Migrating to a new iMac
Last week I took delivery of a new iMac. Did I really need one? Well, I think so. How did it compare to my old Powerbook and how easy was the migration? Read on, and I tell you about my experiences, and what I think of the Intel iMac, and whether it is really worth it.
My new Mac experience
After much deliberation, I decided I couldn’t justify the extra AUD$400 for the 20 inch iMac. The extra screen and hard disk were wants, not needs. After seeing any modification to the system would blow dispath out from 24 hours to 5-7 days, it was an easy choice to buy the stock standard 17 inch, 2.0 GHz, SuperDrive equipped iMac. The upgrade options weren’t worth it any way. With 1GB of RAM standard, I congratulate Apple for finally providing Macs that can be bought as is.
I also was mighty impressed with the delivery time. I ordered on a Tuesday morning. After the unit was dispatched (within 24 hours as promised), the online status suggested a wait of 2-4 business days. Not wanting to wait expectantly at the window every day for a week, becoming more and more stressed, I decided - being in rural Australia - that the following Tuesday would be the most likely arrival date. I was stunned when my new iMac arrived on the Thursday. One day after dispatch! A standard letter takes at least two days. Well done, Apple.
The first thing I did when I received my new Intel Mac, was to check the clock. 11:41 am. By 11:53 am, I was surfing the web, checking out Photo Booth and Front Row, and generally impressing the kids. The old story of being able to be up surfing the web on your Mac within 15 minutes held true. Again, very pleasing.
The other thing I wanted to check out were the speakers. Again excellent. On my PowerBook I didn’t listen to music - the tinny speakers just killed the pleasure, but I’m already finding myself listening to a lot more music now I have a computer with decent speakers. That’s something to think about if you’re tossing up between a MacBook and an iMac.
As I said last week, I’d been running my PowerBook off an external hard drive. So I plugged that hard drive into my new iMac. Again, as I said last week, I was disappointed to find that with the new partition table on the Intel Macs, I couldn’t boot from the external hard drive. That meant I had to work out my final configuration of my iMac pretty much straight away. I had planned to take it a little more slowly.
Installing Windows and OS X
I installed Boot Camp, partitioning the iMac’s hard drive in two. Deciding I wanted three partitions, I repartitioned the drive into two Mac partitions using Disk Utility (after booting from the Install disk) and reinstalled OS X and all the software. Annoyingly, the install process verifies the Install disc - which, being a DVD, takes about 15 minutes. An option to bypass that would be appreciated.
Upon firing up Boot Camp in my newly partitioned and installed system, I discovered to my dismay that Boot Camp will only repartition a single-partitioned hard drive. Upon pondering my options and searching the ‘net on how to circumvent this problem. Not finding any solutions, I decided I really wanted a Windows installation so would dive in and try myself. Having read a rather complicated article online on tri-booting an Intel Mac, and having read up a bit on what Boot Camp really does, I was hopeful I could simply partition and install manually.
An hour later, I had an iMac booting into Windows. See my article on CrossOSS for installing Windows on a multi-partitioned hard drive. (I might say, I am really tempted to try to tri-boot using the same process.) With Windows working, I began my second install of OS X on my new iMac within a few hours. This second install was when I would have liked to have been able to skip the Install disc check.
Once the disc check completes, installing OS X is quite quick - much quicker and easier than installing Windows XP - but installing the additional applications (Garageband in particular) takes ages. But again, except for swapping to the second install disc, it’s all intervention free. You just go watch a bit of TV.
Finally I had my iMac bootable into both Mac OS X and Windows, and partitioned with two Mac partitions (40GB for the system, and 100GB for other use) and one 10GB Windows partition.
As I wrote in my previous review, I also installed Windows under Q.
Migration
With my iMac configure the way I wanted it, it was time to settle into the migration process. During the first boot after installing OS X, I deliberately chose not to use the Migration Assistant. Simple reason: I had too much junk on my previous hard drive. It had lots of apps and and preferences I just didn’t want coming over. Thus I faced a more manual process. It would be nice if Apple extended Migration Assistant with an advanced option which would present a list of all applications on your old hard drive and checkboxes for whether you wanted to migrate them.
Despite having to manually move files, folders, preferences and applications, the manual migration process was quite simple. All a drag and drop process, except for a couple of applications that had to be reinstalled. It’s not something though for the average user, which again, highlights Apple’s need to expand the Migration Assistant options.
.Mac rules!
For those who are gasping, .Mac, although not worth what Apple charges, does have one really useful feature: syncing. You could manually copy your calendars, bookmarks, Mail configurations and mailboxes, and contacts. But the one thing I didn’t want to mess with manually was Keychains. If I overwrote my new Keychain file with my old one, it might lock me out of my Mac - especially as I’d set myself up with a different user ID to the one I’d had on my PowerBook.
