Setting up new M1 Mac from old iMac 2009

Question

Level 1

26 points

Setting up new M1 Mac from old iMac 2009

Please provide insight and helpful suggestions for transferring old 2009 iMac to new M1 Mac. I am not skilled in up-to-date technical know how, so this is quite the task for me. I am trepidacious to say the least and would like to not screw up the new Mac, so here are the best questions I know to ask:

What method is quickest and most efficient; Migration Asst, Time Machine, ext. HD, via WIFI, Ethernet cable (which means using just purchased Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter). Image of old iMac options. We have USB-C to USB Adapter and a Thunderbolt 3(USB-C),
How to know which information to transfer? All at once, or only minimal. Unsure is any of the old apps, user acts, doc/files etc will cause issues moving to M1. Remember its a 2009 and OS is High Sierra.

iMac, macOS 10.13

Posted on Aug 3, 2023 8:36 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

rkaufmann87

Level 10

143,892 points

Aug 3, 2023 9:45 AM in response to Tamlouie

When you buy a new Mac the easiest, quickest and most reliable method to migrate from the old Mac to the new Mac is to simply connect the old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk to the new Mac using a USB cable before you turn on the new Mac. You will likely need a USB A to USB C adapter, you can find them on Amazon for $10 or less. When you start the new Mac for the first time it will startup Setup Assistant (SA), SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another computer, select Yes and follow the on-screen prompts and it's done! It is THAT simple.

If you have already done SA on the new computer then simply connect the Time Machine External Hard Disk using a USB cable and launch Migration Assistant (MA) which is located in Applications - Utilities - MA. Then follow the on-screen prompts.

The ONLY difference between MA and SA is MA will create a new user account that you need to log into.

Both SA and MA migrate applications (not 32 bit apps), data files & settings. They do not migrate Mac OS itself. Some professional apps such as Adobe and Microsoft apps may require re-installing their apps as they will not allow them to be migrated. As long as you kept the security keys for installing their apps, it is not an issue.

Finally, never EVER use Wi-Fi when doing Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant. Why, it simply fails in most cases. Please read and follow the directions in Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant. If you do not have a Time Machine backup of the older Mac then create one! If you are not aware of Time Machine, please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine and finally if you need an External Hard Disk to use as a Time Machine External Hard Disk then many experience users on these forums prefer the OWC Mercury Elite Pro due to it's reasonable price, high level of quality and ease of use.

Reply

Answer 2

ku4hx

Level 7

23,592 points

Aug 3, 2023 8:45 AM in response to Tamlouie

I have always attached the backup drive directly to the new Mac via USB-A or USB-C using a simple passthrough adapter if needed. Transfer speed has never been a problem.

I have no idea about Sierra, I'm just commenting on hardware.

Reply

Answer 3

Aug 3, 2023 9:23 AM in response to Tamlouie

Migration Assistant via a Time Machine backup plugged directly into the new Mac. Make sure there is enough room on the new hard drive for all your stuff. SSD's are still expensive, and often you have less storage on a new Mac with SSD vs the old Mac with a rotating drive.

Reply

Answer 4

Tamlouie Author

Level 1

26 points

Aug 3, 2023 9:38 AM in response to ku4hx

That is helpful. Now I just need to know about Sierra to Ventura. I had read on an old post from P. Phillips (level 10) and it stopped me in my tracks. I have no idea what is too old to transfer over, and I certainly do not want to pollute the new OS. Here is his post (some of which i do not understand of course!):

If the new computer is going to be the Apple Silicon M1 Equipped Computer - would suggest Only Migrating the User Account and nothing more.

1 - Apple Silicon with either Big Sur macOS 11 or Monterey macOS 12 Only Support everything 64 bit and there is no workaround.

2 - Issues that may exist on the older computer will be migrated to the New Computer. This would badly pollute the new Original and Pristine installation of the new OS.

3 - Applications, extensions and Software Drivers may or may not even work on the new computer.

4 - IMHO - it would be best to only install new application etc Directly from the Developer or the Apple Apps Store.

5 - Due Diligence on New Applications and make sure they are Monterey / Big Sur compatible and factor in the ARMs CPU of the Apple Silicon Computer

Reply

Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

143,892 points

Aug 3, 2023 11:55 AM in response to Tamlouie

Your welcome. By the way, if your Time Machine External Hard Disk is 5 years old or older, please replace it. HD's get old and you need to safeguard the data on your computer. HD's can fail after a few months or last up to 10 years however they all eventually fail so it is wise to be proactive and replace them about every 5 years or so. I'd recommend using a OWC Mercury Elite Pro

Reply

Answer 6

rkaufmann87

Level 10

143,892 points

Aug 3, 2023 12:04 PM in response to Keith Barkley

I have to agree, when it comes to backing up your computer, redundancy is wise. One never knows when a HD will fail, somehow they know to fail when you need them most so having a redundant backup plan is smart.

Reply

Answer 7

Aug 4, 2023 7:36 PM in response to Tamlouie

A 2009 iMac doesn't have any form of Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used the same connectors as Mini DisplayPort … but on a 2009 iMac, the Mini DisplayPort connector carries just Mini DisplayPort. You wouldn't use it for transferring data to a new Mac.

If you have or can make backups (whether of the Time Machine kind, or the "bootable clone" kind), I'd think that bringing a backup up to date, then transferring the drive to the new computer, would be your best bet. Migrating via a wired Ethernet connection might be another reasonable choice.

I don't believe you're going to be able to migrate directly from the old computer using Target DIsk Mode … I could be mistaken, but I believe current systems only support Target Disk Mode if the connection is a Thunderbolt one, one which in this case would be impossible to make.

Reply

Answer 8

Tamlouie Author

Level 1

26 points

Aug 5, 2023 2:03 PM in response to rkaufmann87

So I think a step has been missed between the information and what the Apple techs over the phone led me thru....

I was told at Apple store to try and set up as much as I could before the service call, so I did. I managed to begin the migration assistant up until I realized that doing so via WiFi was going to take "forever", so I back out of download and canceled. However the set up appeared done, but info not migrated. From the service call later we connected the Ext HD backup and downloaded to the new iMac. That's it. I reread your post and think I need to still use the Migration Assistant. Shouldn't the desktop items from the old system appear on the new Mac along with at least some of the older applications? (We had bought Word, Excel for Mac and used on old system). Right now there isn't anything on the desktop except the backup icon.

Reply