Updating a new iMac

[Pendragon]

I'll soon be purchasing a new iMac and am uncertain whether I should use Migration Assistant, or merely use a current & verified SD! backup.

Are there pros & cons with each method? :confused:

[dnanian]

See Help > Frequently Asked Questions: one of the topics there is a discussion... :)

[Pendragon]

Thankful (and embarrassed) am I. :)

As always, your time, counsel, and support are most appreciated!

[prouss]

Thanks, this saved me some time and embarrassment too. The one point I would add to the FAQ is that you can follow the steps even after you've logged in to your new Mac for the first time, i.e. not only at the very first screen message which limits your transfer connections to Firewire and/or assumes your old machine is working.

So in my case, with my old Mac dead and no FW cable that would connect my external drive (with its SD backup) to the new Mac, I was able to create a temporary account, then use Migration Assistant to transfer everything over a USB cable.

[dnanian]

While you can, it's often nit a good idea because it might not create the users in a compatible way.

[prouss]

While you can, it's often nit a good idea because it might not create the users in a compatible way.

Oh, OK, I didn't have much choice this time since the old Mac was dead but I'll remember next time (hopefully not too soon!). It seems to have worked out OK, though, with everything restored - thanks to SD!