Paul Hiscock
Level 1 (49 points)
Desktops

Q: Whats the best /fastest way of copying the contents of my old Mac Pro to my new one?

The Mac Pro has finally arrived. Is there a faster way to transfer data than using ethernet? Can the two Macs be Thunderbolted together? There is no manual with this Mac, is it online?

Mac Pro (Early 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Mar 25, 2014 10:00 AM

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Paul Hiscock

Q: Whats the best /fastest way of copying the contents of my old Mac Pro to my new one?

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  • by MartinR,

    MartinR MartinR Mar 25, 2014 3:57 PM in response to Paul Hiscock
    Level 6 (14,891 points)
    Mar 25, 2014 3:57 PM in response to Paul Hiscock

    It has always been possible to connect 2 Macs via FireWire and use Target Disk Mode to transfer files.  Apparently you can now do this via Thunderbolt too!

     

    • Shut down & disconnect both Macs from power.  Connect them together with either a FW or Thunderbolt cable (not both).
    • Then start up your old Mac  by holding down the "T" key while you turn it on.   When it is booted into Target Disk Mode the firewire logo will appear on the screen.
    • Then start up your new Mac.

     

    To the new Mac, your old Mac will appear to be an external hard drive.   Copy files using the Finder.

     

    When you are done, eject the Target Mac same as you would an external hard drive.  Then shut down your new Mac and turn off the old Mac.  Disconnect from power.  Disconnect the FW or Thunderbolt cable.

     

    Note: if your old Mac only has FW but your new Mac only has Thunderbolt, you will need an Apple Thunderbolt-Firewire Adapter and a FireWire cable.

  • by David Harbsmeier,

    David Harbsmeier David Harbsmeier Mar 25, 2014 4:08 PM in response to Paul Hiscock
    Level 7 (30,024 points)
    Mar 25, 2014 4:08 PM in response to Paul Hiscock

    You can download the manual and find other information about your MacPro here: http://www.apple.com/support/macpro/

     

    -DH