[nautilus]

I'm trading up my plastic macbook for a 13" MBP.

Instead of cloning my existing drive, will it work fine if i just take it out and put it into the MBP?

Thanks.

 

[chas_m]

Yes.

 

[nautilus]

so things like the System Profiler and CoconutBattery would update automatically to the MBP's hardware specs?

 

[i-rui]

it will work, but you might have minor issues here and there

IMO a different machine should be a fresh install.

 

[nautilus]

what sort of issues might come up?

 

[SINC]

Why would anyone want to do this? You have a fresh, new system on a much better computer and you want to use an old HD in a new computer? This makes zero sense to me. Simply transfer the data from the MacBook to the MBP and start with everything new. Your new HD will last much longer than the old one out of the MacBook too.

 

[HowEver]

When you start up your new computer for the first time, it will ask if you are transferring from another Mac. Say yes. Follow the instructions. Enjoy.

 

[GlassOnion]

I would do the swap if the old macbook HD was a new one with more capacity that I just installed in the machine but be aware that this drive will not be covered by the MBP Apple Care warranty. I just bought a 13" MBP that came with a 160GB HD and the first thing I've done is to replace it with a 320GB HD.

 

[nautilus]

I would do the swap if the old macbook HD was a new one with more capacity that I just installed in the machine but be aware that this drive will not be covered by the MBP Apple Care warranty. I just bought a 13" MBP that came with a 160GB HD and the first thing I've done is to replace it with a 320GB HD.

yeah exactly, I have a 250 gig existing (should have mentioned that).

Which is the better option: Migration Assistant (give up the extra space and go for the new), or clone the old drive with the standard 160 using SuperDuper?

P.S. I have custom icons for some of my apps (e.g. Mail). It's obviously not a big deal to replace, but just wanted to know if they'd be brought over with either of the two options.

 

[nautilus]

and would i need a FireWire cable?

all i have is a USB-connected backup drive. if so, where's a cheap place to get one in TO? thanks

 

[Orion]

I would use Migration Assistant. The issue you are most likely to run into is that the OSX installation for you MB is not exactly the same as it would be for the MBP. In all likelihood you would not encounter any issues, but why chance it. Besides, Migration Assistant will take all of your data without bringing along extra cruft you don't need.

Unless you have a highly customised setup, I would leave the hardware in the original machines.

You should be able to turn on both machines and connect them with a network cable (go through a router if you have one, but I don't believe it's necessary to do so). Run Migration Assistant on the new machine and follow the instructions.

 

[Darien Red Sox]

One word of advice: don't attempt to do it through a wireless network, unless you want to wait for a few hours or are doing it overnight when no one else is using the network. I learned this the hard way as it took about 4 hours to transfer my data and the network performance degraded during this time dramatically.

 

[nautilus]

One word of advice: don't attempt to do it through a wireless network, unless you want to wait for a few hours or are doing it overnight when no one else is using the network. I learned this the hard way as it took about 4 hours to transfer my data and the network performance degraded during this time dramatically.

If I hook up my existing HD using a USB enclosure, Migration Assistant will be able to detect it right? thanks

 

[monokitty]

If I hook up my existing HD using a USB enclosure, Migration Assistant will be able to detect it right? thanks

Yes, but you'll have to choose, "Data from another volume" versus, "Data from a connected Mac" when you run Migration Assistant if you're going to transfer an existing system from a hard drive connected via a USB connection.