I’d had syncing to my iDisk of all those above mentioned items, so I it was a simple case of resyncing to my new Mac. Syncing prompts for whether you want to merge your two systems or overwrite one or the other. It’s a shame it can’t be set up for any application.
Next week I’ll give my impressions of this new iMac.
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Comments
One day after dispatch! A standard letter takes at least two days. Well done, Apple.
Not to quibble, Chris, but unless an Apple employee personally delivered this to your door, you should credit the shipping company. I only say this because I guarantee that had your iMac arrived in three weeks instead of one day, you’d blame the parcel service, not Apple.
That said, I recently bought the 20” iMac and share your positive experience. The speakers are a little underpowered, but sound really great for built-in speakers.
And Migration Asst, while you didn’t use it this time around, is probably one of the best unique features of OS X. I first used it when I upgraded the HDD on my Mac Mini and was shocked at how easy it was. I hope, but doubt, that Vista implements something like this.
Not to quibble, Chris…
Not to quibble, Beeblebrox, but not to quibble??
You never mentioned what XP programs you intend to run, or how much space they require. Personally I can’t think of one, so I skipped the Boot Camp step in the install process, leaving, well, just Migration Assistant, and very little else to do before fully utilizing my Mac as shipped - most everything I needed, preinstalled.
Should I need to run XP in the future I can use better alternatives without reformatting any drive.
I trust Apple to do a lot of hard work for me, especially before, and the moment, that I turn on a new machine. I figure they’re smarter than me.
You strike me as the sort of user who goes it alone first and discovers the benefits of the product later - having not read any help, support, or manuals.
For example, the same drag-and-drop process you used to avoid Migration Assistant could have been used to trash (or hide) any unwanted apps from your old Mac - before - or after - letting Migration Assistant do its thing, which at least would have been clean according to its existing rules.
Further, rather than let Boot Camp do its thing FIRST, you created a reinstall conundrum that isn’t clean in any way. You might wait to describe how successful it is because you haven’t yet discovered the magnitude of the mess you’ve created.
Your methods remind me of someone who is desperate to save a dying computer - yet you apply them out of the box.
This simply is not the Mac way. You will soon find your hard disk partitions are unnecessary, too small, and cause more problems than they solve.
Why not use the better products that let you use XP on a Mac? Apple’s Boot Camp isn’t the first, and in many ways, not the best.
But you ignored that, and ignored Boot Camp’s own installation rules in the process.
I suggest users of new Macs put a little faith in the new technology and new rules - all available in shipped, printed, pre-installed, and online documentation, from Apple and others, depending upon what you need and use.
Thousands have worked hard to make that first experience easy, painless, and, well, jaw-dropping. Sorry, yours wasn’t one of them.
bikemike: just because it could be a lot easier doesn’t mean Chris is wrong to mess around with partitions and reinstalls and all that - it’s his computer! Most people aren’t masochists, but that doesn’t mean masochists are wrong to do things the rest of us would find painful.
I agree that most users would be better off just to leave the computer the way it was at 11:53 am, use the migration assistant, and be done with it. However, it looks like Chris wanted to try things out that most users wouldn’t do, and he’s learned some things from that process. Most engineers I know have a long history of pulling things apart to find out how they worked… and some of those things were never put back together again. As long as it was their own things they pulled apart, who am I to complain?
The Mac Way of doing things is a very pleasant and easy way to do most things… but it’s a product, not a religion. Heresy can be rewarding too!
Incidentally, I agree with you that partitions on a Mac are generally unnecessary (except for a huge disk in an old system), and that virtualization is a better approach to running Win on Mac for anything except games… but if someone else wants to put themselves through a more painful and involved process to achieve something else, perhaps they’ll discover something I’ll later appreciate not having to discover for myself.
The Mac Way of doing things is a very pleasant and easy way to do most things… but it’s a product, not a religion.
Heh.
Joke:
What did the Sadist say to the Masochist?
“No.”
Sigh.
I wish the 20” iMac could upgrade to the nVideo 7600GT.
I want an iMac with a honking fast video card without having to buy a Pro or the larger (and much more expensive) screen!
Well, my old PC finally died (I think) so my Macs now outnumber by PCs. I’m getting ready to do some migration myself, figuring out how to get my Thunderbird mail from Windows to Mac Mail.
Or should I just stick with Thunderbird all around?
Here you go sweetcheeks.
Thanks for the links, but it turned out to be simply a matter of copying the folder over to the Mac and opening Thunderbird. It’s my wife’s account and she doesn’t much like computers so I’ll let her stick with Thunderbird for now instead of switching to a whole new app.
