Migrating to new MacBook Pro: software & file concerns

ginnyp wrote:

The external drive I need is simply for backup. I now realize my old one will absolutely not work with the new computer. I don't understand quite what you mean by "off the shelf "packaged" drives." Isn't that what I have to buy since I'm not equipped to buy parts and put one together?

I think most people are not comfortable buying bare drives and enclosures and cables separately and putting them together. Although Woodmeister is correct and the tools needed are fairly rudimentary and it is straightforward. But I think 99.9%of users buy the packaged drives all-in-one and it sounds like that might be the right way for you too unless you are something of a "tinkerer," in which case it can be fun.

ginnyp wrote:

I found another Western Digital with macOS v.11+ being the lowest supported. I guess this is universal with them? Also, I assume I can override their included back up software with Time Machine?

A drive does not have a compatibility, per se. The inconceivably useless bundled software has a compatibility. Just erase the device and make it compatible by using AFPS or Mac OS Extended

ginnyp wrote:

I had to take a break from my research for a “do right now” issue…

Now back at it. I did a little analysis of my current 500 GB of storage and what

I normally back up. What’s amazing, looking at that amount of storage, it says I

still have 287 available. My documents and iTunes take up 25. In Time Machine, I

assume that translates into my user files, which is what I back up. I’ve

usually felt IOS/system files and apps would be better reloaded than pulled

from back up. Am I’m kidding myself? If I only back up my user files, it would

seem that a 1 TB drive would be plenty? (My current old backup hard drive is 80

GB!) I could easily have gotten by with a 2024 MacBook 4Pro instead of the 2026.

Time Machine does not back up the operating system, since to reinstall that one does that directly from Apple's servers. If all your stuff takes up only half of a 500 GB drive and you don't expect that to change in the coming years, your 1 TB drive should be fine.

By “wild west,” I was referring to the shopping process for

a new external drive. They don’t make it easy to compare types and connections

and sizes. In some ads, it’s hard to even find SSD or HDD. I hope to maybe go

get it local instead of having to order and wait, perhaps Best Buy or Micro

Center.

There are MANY different things one can buy, but a simple external HDD should be straightforward. Avoid complications that you don't understand. When the drive arrives, simply format it (in Disk Utility) as APFS/GUID and then tell Time Machine you want to use it for Time Machine backups. I saw your other note about compatibility with MacOS 11 and higher but I use these drives on an old laptop I have running High Sierra, which long predates Mojave! When just generically formatted as APFS/GUID these drives should work with both your old Mojave machine and with your new Tahoe machine.

ginnyp wrote:

I found another Western Digital with macOS v.11+ being the lowest supported. I guess this is universal with them? Also, I assume I can override their included back up software with Time Machine?

As I mentioned, I am using these drives with a much older Mac than that (and yours). I strongly recommend NOT to install nor use the manufacturer's included software and drive tools. Just set it up as a plain drive and use Apple's stuff with it. You don't need to override their software if you never install it. Installers are included on the bare drive and you can ignore them.

ginnyp wrote:

I guess I could qualify as a bit of a "tinkerer,"

I am definitely a "tinkerer" (having built telescopes and short wave radios from scratch for fun) but I certainly don't take the time/effort to build external drives for my Macs! They are like mass produced appliances nowadays and pretty reliable. It's really what you want to spend your time on. For me, drives that store my data and backups need to be built flawlessly and I trust a company's tested assembly line more than my own efforts that occur only once in a while. If you do decide to do this yourself, get a good grounding strap and take care with electrostatic discharge and all the sensitive electronics. For some it's fun, but I prefer to spend my time on other things.

but just getting everything rounded up and my brain wrapped around this process is producing enough fun for me for now. (My dad was an old-line machinist, and I did inherit some of his mindset.) After some shopping, I decided on a WD My Passport Ultra for Mac 2TB External. It does have a 3-year warranty and overall good reviews.

My daughter has been using about 40-50 of those for her photography business storing originals on them (hers are 3 TB to 6 TB) and using them for backups and has had very good reliability experience with them. Over 10 years and ~ 50 such drives, two have failed, both were being used for backups, and were easily replaced. A 4% failure rate is not unusual in the HDD and SDD product line business (my daughter uses only HDDs for the externals due to the lower cost) over 5-10 years, especially for portables that get some rough/tumble treatment. Some Mac users say that OWC drives are the best but they are a bit pricier.

Best Buy carries them, but not at a nearby store. I have enough to do without adding a half day cross-town adventure for one item that will come to me Saturday for free. It appears it includes the cables/adapters I need for each computer?

My daughter has been using those with the included cables on both type of connectors (USB-A, older computers; and USB-C, newer computers). They have been coming with a small adaptor for the compatibility that you need, but you can also buy those adaptors for a few dollars if you have to. You should connect the drive, open Disk Utility, and reformat it at the device level for APFS/GUID (you will see those options) before using it for Time Machine, migrations, etc.

I'm going to look at my TIme Machine settings and make sure everything I need/want for the new computer is listed while eliminating anything I don't need. I seem to remember a reason for the following, but nothing specific. I think it had to do with an issue I was having and a diagnostic process. Besides my user profile and everything that goes with it, I have two other user profiles on this computer. One is tagged as an Admin (as is mine), and the other is a guest user. (I can't even remember the password on that one!) I'm assuming I should probably delete these, or at least not back them up to move them to the new computer (if I can even tell Time Machine to do that)?

I continue to appreciate yours, (and everyone's) input as I get my thoughts together on this project!

Time Machine doesn't really list things that are included; rather, it by default includes ALL your files (and those of other users) until you specifically exclude certain folders.

I would simply let it include everything, the extra space wasted is tiny compared to the 200+ GB you are using. It's good to have another Admin user, in case something goes amiss with your main admin account; the guest user account is probably using almost no space and you can reset its password if you wish from your main Admin account.

OldToad wrote:

steve626 is right about Quicken files. Quicken is very good at converting their older formats to the latest. I went from Ventura to Tahoe with no glitches. I know it isn't as great a change as from Mojave to Tahoe but when I went from Mojave to Catalina there was no problem.

As far as the Work and Excel files there are some free alternatives to MS Office, LibreOffice and SoftMaker FreeOffice 2018. which can read, edit and save as MS Office files or in their own format. I use LibreOffice.

Old Toad -- have you compared the use of LibreOffice with Apple's own Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, which can open and save files in Microsoft Office format as well? New Macs come with Pages/Numbers/Keynote already but I imagine there must be pros and cons of each tool suite.

ginnyp wrote:

The external drive I need is simply for backup. I now realize my old one will absolutely not work with the new computer. I don't understand quite what you mean by "off the shelf "packaged" drives." Isn't that what I have to buy since I'm not equipped to buy parts and put one together?

"Off-the-shelf packaged drive" refers to an external drive that is preassembled.

The alternative is to buy an empty drive enclosure of some sort, and install a compatible drive mechanism inside. Some people prefer to do that – say, because they want to pick an internal mechanism which they consider to be reliable, or one that's quiet, or one that (in the case of a mechanical hard drive) does not use Shingled Magnetic Recording technology.

Usually this just requires a screwdriver (if that – some enclosures are tool-free), and reasonable static electricity precautions (no cats in the room where you are assembling a drive).