Transfer external hard drive from old computer to new iMac

Question

Transfer external hard drive from old computer to new iMac

Hi, just got my first imac(woo hoo) and am trying to transfer files from my old Maxtor external hard drive over to the imac. I also purchased a mac time capsule. Most of the files I am trying to transfer from the external hard drive are pics, videos and iTunes music that just wouldnt fit on my pc. Is there an efficient way to do this? Should this be transfered directly over to the time capsule or to the imac itself? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! 😝

iMac

Posted on Aug 10, 2012 12:20 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Aug 10, 2012 12:27 PM in response to GoddessButterfly

You need to transfer them to the computer, not the Time Capsule. Copy to an external USB drive then copy from the external drive to the Mac.

How to transfer data from a PC to a Mac

Reply

Answer 2

Aug 10, 2012 7:12 PM in response to Kappy

Thank you Kappy! What if my old PC died and cannot access the external hardrive through the PC. I just have the hard drive itself with all the info in it. Is there a way to tranfer straight from there? Thanks!!!

Reply

Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Aug 10, 2012 8:52 PM in response to GoddessButterfly

Put the hard drive into an external enclosure so you can connect it to the Mac.

Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;

All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

Reply

Answer 4

Aug 13, 2012 6:46 AM in response to Kappy

Thank you for the info Kappy! I might have miscommunicated with you about the external hardrive. It is a Maxtor External hardrive. It is not the hard drive from my previous computer. It was a USB plug in External Hard drive for my old PC. The info you gave me will work to transfer my hard drive from my PC to the Imac but I really need to transfer from my Maxtor hard drive to my new mac. Any thoughts on that? I thought I would just be able to put the usb into the port on the back of the mac but that was not sucessful. Is there a transfer app on the mac that would allow me do that? Thank you again for all your help!

Reply

Answer 5

RRFS

Level 5

4,522 points

Aug 13, 2012 7:14 AM in response to GoddessButterfly

When you plug the USB drive into your iMac and it doesn't show in Finder then you must Go Finder > Sidebar > click on Show External Drives check box. You can just drag and drop your files.

Reply

Answer 6

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Aug 13, 2012 1:05 PM in response to GoddessButterfly

What happened when you connected the drive to the USB port on the computer? Does the drive require an external power source?

Reply