Migration getting slower and slower?! (Thunderbolt 3)

Question

Migration getting slower and slower?! (Thunderbolt 3)

I wanted to transfer 100 gigs of video files from my old 2017 i5 iMac to my brand new i7 iMac with 64 gigs of ram. The next morning it said 53 more hours! I Canceled it and used a 64 gig stick drive to do it in a few minutes!

Last night I wanted to migrate applications and some more documents. This morning it said six more hours. OK. After a few hours it said 7, later 7.5 hours and now, about 20 hours from starting this, it says 8 hours 34 minutes?!!!

Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, cable between the two iMacs. I thought it was suppose to get up to 20 GBps! It’s crawling along at 7 MB/s ...

What gives?!

iMac 27" 5K, 10.14

Posted on Feb 8, 2019 4:22 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

92,638 points

Feb 9, 2019 9:12 AM in response to Frederick Koiwai

At that transfer rate, it sounds like Migration Assistant is using your local Network instead of Thunderbolt/USB-C.

carefully read > How to move your content to a new Mac - Apple Support

To use the FireWire, Thunderbolt, or USB-C connection, you must startup in Target Disk Mode.

see > How to use target disk mode to move files to another computer - Apple Support

From experience, Migrating from Time Machine or a CCC clone seems to be the best method.

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,606 points

Feb 9, 2019 9:11 AM in response to Frederick Koiwai

When migrating using either Setup Assistant (smarter and more efficient than Migration Assistant) the MOST reliable and fastest method is to connect the old computers Time Machine or Bootable Clone backup via a USB cable to the new Mac. Connecting the 2 computer together tends to have issues.

Setup Assistant is smarter and more efficient because it does not create a new user account like MA does.

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Answer 3

Feb 10, 2019 3:47 AM in response to Frederick Koiwai

"...And when I say Migration I thought that would be understood as the

Actual Apple MIGRATION Assistant app...."

Sorry missed the first one, however, many posters use the term "migrating"

and mean anything but Migration Assistant and I just wanted to make sure.

Another question, are you migrating the entire installation, user(s) + apps, or just your

user(s)? FWIW, migrating apps in general can be problematic for a whole variety

of reasons most often the apps themselves, so you may be better off just doing a

fresh install of all the apps on the new machine, then just migrate the user(s).

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Answer 4

Feb 9, 2019 8:32 AM in response to woodmeister50

? Actually I did. I said I was using the recommended Thunderbolt 3, USB-C cable that I bought just for this transfer.

And when I say Migration I thought that would be understood as the Actual Apple MIGRATION Assistant app.

So yesterdays Migration, that said 6 hours remaining after running all night, ended up changing to 7 hours, then 7.5 hours and then 8 hours 53 minutes ... at around 7 MB/s. I by chance caught the last few minutes of the Migration, and it said 5 minutes remaining, at like 50 MB/s?! Why the burst of speed at the end?

So it actually ended up taking like close to 24 hours to transfer the remaining Applications and Docs, that I hadn't transfered using a memory stick earlier.

I don't understand why the computer, Apple, can't be more honest about these times? So people can actually make plans.

But I DO Understand why Apple gives one something like 12 days to return the old iMac using the Trade-In plan! It can take days to migrate ones docs and apps. :-(

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Answer 5

Feb 9, 2019 4:32 AM in response to Frederick Koiwai

First question that is of major significance, is that you do not mention

how you are trying to accomplish the "migration" and with what sort

of connection between the two iMacs?

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Answer 6

Feb 9, 2019 9:16 AM in response to den.thed

Thanks ... but Migration is what is typically OFFERED or RECOMMENDED ... so IT's Dialog box should show one the other options. What part of APPLE doesn't APPLE Get ... :-)

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Answer 7

Feb 9, 2019 11:30 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Where is Setup Assistant? When one searches for that the Migration App is what comes up?

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Answer 8

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,606 points

Feb 10, 2019 6:16 AM in response to Frederick Koiwai

Setup Assistant is what comes up he first time you turn on any new Mac.

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Migration getting slower and slower?! (Thunderbolt 3)

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