[elbert]

Since the MacBook Air Users Thread is now a hundred miles long, I'll start this new thread to share with you all how I migrated to my new MacBook Air.

I'm coming from a 12-inch PowerBook G4 1.5GHz. Although that's just 100MHz less than this MacBook Air, the fat PCI lanes, the Core 2 Duo proc and the 2GB of RAM make this MBA a speed demon compared to the 12-inch.

First off, I have to say that Apple did a good job with enhancing Migration Assistant in 10.5.2 to go around the limited connectivity options of the MBA. However, this still didn't provide the solution I was looking for.

The challenge:
To get my new MBA up and running as if it was my old computer, as simply and as quickly as possible.

The limitations:
- My old Powerbook has more data than will fit into the MBA, with around 100GB worth of data inside my Home folder alone.

- I don't have a Wireless N router, nor is the PowerBook wireless N capable. So the wireless Migration Assistant, a new feature made just because of the MBA, is going to be a really long process

- The MBA has no FireWire port, and I would've liked to use Target Disk Mode as well as my trusty old FireWire drive to move stuff around, as well as to install my fave apps.

The answer: .Mac

I've set my PowerBook's system preferences to automatically sync my .Mac account, so I know my sync is up to date. On the MBA, I went into System Preferences > .Mac and entered my username and password. In about 15 minutes, everything was done. It was like I didn't leave my old computer. After a restart, to fully effect the changes (although a lot of the preferences had already come in), I had the following:

- Bookmarks
- Calendars
- Contacts
- Dashboard Widgets (except the 3rd party ones I installed in the PowerBook)
- Dock Items (excluding the apps I had not yet installed)
- Keychains (the best part, I don't need to recall any of my passwords)
- Mail Accounts
- Mail Rules, Signatures and Smart Mailboxes (except Mailboxes that are "On My Mac")
- Notes (the ones in the Mail.app)
- Preferences

In addition, since I've been using .Mac's iDisk syncing to store important and current documents and projects online, those too are now within easy access on my MBA.

The next thing I did was to use an external USB2 HD to transfer the rest of the stuff manually (i.e. Applications, iPhoto Library, my iWeb domain, Documents), and I'm transferring stuff as I need them since I'm a cyber pack rat and most of the files in the PowerBook, I really don't need anyway.

Within an afternoon, I had the MBA up and running like I was on my old computer. I can now leave my PowerBook at home and should I need anything from its hard drive, I can simply use .Mac's Back to my Mac feature, where I can access files or screen share from anywhere I am as long as I'm online.

.Mac is really cool.

[ricpac]

Remarkable work-around!

[penmanila]

nice workaround. in my case, i just used an external USB hard drive (into which i had cloned my powerbook HD) and migration assistant to copy my most important files over.

[balikpinoy]

Or you can use time machine.

[miron]

Does anyone know when the TimeMachine will be out? I'm a packrat too. The terabite storage and the wifi in one will be a great partner for the MBA. Still waiting for mine to come through -- Ynzal says mid March. Fingers (and toes) crossed!

[miron]

Thanks for the assist, Elbert. Yet another reason to love my .mac.
spelling error: that's terabyte!

[miron]

Another correction: I meant Time Capsule. Jeez! Sorry, Senate Hearing on and I can't believe what I'm hearing!

[elbert]

Yeah, the Time Capsule would be ideal

I was just tasked to help my partner migrate from an MB to an MBA. Same situation as me, but she didn't have a dot Mac account. No problem, I signed her up for the 30 day trial, entered the user name and password, then synced away. It was the easiest and fastest migration I've ever done. I couldn't believe it myself, but it was done in matter of minutes. I'm now transferring the rest of her data via USB external. I tried Migration Assistant with a full Wireless N setup, but it would have been an overnight job pa rin.

I miss target disk mode though.

[skinhead]

hey elbert how long did the process take? and how big the files you transfer to the air? ty

BTW it should be G4 1.5ghz not G5

[mbp_user]

Elbert, you mentioned the back to my mac function

does the mac at home have to be turned on to use this function?

or can it work even on sleep mode?