Grab a USB drive and make a Time Machine backup, it might take 5-10 hours or so, but then you can use ‘Setup Assistant’ to import from the time-machine backup. The next quickest way if you don’t have a Time Machine backup of your old computer would be to make one. If you have a time-machine backup you can simply connect the time-machine backup (USB or wi-fi) to the new macboook and ‘Setup Assistant’ can import from there. You’ll have to try one of the next options! If it’s boxing day, and you have your little Macbook Pro ready to go, but the Apple store is closed, then you can’t get a firewire to Ethernet adapter. The ‘Setup Assistant’ on the new Macbook Pro actually tells you to connect to an Ethernet network, but there is no Ethernet port on the Macbook Pro!!! Personally I think it’s poor form on Apple’s part that they don’t include one of these adapters with every Macbook or Macbook Air, at least while we transition from Ethernet. Here are 5 options listed from fastest and simplest to slowest or most complicated….īuy an Apple Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter (they are approx $30). This gives your new macbook an Ethernet port and then you can plug in an ethernet cable from your old Mac directly to to your new Macbook. Thunderbolt is no good as the older Macbooks don’t have thunderbolt.

Ethernet is no good as the newer Macbooks do not have ethernet. Firewire is no good as the newer MacBooks do not have firewire. This limits the options you can use for ‘Setup Assistant’ to connect the two computers together…ġ. Here’s the hitch, Apple have removed both the ethernet and firewire connectors from the newer Macbooks. You connect the two computers with an Ethernet (or firewire) cable, run ‘Migration Assistant’ on your old computer, and then ‘Setup Assistant’ on the new computer does the rest. You buy a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter!Īpple has a great piece of software called ‘Setup Assistant’ that automatically transfers all your settings and programs from your old Apple computer to your new one. Some of the newer macbooks and macbook airs do not have an ethernet port or firewire port, so you can’t connect them to an older macbook to copy your old files and settings accross.

Firewire cable for macbook air