Migration assistant can't find external hard drive

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Migration assistant can't find external hard drive

I bought a Macbook Air and I can't move my files from the Time Machine created by my previous MacBook. Specifically, migration assistant can't find the external disk. I can see the external disc on the desktop, it's just the migration assistant that can't find it. I've done software update, I've attached and detached the external disk and restarted the Air in all imaginable combinations, migration assistant still can't see the external disk. Anyone know how to fix this problem?

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Just bought this Air last week

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 1:20 AM

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Answer 1

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franz1 Author

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Jul 21, 2011 2:01 AM in response to franz1

Got ahold of someone at Apple. You can't migrate using Time Machine if the computers have different versions of the OS.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

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Jul 21, 2011 2:05 AM in response to franz1

Great, thanks, just one more reason to not use TM. 🙂

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Answer 3

Pondini

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Jul 21, 2011 7:36 AM in response to franz1

franz1 wrote:

Got ahold of someone at Apple. You can't migrate using Time Machine if the computers have different versions of the OS.

Not true. You can't go backwards from one major version to another (ie, from a Mac running Snow Leopard or its backups to Leopard), but folks go forward all the time. That's it main use.

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Answer 4

Pondini

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Jul 21, 2011 7:36 AM in response to franz1

franz1 wrote:

. . .

I bought a Macbook Air and I can't move my files from the Time Machine created by my previous MacBook. Specifically, migration assistant can't find the external disk.

It may be there, but doesn't look like what you expect. See Using Setup Assistant on Snow Leopard or Leopard. especially the tan box under the Select a Backup Volume window sample.

If that doesn't help, repair them, per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

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Answer 5

franz1 Author

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Jul 22, 2011 12:50 AM in response to Pondini

My old Macbook is Leopard and I created my backups from it. My new Air is Snow leopard and I could not restore from the backup. I called Apple directly and was told by their tech that I can't do this because the OS versions are different. I need to upgrade the old Macbook to Snow Leopard, then make a time machine backup, then I can restore this Snow-leopard created back-up to my the Snow-leopard equipped Air. If you know a way around this I would love to hear it.

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Answer 6

Pondini

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Jul 22, 2011 6:36 AM in response to franz1

franz1 wrote:

My old Macbook is Leopard and I created my backups from it. My new Air is Snow leopard and I could not restore from the backup.

We're talking about different things: a full system restore vs. using Setup Assistant.

Never do a full system restore to a different Mac; that restores everything, including OSX, from the backups. Depending on the circumstances, OSX may not let you do the restore, or when done your Mac may not work properly, or at all.

But you can (and should) use Setup Assistant to transfer everything except OSX. That's what it's for.

If you have backups from either Leopard or Snow Leopard, you can use them, unless they're damaged/corrupted.

See Using Setup Assistant on Snow Leopard or Leopard, especially the tan box under theSelect a Backup Volume window sample.

If that doesn't help, repair them, per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

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Answer 7

franz1 Author

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Jul 23, 2011 4:05 AM in response to Pondini

Thanks Pondini but I need your help more. Things have gotten worse. The old Macbook died. When I try to start it up, I get the folder with a question mark on it and that's all. I had it once before with another Apple internal drive and it means that drive is dead.

I have my Macbook Air and I have my external drive where the Time Machine backups are stored. Unfortunately I still have the same problem - I can't restore the backup. I tried what you sent me - I erased the Macbook Air drive while rebooting from the USB drive. It made the Air start up as if for the first time. I tried to use the setup assistant but it can't see the external drive that has the Time Machine backup. So I again chose set up later. Once again the external disk with the backups shows up on the desktop and in Finder. I used disk utility to repair it but disk utility says the external drive is working fine.

Is there anything else I can do?

The external drive has two partitions, one for Time Machine backups, one for movies and music. The files in music and movies all play fine and I can see folders in the Time Machine backup partition. Is there a way to open those folders and extract the information? Setup Assistant and Migration assistant can't see the drive but it is there.

Help me, Please...

