Restoring my iMac after a HD replacement

gemigene · May 27, 2009

Hi,

I recently picked-up my iMac from the repair shop after a HD replacement and about to set it up. When I brought it in for servicing, I bought a Mac Mini (1.83MGz) as a back-up unit and I would like to migrate my preferences and applications from the Mini to the iMac.

Both units run on Leopard so I was considering doing the following:

- Connect the 2 units via a firewire cable and use the migration utility,
- Install the recent upgrades on the iMac,
- Run the repair permissions utility (as I always do after major upgrades)

Would this be the proper procedure or is there a better way of doing this?

Also, the iMac came with OS-X 10.4 and 2 weeks later, I sent in for the 10.5 upgrade disk but the Mini has the original OEM 10.5 disks, can they be used on the iMac if ever I need to do a complete OS install?

Cheers,
Gene

Lifeisabeach · May 27, 2009

Yes... using the Migration Assistant is the best way to go about it. And no, you cannot use the OEM disks on the iMac... they are each specific to the model they came with.

gemigene · May 27, 2009

lifeisabeach said:
Yes... using the Migration Assistant is the best way to go about it.

Thanks for the info Life.

Also, when using the migration assistant, does it "migrate" everything, overwriting the default Apple applications (front row, etc.) or simply the apps that aren't on the host machine?

lifeisabeach said:
And no, you cannot use the OEM disks on the iMac... they are each specific to the model they came with.

I kind of suspected as much and considering the price of Macs, Apple should include a retail version of the operating system with every new unit, IMO, no skin off their butts.

Cheers,
Gene

Lifeisabeach · May 27, 2009

gemigene said:
Thanks for the info Life.

Also, when using the migration assistant, does it "migrate" everything, overwriting the default Apple applications (front row, etc.) or simply the apps that aren't on the host machine?

You can choose to migrate apps or not. I can't say if it will or won't import the default Apple apps. I suspect it's smart enough to know not to overwrite newer versions.

I kind of suspected as much and considering the price of Macs, Apple should include a retail version of the operating system with every new unit, IMO, no skin off their butts.

I don't see why they should. You are only entitled to install it on the machine it came with... it's effectively a one-license purchase. If you bought a retail version, you are only entitled to install it on one machine (unless you paid for a family pack). So effectively there's no difference.

gemigene · May 28, 2009

lifeisabeach said:
You can choose to migrate apps or not. I can't say if it will or won't import the default Apple apps. I suspect it's smart enough to know not to overwrite newer versions.

Thanks Life and I'll find out soon enough, I plan on doing this on Saturday.

lifeisabeach said:
And no, you cannot use the OEM disks on the iMac... they are each specific to the model they came with.

I understand your point but according to a user from another Mac forum, there is a workaround:

You can install the mini disks only on a mini of that series.

HOWEVER, if you boot the iMac into Firewire target disk mode (by holding the "T" key on startup) and hook that up to the mini, the mini will treat it as just an external drive, and the Install disks will install as they would onto any other connected external drive.

Both my Leopard versions are legal, the only difference is that the Tiger to Leopard upgrade disk is 10.5.0 whereas the Mini's is 10.5.4.

Cheers,
Gene

Lifeisabeach · May 28, 2009

gemigene said:
Both my Leopard versions are legal, the only difference is that the Tiger to Leopard upgrade disk is 10.5.0 whereas the Mini's is 10.5.4.

If you have a version of Leopard for each machine, then I don't really understand what the problem is. You do know you can update 10.5.0 up to the latest version, 10.5.7, after installation, do you?

gemigene · May 28, 2009

lifeisabeach said:
If you have a version of Leopard for each machine, then I don't really understand what the problem is. You do know you can update 10.5.0 up to the latest version, 10.5.7, after installation, do you?

Yup, I'm quite familiar with upgrades, been doing them since I bought my first iMac (white 17"). When I brought the 24" for repairs, the technician requested I also bring in it's original 10.4 disks plus the Leopard upgrade and according to him, the upgrade disk is damaged and the superdrive couldn't read it so he had to resort to using one of the 10.5.6 copies they keep at the shop for such emergencies.

Cheers,
Gene