my old intel iMac just died. Buying a new M4 model. is it easy to restore my old system from Time machine?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Restore from Time Machine
iMac 27″, macOS 12.7
beachbuoys wrote:
my old intel iMac just died. Buying a new M4 model. is it easy to restore my old system from Time machine?
It's easy IF your new Mac has equal or greater storage capacity than your old iMac.
Otherwise using Migration Assistant becomes an exercise in frustration, something that isn't explicitly mentioned in the guidance.
Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant - Apple Support
Yes. You'll be given the option to migrate from it while setting up the new Mac.
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If your old iMac died you'll need a Time Machine or other backup of it to restore your user data to the new iMac. Did you use Time Machine with your old iMac.
If you did then plug it into your new iMac and then boot up the new iMac. When you get to the migration stage you'll be asked from where to merge from:
Select as shown and continue.
beachbuoys wrote:
Extra questions - When I set up my new iMac at what stage should I plug in the backup ssd to be ready for migration?
Upon setting it up, and when asked... exactly as Niel explained.
Which section on the backup ssd should I select for a complete migration (I’m guessing Keith’s iMac - sorry, couldn’t get a screengrab of backup disc)
Yes, assuming that was the name of the "dead" Mac, and that you choose its most recent backup.
You can use a USB-C to USB 3 adapter to connect the USB 3 backup SSD to the new M4 Mac mini.
for a few examples:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z768LCW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?
https://www.target.com/p/philips-usb-c-to-3-0-usb-a-female-adapter/-/A-79804275
what drive configuration is your boot system installed on (FUSION: SATA/ NVMe working as 'one' disk), SATA only, NVMe-PCIe only
can you be any less vague about what do you mean by "died"
if one of the Fusion drives failed -- your data are probably unrecoverable -- it doesn't matter if the Mac is otherwise in good health, in my experience
if the machine is dead, but the Fusion SSD/HDD set is undamaged -- you would most likely need to pull both drives and install them in another iMac to access the old user data
there may be a chance you could mount both NVMe/SATA drives in enclosures (and they mount as one volume) ... but I've never tried that, in fact it sounds a little sketchy -- I do have both types of enclosures as the Apple SSD requires a rare connection
if the machine is dead, and your solo NVMe Flash or SATA SSD (or HDD) -- no Fusion software is linking them together -- you should be able to pull it and mount it in an EXTERNAL enclosure and point Migration Assistant to it
BEST CASE SCENARIO you have a good TimeMachine or clone BACK UP (and a working external enclosure -- my goto SATA enclosure is Newer Technology Voyager S3 (from macsales-com OWC)
then Old Toad has already put you right on track (Migration Assistant is fairly easy once you have worked out the learning bumps)...
all cables are NOT equal
some are for CHARGING (and have USB2 data speeds max 480 Mbps) -- these are for charging only (generally)
all cables have max-watts ratings
some cables are designed for high-speed data (USB4, Thunderbolt) -- these are what you want for TimeMachine, Cloning, Restoring, moving large data between SSDs (not charging cables like the one that came with your iPhone, those are charging cables, not high-speed data)
I would recommend a quality Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5 cable (40-120 Gpbs) for best performance, future use
though I am not sure what your old hardware is -- if it doesn't have a USB-C port -- look into a USB to USB C Adapter, Type-C Female to A Male Converter nub (will probably be limited to 480 Mbps or USB3 speed)
Died as in this eventually came up on the screen after a long wait.
mouse and keyboard had stopped functioning, so no way to use any of these opttions.
It’s a dead parrot.
However, I will try and get the old drives put into an external enclosure as an extra back up.
All useful information so far (thank you all).
i’ve been able to open up the ‘dead’ iMac a few times, but it freezes and goes black screen after a few minutes.
Extra questions - When I set up my new iMac at what stage should I plug in the backup ssd to be ready for migration? Which section on the backup ssd should I select for a complete migration (I’m guessing Keith’s iMac - sorry, couldn’t get a screengrab of backup disc)
Do I have to migrate at set up stage or can I do that later?
Just to say, you’ve made this process a lot less stressful than it could have been!
See if you can boot up your dead Mac into Target Disk Mode. If you can shut it done, connect it with the appropriate cable and boot up your new Mac and the dead mc into Target Disk mode. Then you should be able to copy the necessary files from the dead Mac to the new one.
More extra questions
When I set up the new iMac I’ll need to connect my backup ssd which has a USB 3 port. What cables/adaptors do I need to have to hand to deal with the Thunderbolt 4 ports and the USB devices I’ll want to connect?
beachbuoys wrote:
More extra questions
When I set up the new iMac I’ll need to connect my backup ssd which has a USB 3 port. What cables/adaptors do I need to have to hand to deal with the Thunderbolt 4 ports and the USB devices I’ll want to connect?
The USB-C ports on your new iMac are multi-purpose ports which support
When talking about traditional USB protocol, at USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed or less, there are many ways of converting between USB-C and USB-A in either direction. These include
It's just a matter of budget, and whatever works to make the number/type of ports that you need available.
Note that hubs and docks should have their own power supply, as individual drives often want to consume nearly the entire amount of power that a host port is required to offer.
Thank you for that. Right now it’s like having a limb cut off….until the new machine arrives.
Thank you too sir! Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly when the new iMac arrives.
In the future if you have a keyboard with rechargeable batteries you can connect it with its charging cable and it will act as a wired keyboard.
How do I restore my old system from Time Machine to a new iMac M4?
