I have the following setup and am attempting the use Migration Assistant over FireWire:
- Source machine: Early 2009 24-inch iMac running OS X 10.9
- Destination
machine: Latest MacBook Pro Retina running OS X 10.9 - Connection:
FireWire 800 – Thunderbolt Adapter
But on both ends of the process Migration Assistant gets stuck "looking for other machines".
I also have made FireWire networking active on the source machine (I assume it comes active on the new destination machine), and turned off LittleSnitch, which I normally have running.
What am I missing? Are there other settings somewhere (unmentioned anywhere in Apple's documentation) that I need to check? I've also tried using a direct Ethernet connection to connect my machines, but have a different set of issues there.
Best Answer
I have the same setup except my iMac sports Thunderbolt. I had the same problem and never solved it, but I did find the following work-around helpful:
Place the iMac in Target Mode by going to Apple|System Preferences|Startup Disk, make sure your startup disk is highlighted, select Target Disk Mode and confirm. Connect the computers by Firewire or Ethernet. Start Migration Assistant on the MacBook Pro, allow it to change your system, and select the iMac's startup disk.
From there it is easy sailing - choose what you want and how to handle the user accounts and you are home and dry! Don't forget to eject all connected iMac drives before unplugging the cables.