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Answer 8

franz1 Author

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Jul 23, 2011 4:32 AM in response to Pondini

Pondini,

I did some exploring of the drive that I use for Time Machine. When I use Disk Utility, I can see that the partition I use for TIme Machine on the external drive is 569GB and 119.22GB is being used. I briefly used Finder to look around at the TIme Machine folders. There are things in the folders but I was too afraid to try to drag any files, folders or applications out of Finder and onto Desktop. But at least I know my Time Machine backup has something in it. Now I need to know how to get the stuff out of it and onto my computer.

Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

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Answer 9

Pondini

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Jul 23, 2011 8:39 AM in response to franz1

franz1 wrote:

Thanks Pondini but I need your help more. Things have gotten worse. The old Macbook died. When I try to start it up, I get the folder with a question mark on it and that's all. I had it once before with another Apple internal drive and it means that drive is dead.

Not necessarily. Try Repairing it, per the yellow box in #5 of Using Disk Utility.

Once again the external disk with the backups shows up on the desktop and in Finder. I used disk utility to repair it but disk utility says the external drive is working fine.

Can you see the backups via the "Star Wars" display?

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Answer 10

franz1 Author

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Jul 24, 2011 6:39 AM in response to Pondini

Hi Pondini,

I connected the external hard drive to my Air. I clicked on Time Machine on the AIr and it asked if I wanted to "use previous disk". I said yes, and clicked on the external HD I had used with the dead MacBook. I could see the Star Wars display. The top one has icons showing the two partitions from the external drive and the Air's HD. I can see the full depth of all my backups behind this top one. When I clicked on the 2nd window, it seems to be a back up from July 20, which I remember making on the old MacBook. It has one folder on it with my username. When I click on this folder, I find 4 folders inside it titled: Applications, Users, Library and System. I clicked on Applications and it was empty but clicking on it makes all the folders back in time change their header to Applications. When I scroll back in time, I can see some of the dates have things in them. Sometimes, it's the name of programs and sometimes the names of programs covered with a see-through "no parking" sign - a circle with a slash through it. The same happens when I look through Users > my user name > documents > my documents.

Is this the Time Machine's records? Can I click on the July 20 date and click on restore? Will everything just come back on it's own?

Franz

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Answer 11

Pondini

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Jul 24, 2011 9:06 AM in response to franz1

franz1 wrote:

. . .

The top one has icons showing the two partitions from the external drive and the Air's HD.

That sounds like the Today (Now) display, the one that's show in full when you first Enter Time Machine. It's not a backup; it's the current contents of your Mac.

When I clicked on the 2nd window, it seems to be a back up from July 20, which I remember making on the old MacBook. It has one folder on it with my username.

Yes, that's a backup. 😉

When I click on this folder, I find 4 folders inside it titled: Applications, Users, Library and System. I clicked on Applications and it was empty

That sounds like you'd excluded Applications from backups. Or else you didn't wait long enough for all the apps to be displayed.

sometimes the names of programs covered with a see-through "no parking" sign - a circle with a slash through it

That's an incompatible app.

Is this the Time Machine's records?

Yup.

Can I click on the July 20 date and click on restore? Will everything just come back on it's own?

No. You can restore individual items that way (if you have permission to them), but not a whole system. You can restore "simple" apps that way, too, but not "complex" ones -- ones that came with their own installers, because they install other files in other places. If you don't restore those other things too, the app won't work well, if at all.

Can you post a screenshot of the Migration Assistant window that should show your backups (something like this):

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Answer 12

franz1 Author

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Jul 24, 2011 9:26 AM in response to Pondini

When I run Migration Assistant, it never gets to the window you show. The cursor just keeps spinning but never shows a disk to select.

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Answer 13

franz1 Author

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Jul 24, 2011 9:45 AM in response to Pondini

I went ahead and tried to Restore the from Time Machine from the 2nd window, the one that had just one folder with my user name. It wouldn't let me - it said "The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access some of the items."

If you say forget about this route I will. If not, what does this mean? How do I give myself permission? Is it permission on the Air? Was I supposed to do this while I made the backup but it's too late now?

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