I just bought a new macbook pro, and would like to transfer some of my stuff from my old macbook (from early '07 but runs OS 10.6.8). I want SOME, not all of my applications, but I want all of my itunes transferred over. Is there a way I can pick and choose what I want to be transferred to the new computer?
MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Not really. MA is not like a typical backup/restore program. It is used mainly to transfer one's entire Home folder along with system preferences and third-party applications and their support files. If you truly want to cherry pick what to transfer from your backup then use the restore option in the Time Machine application. If you don't have a Time Machine backup of your old computer then use the backup you do have and use the backup software to restore files.
If you have no backup, then you can manually transfer from one machine to the other using Target Disk Mode.
For 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8 > Mac OS X v10.6: How to use Migration Assistant to transfer files from another Mac
One thing to keep mind when migrating apps from an older OS X. What ran on v10.6 may not be compatible with 10.7 or 10.8.
So basically it takes what's on the old one and puts it on the new? so I'd have the same stuff, just on a different machine?
Pretty much so. There is a limited option for removing folders of files in the transfer, but not files themselves.
Do you have an external backup of the files on the old computer or will you be pulling data from one computer to the other using a direct connection of the two?
no external backup, so I'd be pulling from one to the other. So if I removed from the old comp what I don't want and then migrate, it would work?
Then start by reading the article on how to use Target Disk Mode. You will boot your old computer into TDM. The two computers will be connected using a Firewire cable. New MBPs do not have Firewire ports, but Apple does sell a Thunderbolt to Firewire adaptor you can use. Hopefully, your old computer has a Firewire port. If it does not then you cannot use TDM.
Once set up your new computer will be able to access the old computer's disk drive. You can then migrate your data from the old computer using Migration Assistant. Do the whole enchilada. You can delete what you don't want after completing the migration.
If you have not yet started up the Setup Assistant on your new computer, the I recommend using the Setup Assistant's migration option. This will transer your old Home folder to the new computer as the initial admin account.
How to use Migration Assistant to transfer files from another Mac
how does migration assistant work?
