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Level 1

27 points

Preferred SetUp Assistant Connection

I will be migrating the entire contents of the internal drive on my old MacBook Pro to a new iMac 27 using SetUp Assistant. Apple recommends using WiFi for the transfer. However, several other sources recommend using either Firewire or Ethernet. Since I will be transferring only about 500GB of data, speed is not of paramount importance to me. However, reliability is.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you so much.

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Nov 12, 2017 11:35 AM

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,370 points

Posted on Nov 14, 2017 11:57 AM

kitjv wrote:

OK, at the risk of sounding a bit pesky....one other method of migration I failed to inquire about previously -- ethernet. Compared to migrating via a USB external backup drive, how would connecting both Macs with a ethernet cable compare? Forgive me if I am beating this issue to death.

Ethernet does work for some, however I have found the most reliable method is using a USB connection from either your Time Machine or cloned backup EHD. I know it works, it's reliable which in the end is what you are after.

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23 replies

kitjv Author

Level 1

27 points

Nov 13, 2017 10:34 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy: Unfortunately the new iMac only has Thunderbolt 3 ports. Are you aware of any adapter that will fit the Thunderbolt 3 port? Or, at least, a Thunderbolt 2-to-Thunderbolt 3 adapter?

Thank you.

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,370 points

Nov 13, 2017 3:08 PM in response to kitjv

NEVER EVER use Wi-Fi, the best connection in my opinion is using your Time Machine backup drive from the old Mac connected via a USB cable. It just works!