Help Please - transferring data to new MacBook

[SwampWitch]

Greetings Friends and Strangers,

It's been a while since I've been around; the last few years have been a tough time. Less than 4 years ago, I had 2 parents and 3 siblings. Today have 1 sister (and I am very grateful for her).

I just bought a a new MacBook (Air) because my daughter's old MBP with the wireless that couldn't be fixed finally croaked, so she's getting my old MacBook.

PROBLEM: I need to transfer my emails and iPhoto to my new Mac. I have a 32 GB flash drive - can I use that?

I do not want to transfer everything, just some important documents, emails, and of course my photos. Everything is trimmed down, organized, and ready to be transferred.

With the deaths in my birth family, as you might imagine I have important legal stuff, including emails, that I cannot lose.

Thanks for reading this. Any help is very appreciated!

MacBook Air OS X 10.8.2

 

[SwampWitch]

UPDATE:

It looks like I figured out the mail transfer. I copied the Mail folder (Users - Library - Mail) onto the USB drive on the old Mac, then moved the drive to the MacBook Air, opened Mail, and chose "import mailboxes" under "file." It prompted me to choose import from the flash drive.

It worked!

Not such good news on the iPhoto front, though. I tried the same thing (iPhoto Library) and have hundreds of blank spaces instead of photos on the new Mac.

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

Possibly by connecting both Macs but because you have a MBA you would need a Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 cable I think. Then as you know on the new Mac you want the files to be on, go to Applications -> Utilites -> Migration Assistant and choose your iPhoto library.

 

[Kaveman]

I think you have too old a Library, you need go through iPhoto version 7, iLife 08.

 

[SwampWitch]

Thanks guys!

Sorry I wasn't clear, I'm transferring from a white MacBook OS X 10.6.8 to MacBook Air 10.8.2. (The MBP is dead & gone.)

It worked this time with iPhoto, I trashed the previous folder on the USB drive, then recopied it. I was prompted to "rebuild" the photo library when I put the drive in the MBA. It took quite a while, and now I'm importing those photos onto the MBA and it's about 2/3 the way through. Definitely it is working, woo hoo, I love Macs.

 

[oldscribe]

Good to hear you have transferred iPhoto to the MBA now.