But she’s on the Mac now.
I love this community.
Hey, Beeb, sorry for the slow response - I’ve been down the beach for a few days
and disconnected from technology (the most technological device I used was a typewriter!)
Yanyway! The reson I give Apple the rap for delivery is because any other time I’ve ordered stuff from any one else, it always takes three days minimum. So I figure either Apple has selected the best most eficient courier, or its paying more for speedy delivery. Either way, delivery of stuff from Apple is quicker than anything else I know.
bikemike said: For example, the same drag-and-drop process you used to avoid Migration Assistant could have been used to trash (or hide) any unwanted apps from your old Mac - before - or after - letting Migration Assistant do its thing, which at least would have been clean according to its existing rules.
Quite so and I did consider doing exactly that, but 1) I didn’t like the idea of deleting anything - a bit risky, Murph’s Law you know, and 2) That doesn’t guarantee I wouldn’t miss anything and still get some crap coming across. Remember, I’d been using my PowerBook for three years and installed (and uninstalled dozens of applications, add-ons and enhancements.)
You will soon find your hard disk partitions are unnecessary, too small, and cause more problems than they solve.
Yeah I know what you’re saying. But you got “Windows-thinking”. The idea of having a small partition for your OS is foundational in the Unix/Linux world. It surprises me that Apple haven’t followed suit.
And thankyou Apple for not giving the user flexibility about where they can store stuff. Though it is nice to see they are becoming more open minded, allowing you to put you iTunes library where ever you like and easily access it (hold Option when starting iTunes. Same as iPhoto)
It is funny though that you say that though, because my previous hard disk was 60GB and my new setup has OS X on a 40GB partition. Surely that should be enough for OS X? Of course - if I can off load data to a separate partition, which is a sound data management prinicple and why Linux encourages it.
I have 160GB. Why would I want to keep that as a single partition? We have these great big hard drives, why not use them to our advantage by partitioning them the way that suits us, not Apple? Apple will still be providing a single partition when terabyte HDDs are standard. They do this not because it is best, because it’s easiest, after each user will have different ideas about how they’d like to partition. (Although, as I said, they could consider puting users folder on a separate partition)
Further, rather than let Boot Camp do its thing FIRST, you created a reinstall conundrum that isn’t clean in any way. You might wait to describe how successful it is because you haven’t yet discovered the magnitude of the mess you’ve created.
I did run Boot Camp to the point it wanted me to reboot to the Windows CD. In other words, Boot Camp had done its thing.
When I ran Boot Camp it created a driver disk and paritioned my HDD. It did not indicate it prepared my system in any other way (eg updating firmware). I read and read it’s final message which basically said insert your Windows installation disk and Boot Camp would reboot my Mac.
As you know, it is a simple matter to tell a Mac what system to boot from, so I confidentally assumed the last step of Boot Camp was to tell my Mac to boot from CD.
So, contrary to your fearrs, I am very confident I have created no conumdrums or messes. And so I wrote it into this article.
I suggest users of new Macs put a little faith in the new technology and new rules
That’s one opinion.
On the contrary, I’d say if you’re one who wants to mess around with your system and try out different configurations do it FIRST, do it when your Mac *is* new. Do it BEFORE you start loading all your data up onto it. Then you dont’ have any qualms about reinstalling your whole system. As I said, I did it twice. And if time permitted, I would have done it a third time (after partitioning and installing Linux).
The suggestions I make are obviously not for all Mac users, and, it seems, yourself. That’s fine, it was for those who are into this sort of thing.
Thanks Robinhood.
However, it looks like Chris wanted to try things out that most users wouldn’t do, and he’s learned some things from that process. Most engineers I know have a long history of pulling things apart to find out how they worked…
Spot on Robinhood.
That’s why I was a techie. It’s my nature. Some people are happy with the way things work. Some people think they can make them work better. That’s me. It doesn’t mean I’m always right (on this occasion I believe I am - well, for those who are into Macs with multiple partitions and Windows) but I have to try. It’s the tinkerer gene.
if someone else wants to put themselves through a more painful and involved process to achieve something else, perhaps they’ll discover something I’ll later appreciate not having to discover for myself.
Thanks again. And I did discover something I hadn’t seen elsewhere on the internet that I believe some others will appreciate. i.e. that you can easily have multiple partitions on a Mac and still have Windows on one of them.
I have just bought a new iMac and want to migrate my data from my old machine. However, every time I move mac, I use the migration assistant.
Wow fantastic, easy to use etc. However, the layers of detritus, hidden files and obsolete preferences move with every migration.
What is the easiest way to move machines, but be sure I have cleaned out any obsolete files?