Re: New (Refurb) MacBookPro 17'

Hi All,

I've been doing a little editing on an old, 15" MacBookPro which is getting tired and slow. So I just bought the Mac in the subject line. I use the laptop primarily for everything but editing but I'll do more editing on the new one than the old one.

Before, when switching Macs, I've sometimes moved apps from the old to the new connecting them with Firewire and sometimes just cloning the old hard drive to the new one.

Is there any reason one technique is better or worse? When cloning the old to the new am I causing potential problems on the newer machine?

Thanks,

Ben Bryant NYC

Ben,

Cloning a drive is usually much better than just copying. Sometimes the copy process doesn't copy protected, hidden and/or system files that are required for some apps to run properly. For the ProApps (FCP, DVD-SP, Compressor, etc), it's usually best to install those from the original install discs or from disc images made from the originals.

-DH

Thanx, DH. See you on FB.

Ben Bryant NYC

Hi Ben
I'm going to have to disagree with DH here. While I believe in cloning as a great security, back-up feature, it may not be the best when moving between computers.
Cloning is a bit for bit process, it does not discriminate between good important bits and old/outdated/potentially corrupting bits. Do you really need all the old versions and history of every app, every file and all the other junk computers accumulate? Some of these old junk files are potentially problematic.

Computers also accumulate old system files and old underlying frameworks that can cause issues. Each OS brings new default locations for certain files/types, so new installs can help with this, important if you need to troubleshoot.

Install a fresh version of the OS you want, new install of apps updated to latest versions from disk or App Store, plug-ins that work and the files/data that you really need.

Drag and drop between systems, don't use Migration Assistant. Drag and drop will give you the cleanest transfer and the files will have new owner/permissions. MA also brings over lots of crud and cruff. If you have been using MA for several OS versions, you have junk from the earliest version you did this on.

You will end up with a much leaner / cleaner system that should be trouble free and fast. You will save lots of GB's in space, potentially up to half. Yes, maybe more work once, but worth it IMHO.
Also you may have to authorize some apps and this can be a PITA but it is a once only procedure. M$ & Adobe big pain.

If you are going to get rid of the old computer, harvest the old drive and use an external enclosure or dock for it so you still have access to any file you don't transfer. Then install a fully erased / new drive into the old computer and that way you also avoid the security issue. Obviously, if you keep the old computer, you could fire it up if needed.
Hope this helps, Greg

It does help. Thanks.

Ben Bryant NYC

Hi Guys,

Got my "new" MBPro. It has OS 10.9.5 and my FCP 5.1.4 which runs fine on the old Mac with OS 10.6.8 will not run on it.

Other than cloning the old Mac to the new, is there any way to revert the OS to 10.6.8?

Thanx,

Ben Bryant NYC

Ben,

Do you have the 10.6 installer disk? If so, you can use that to install a clean version of the Mac OS.

--ken

I do not have the disc. Is there somewhere I can get it or a disc image thereof?

Thanx,

Ben Bryant NYC

I searched Apple for OS 10.6 installer disc (and disk) with and without "OS" as well as with and without spaces and got:
"Your search returned no results.
Please check your spelling or try more general search terms."

Now what? Get someone to make me a disc image?

Thanx,

Ben Bryant NYC

Ben,

The link works for me (click on the link in the post). You can purchase 10.6 for $19.99.

--ken

Thanx, Ordered it.

Ben Bryant NYC

Okay Guys, I got the 10.6 disc from Apple and my machine (running 10.9.5) says I cannot install the 10.6 OS.

What's the workaround?

Thanx,

Ben Bryant NYC

I've been doing some reading on line and it looks like I need to erase the Mavericks boot drive (I've already cloned it to an external) in order to install Snow Leopard. Once I've done that should I be able to boot from the Snow Leopard install disc and install it on the clean drive?

Thanx,

Ben Bryant NYC

Hi Greg,

I really appreciate your diligence in helping me with this. When I got the MacBookPro refurb with Mavericks I moved FCP 5.1.4 onto it and it wouldn't open. It's been so long since I got it that I don't know whether it's the PPC only version or the universal.

Anyhow, I played around with several applications in the Mavericks OS and found that I really don't like the interface (or how the thing works, whatever you call that) and am very comfortable with my previous OS. And lots of other apps I use every day won't run on it either: Pages, Numbers, my version of Quicken to name a few. So I succeeded in cloning my old MPB's boot drive to a partition on the new one and everything from browser to FCP runs way better and faster than on the old one. So I'm gonna stay with Plan A.

The only thing I've not yet been able to accomplish is to install Snow Leopard (with the disc I bought from Apple) on to the other partition. I'd like to be able to do that and then follow your original advice and move the apps onto that drive so I don't have all the "baggage" from the old, cloned, drive to deal with. The installation begins and after 10 or fifteen minutes the screen goes gray and the 3 beeps begin.
Any advice on how to get that done will be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanx,

Ben Bryant NYC

In case anyone cares or needs to do this: In my old Mac which is running Snow Leopard I booted from the SL disc I got from Apple. I then erased the hard drive and reinstalled and updated SL so I had a clean version. Connecting the 2 Macs via Target Disk Mode, I then cloned that drive to the other partition on the new Mac. That worked. The next step will be to reinstall the software I need. If for whatever reason that doesn't work I can still run from the original clone of the old Mac on the other partition.

Ben Bryant NYC