Upgrade from 2009 iMac to MacBook Air 3 (2020) model considerations

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Upgrade from 2009 iMac to MacBook Air 3 (2020) model considerations

My wife has an older iMac desktop 27 inch monitor with a 1 TB hard drive that has some issues with certain programs. It also has 29,000 photos and about 6,000 emails messages in the inbox with 1000's more in various smart mailboxes\files. Despite all of these files, it still has 706 GB of 999.3 GB free after 11 years of use. Needless to say not much done on file maintenance but it still has ample memory. I have several questions:

If I get the MacBook Air with the 256 GB SSD drive, how much of that will be available after the required software? Will a 256 GB drive be enough?
What sort and size of external SSD drive should I get to hold the photographs that are now on the iMac (about 100 GB)? And, will I be able tp hook-up the Mac Air to the iMac and with what sort of cable? The iMac has older USB 2.0 ports and some weird little ports I don't know what they are??
As there is still ample hard drive available on the the iMac, I was wondering if there were a way to hook the Mac Air to iMac and use it for a back-up drive? And, the pictures are already on it!
And, finally, is there a way that the Mac Air may utilize the 27 inch monitor of the iMac when my wife is in her office, and not need to use the small screen on the Mac Air?

Thank you in advance for your help,

P. S. We are older adults and with what is going around, we don't want to risk going to the Apple store to meet with the Genius desk.

Charlie and Susan

iMac, OS X 10.10

Posted on Jun 26, 2020 11:52 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

bumbleben0

Level 5

5,731 points

Jun 26, 2020 12:45 PM in response to cjmayne15

macOS uses about 20 GB after installing, leaving you with about 225 GB formatted. I would recommend stepping up to a 512 GB SSD, because you'll be able to store many of your photos and documents that you haven't accessed recently in iCloud.
I don't think you'll need an external drive to store your photos. You can use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 to FireWire 800 adapter to connect your iMac to your MacBook Air. Then, you can use Target Disk Mode to use your iMac as an external hard drive for your MacBook Air.
Yes, you can Transfer files between two Mac computers using target disk mode - Apple Support.
You can use the iMac as an external display using Target Display Mode, but it might not be supported in future versions of macOS. You'll need a Thunderbolt 3 to Mini DisplayPort cable.

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

144,132 points

Jun 26, 2020 12:05 PM in response to cjmayne15

Getting a computer with smaller capacity than the original can be done but I wouldn't advise it. The migration of data alone will make you nuts. I'd recommend a minimum of a 1TB SSD.

You cannot make the old computer a backup drive of the new computer, simply use an external HD with Time Machine for the backup.

The old iMac might be able to be used as a display for the MBA however we need specifics, exactly what year is it. You can learn this in About this Mac which you will find by clicking the Apple symbol in the upper left of the display.

Finally, migrating to the new MBA (assuming you get one with a 1 TB SSD) is simple, connect the iMac's Time Machine EHD to the new MBA with a USB cable before your turn on the MBA for the first time. When you turn on the MBA it will launch Setup Assistant, SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another Mac. Select YES and follow the on-screen prompts.

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Answer 3

bumbleben0

Level 5

5,731 points

Jun 26, 2020 1:16 PM in response to cjmayne15

If you aren't already, I would recommend using iCloud Drive to store your photos and documents in iCloud, so that you can access everything on every device without having to worry about storage space on your devices.

Set up iCloud Drive - Apple Support

iCloud Drive FAQ - Apple Support

Buy more iCloud storage - Apple Support

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Answer 4

bumbleben0

Level 5

5,731 points

Jun 26, 2020 1:02 PM in response to cjmayne15

If you back up your iMac with Time Machine, you can restore your MacBook Air using the same Time Machine backup while setting up your MacBook Air. Base configurations for MacBook Air don't have 1 TB SSDs, but you can configure your MacBook Air's internals at the time of ordering on apple.com.

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

210,615 points

Jun 26, 2020 2:55 PM in response to cjmayne15

Order the maximum RAM that's available in a MBA, 16 GB. Anything less will constrict your capability.

Also order the larges SSD your budget can afford, at least 500 GB - 1 TB better.

Since it's a laptop and you'll be carrying it around I'd get AppleCare.

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Answer 6

cjmayne15 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 26, 2020 12:54 PM in response to rkaufmann87

First, let me thank you for the quick response and, sorry, but the only description that I have from the Apple symbol says:

iMac (27-inch, Late 2009)

Processor 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

Graphics ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB

I believe it was the first uni-body aluminum models which is how it was described to me.

It has the old Thunderbolt 1 port on the back, along with some other odd looking port which I don't recognize.

And, following your enlightening insight, one question I didn't ask was, is it just better if I let the old iMac go to a school or someplace that might get more use out of it as a computer and get a monitor and a 1 TB SSD designed for the MBA? Sounds like it would be simplest to match up what was meant to be with what is made for it?! I am not savvy with the Apple machines (or any machines for that matter) and perhaps I should let the problems solve themselves...

And I really like the part of the migration, but I can't find where Apple makes an MBA with a 1 TB SSD? Will it only work with another 1 TB drive.

Still, I don't necessarily think she really needs to move the 28,000 pictures and 1000's of email messages to her new computer. If the migration will work with the 500 GB SSD, will the onscreen prompts allow us to move only the things she wants and needs to the new computer?

And which SSD drive do you recommend for an Apple machine. I currently have WD My Passport for Mac 1 TB SSD which I am using as a BU for the old iMac. Seems to work well, but I have never had to restore....

Thank you again,

Charlie

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Answer 7

cjmayne15 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 26, 2020 1:07 PM in response to bumbleben0

Thank you for the quick reply!

Okay, but that is a lot of descriptions of processes or routines I will need to sort out. Sounds like something this old man really wouldn't really use much of in the future even he could sort it out now:-)!

I guess I may fall on my sword and say, should I clean up the computer, remove all the old data important to me, and donate it to a good charity? It still works fine for a while and then it stalls and needs to be rebooted. And, perhaps without all the old issues and files, it may run like new if I can figure out how to wipe it clean and perform a new system install.

Thank you all very much!

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Upgrade from 2009 iMac to MacBook Air 3 (2020) model considerations

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