wanna save contacts on my old macbook

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This is for Mountain Lion OS X 10.8.5. Other versions of OS X will be similar, but the screens won't be identical.

In Contacts.app, select File, Export, Contacts Archive.

Then the Contacts app suggests a filename with the current date and the extension .abbu

Select the (desired name and) destination drive or folder on that screen, and then click the 'Save' button.

If you are transferring the contacts to another computer, copy that .abbu file to the new computer.

Then on the new computer double-click on it to open it, or use File, Import, and select the .abbu file.

In either case, Contacts will ask you if you want to REPLACE all contacts with that file.

There is no option to selectively import just some contacts from the Contacts Archive file created, it's all or none, and it replaces the existing contacts file.

There is a way to use Migration Assistant, one of the suggested paths to move data between Macs, or an external hard drive to a Mac. This is said to be do-able after the new computer is already up and running, so it is not like a TimeMachine backup used to setup a new computer. An option in TimeMachine software allows the import of files from an external drive, or another Mac booted in Target Disk mode.

A question about where all the files would go, and then what could be done with them, then? Perhaps save them from the older MacBook, to another external hard disk drive for later study. So as to not clutter the new MacBook/Pro.

This, I haven't needed to do. So it may be another probability with headache certainty.

But, thought I'd mention it, just in case. And I have extra aspirin.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Could you describe what the issue is with the old MacBook that does not allow it to start, and maybe someone may be able to help with that one, to get it running (or not) since more content would be available from it, if running, than just in Target Disk Mode. There are only a few things that TDM could do.

If you do choose to enter in that as a discussion, start a new one in the area befitting the model and build year of the product, so as to get some replies. There are a few people with more affiliation with Apple, who on occasion reply to some user issues in these discussion areas.

The TimeMachine application has migration assistant, but it seems to be a 'bulk import' method; that could be sent to another HDD via your new computer, to later see what you could pick out of it. At least the stuff would not be in the failed Mac.

And if the issue were mine, I'd be sure to try almost anything to get the files out of the failed Mac, even in bulk; if it does let you use FW TDM, that access may disappear, too.

Sorry to not be of any assistance.

None of my 200+ self-repaired Macs had that issue .

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

skanner21:

Unless you have a way to run the app and create the archive file on the 'broken' Mac system, there is no single archive file for Contacts.

Contacts entries, also called Address Book entries in some versions of OS X, are not stored as a single source file.

On my migrated OS X 10.8.5 system there are three separate subdirectories below:

Macintosh HD/Users/username/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/

The subdirectories are: Images, Metadata, and Sources

iTunes music files are in subdirectories below:

Macintosh HD/Users/username/Music/iTunes

You can find the specific directory locations of the associated files of Contacts.app or another running app on a working Mac system using the Inspect button of Activity Monitor to examine Open Files and Ports while the Contacts app is running.

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If you want better answers, try framing better questions with more complete information.

Message was edited by: kostby

I don't have any computers I can test using target disk mode. All my devices are on a network, so I don't have the necessary Firewire or Thunderbolt cables.

So, try asking your questions again in a new message thread with 'Please help me with Target Disk Mode" as the topic.

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But if you want to TRY here are my instructions...

FIRST, I recommend making a complete bootable backup "clone" of your NEW system onto another hard drive, so if this file copying doesn't work, you can restore the NEW system from the backup "clone", instead of having to reinstall everything from scratch. Apple Disk Utility and other programs can do this.

Then, put just the hard drive from the broken computer into an external USB-SATA hard drive interface, and plug it in to your new computer. That would make the external drive a disk icon on the Desktop of your new computer and you could use Finder to copy and transfer files and folders.

Contacts:

This MIGHT be include all the files you need, but there might also be Preferences files needed from another directory.

Also, I migrated my data from an older OS X version where the app was called Address Book. On brand new systems, it is called Contacts, and the correct directory might be named Contacts.

NOTE: Be sure to replace username below with the actual user's name...

Transfer all the files from Macintosh HD/Users/username/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/

That WILL INCLUDE each of these three subdirectories where the necessary files and data are stored:

Macintosh HD/Users/username/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/images

Macintosh HD/Users/username/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/Metadata

Macintosh HD/Users/username/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/Sources

iTunes Playlists:

Playlists appear to be stored in the file iTunes Library.xml, located in

Macintosh HD/Users/username/Music/iTunes folder

Copying the entire Macintosh HD/Users/username/Music/iTunes folder WILL INCLUDE the iTunes Library.xml file. But there might also be Preferences files needed from another directory