How to transfer existing macos to other MacMini

[noogie69]

Hello All,

Intro:
I have a 2011 MacMini Server (let's call it MacA) which suffers from catastrophic overheating, i.e. after about 5 minutes the display changes to a single color (regardless of the fan running at 4200 RPM from boot up).

So, as any other decent person would, I spent some more and bought another MacMini (an i5 simpler model) (let's call it MacB) for 100$, only thing, it came with no HD.

Problem:
I used cloning software and cloned the SSD from MacA and installed it in MacA, it worked (!).

I installed the cloned SSD in MacB, I get the chime, the apple logo and after the progress bar fills half-way, the screen turns white and that's it.

I did try pressing all sorts of combinations - alt+R, win+R, ctrl+R, shift, but nothing seams to do anything. My Mac keyboard is bluetooth so I'm using a windows wired keyboard.

Any ideas how I can get an OS on MacB?

 

[Maria Kate]

Hi, try using Migration Assistant to copy all of your documents, apps, user accounts, and setting. Just open Migration Assistant and click Continue. When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk then click Continue. By this process you will be able to move your content to a new Mac.

 

[noogie69]

As I've said, I have around 5 minutes of usability from MacA, not enough to run anything that is suppose to copy around 50GB of info.

 

[pm-r]

I installed the cloned SSD in MacB, I get the chime, the apple logo and after the progress bar fills half-way, the screen turns white and that's it.

I did try pressing all sorts of combinations - alt+R, win+R, ctrl+R, shift, but nothing seams to do anything. My Mac keyboard is bluetooth so I'm using a windows wired keyboard.

Have you tried booting up using Safe Boot Mode?
Press and hold the shift key during boot up. Select username if it shows up then login and see if it hopefully boots up properly.

PS: you haven't exactly provided much in the way of details of mini models.





- Patrick
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[pm-r]

Hi, try using Migration Assistant to copy all of your documents, apps, user accounts, and setting. Just open Migration Assistant and click Continue.

One minor problem with that suggestion, at least the last time I used Migration Assistant.app, the Mac had to actually boot up completely in order to use it. ;D




- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

And another thought is that maybe MacB was worth the $100 you paid and not much more because it has problems? IF the drive boots in one and not the other, the finger points not to the drive but to the Mini.

 

[noogie69]

MacA is a 2011 server (5,3), MacB is a 2011 i5 2520M (5,2).

Of course there is always the possibility that MacB is flawed, but when I boot it without a hard drive it shows a folder sign with a question mark, so I figure it must be ok to some degree.

 

[MacInWin]

Nope. You can wipe the drive totally slick, no OS at all, boot with it and get to that question mark. All that says is that in the boot process, it found no operating system on the drive (or no drive at all). "Ok to some degree?" Yes, but not much proven at this point. Can you attach the drive externally and see if it will boot from there?

 

[noogie69]

So, to make a long story short, I managed to make a bootable USB drive with High Sierra (Using this: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201372).

I turn on MacB and hold the Option (=Alt) key to choose the startup drive.

I choose the USB and the apple logo with a progress bar appears, about half-way through the screen blinks and turns white and nothing more happens.

 

[ferrarr]

Do you know if the drive is good in MacB? Do you have a good empty, external drive?

 

[noogie69]

The USB drive is good and the SSD I want to install on, is good and formatted (unpartitioned).

I have an external enclosure, why?

 

[ferrarr]

I would put the SSD in the enclosure and install the OS onto it that way. Then install the SSD in the mini. This way. You know the OS is installed and is working, then if there is an issue, it’s with the mini.

Maybe you can try Disk Utility to format/partition the drive before you go right to installing the OS? This way you don’t have to put it in the enclosure, if it works?

 

[MacInWin]

If I have read this thread correctly, MacB has never booted. Not from anything internal and not from your USB drive. That seems to me to say that MacB has a fatal flaw within it somewhere. Maybe that's why it was $100? At this point you may need to replace MacB, unless you can get it to boot from something, anything.

 

[noogie69]

I managed to transform one of my ssds into a bootable install media (instead of my flash drive) but unfortunately I can't say it yielded in a different outcome.

My last chance is to try and capture the output of the verbose boot mode (I got a glimpse of an error so I'll try to follow up on it).

 

[ferrarr]

I managed to transform one of my ssds into a bootable install media (instead of my flash drive) but unfortunately I can't say it yielded in a different outcome.

My last chance is to try and capture the output of the verbose boot mode (I got a glimpse of an error so I'll try to follow up on it).

There was no need for that. What I want you to do is, install the OS onto an external drive.

Use the USB flash drive installer, and start up from that.
Then connect the external drive with the SSD in it, that you want to use to install the OS on to.
Use Disk Utility to erase the SSD external drive.
Then install the OS onto it.
After the macOS has been installed, put that SSD in the mini and then you will have your answer as to if the mini is working.

 

[pm-r]

If I have read this thread correctly, MacB has never booted. Not from anything internal and not from your USB drive. That seems to me to say that MacB has a fatal flaw within it somewhere. … … …

It seems to me to be similar to a Monty Python type situation of "it's not dead… it's just sleeping"!!! ;D

Just in case some have been off on another planet, they can check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218





- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

It is an ex-parrot.

 

[pm-r]

It is an ex-parrot.

Like an old ex OS X Mac parrot I guess.




- Patrick
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