use this software to get my settings on the external, is there a way to download just this utility (seeing that my PB didn't come with one....specs in sig�) so I could do this or would I have to go the good ol' fashioned way?

[Beerman]

Originally posted by dopik:
Thanks for all the replies. I will try that way then

I was going to say that the Apple method worked great for me - and I don't believe that I had to re-enter passwords, either. In fact, my new 17" looks and acts virtually identical to my rev. C 12"

It took about 35 minutes for everything to transfer.

I did go back and rename my HDs and computers, as I still use both and use a synchronization program to keep my documents and music folders synched; it just made it easier to ID which computer I was looking at, as they appeared identical in the setup screen!

[magicbbird]

Does it matter if I want to transfer settings/stuffs from a desktop to a laptop? Will some system settings from the desktop incompatible to powerbook?

I just place an order to a 12" powerbook, and would like to transfer everything from my desktop to it.

Thanks for your advise.