[X-Unix] Copy old system to new machine

[Kirk McElhearn]

On 3/8/04 10:49 AM, "peter boardman" <pete.boardman at pobox.com> wrote:

> I¹m just about to replace an old Mac with a new machine (another
> Mac, of course...). What¹s the best way to move all the relevant data
> from the old Mac to the new one (assuming the two are connected)?
> 
> By relevant here, I mean of course the four users¹ directories, the
> (non-Apple) contents of the old Application folder that won¹t be on
> the new machine, and other files that get added to the system. (I¹m
> thinking for example of things added to /Library, such as software
> licences...).
> 
> I¹m assuming that it¹s not a good idea to copy an old system over a
> brand new installation, because there will be newer versions of
> things on a new machine that shouldn¹t be overwritten by older
> versions from an old machine.
> 
> I¹m also assuming that you can¹t just copy the four users¹ folders
> and expect these users to appear magically on the login window?!

No, because the user info is in the NetInfo database.

Probably the best way is to clone your old system to your new Mac - that's
what I've always done. Carbon Copy Cloner can do that. Connect the new Mac
as a FireWire target drive, and clone the system to it.
 
 
Kirk
 
        My latest book: How to Do Everything with Mac OS X Panther
                  http://www.mcelhearn.com/htde.html
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