Data Transfer Help Please!

Hi,

Having just joined the forum, i'm not sure if I have put this in the right place, so if not, then sorry!

Here is the question...

My dad has kindly offered me his MBP in exchange for my MB... Odd I know, but i'm not going to complain...

What I would like to do is simply swap the data from the MBP to the MB and from the MB to the MBP.

The MBP has snow leopard on and the MB just has Leopard (but i'm not sure that will make a difference, although it would be nice if the OS could stay the same as they are at the moment because it will mean that I have a MBP with Snow Leopard on...

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Adam

Welcome to Mac Forums
If you back up each Mac with time machine, and then reinstall each Mac from their install discs, and then use migration assistant to transfer the data back to the switched Macs, you will have your new MBP as your MB was, and your dad will have his MB as his MBP was.

Is that what you wanted?

I think that is exactly what I wanted. That will mean that the OS will effectively switch then? The MBP is on snow and the MB is on Leopard currently and will stay like that?

Would it be easier to backup one onto an external hdd using time machine, and then use migration assistant and connect the computers with ethernet, migrate one to the other and then format and re install the other one from time machine?

I think that is exactly what I wanted. That will mean that the OS will effectively switch then? The MBP is on snow and the MB is on Leopard currently and will stay like that?

Click to expand...

That's right.

Would it be easier to backup one onto an external hdd using time machine, and then use migration assistant and connect the computers with ethernet, migrate one to the other and then format and re install the other one from time machine?

Click to expand...

Maybe, but I think the first method is more stable.... Less chance of something going wrong.

ok, I will use the first method then, as i would hate to loose any data or anything like that!

Will have to wait a little while as my external HDD is at my house and im at my parents. (unless I just use my dads external and have both machines backed up on the same HDD)

I will let you know what happens!

Thank you very much for your help!

Adam

It's ok to use time machine to backup 2 or more different Macs on one external HD.
I have a backup of my mum's Mac on my external.

Worked perfectly!

Thank you for your help!

Adam

Too late maybe, but, if you come back...

It's only $29 to upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard.

You were indeed a tad too late toMAcsh, but thank you very much anyway!

So, here is how I sorted my file transfers over for anyone else who wants to either swap computers with their parents like I did, or indeed just put all of their data onto a new Mac.

Firstly i used Time Machine to create a backup of both Macs. I then threw in the OS disk and formatted the HDD and wiped everything clean to be sure that I got rid of all the data.

Then once this was done and the OS was re installed, i used Migration Assistant (which can be found in Utilities) to put all of my data from my time machine backup onto the system. It all worked perfectly and all of my settings and applications were installed and correct. I thought that i may have to re do my Office Product Keys and things like that, but nope... it took care of everything.

The only thing that I have noticed so far is that my Power saving options were slightly different, and the "require password to wake from sleep" option was un ticked (and it was ticked before...)

Im sure that there are a few other things that I will no doubt notice at a later date, but I am very happy with how it worked!

I dont think it could have been any easier to do!

Adam