New Mac OS upgrade with ssd

[dtd767]

i have a old imac running Lion. I just bought a new Mac mini and separatly a Samsung ssd to install in said mini. Both are arriving today. What would be the best order in which to upgrade from lion to Mavericks. Since the mini comes with Mavericks freshly on I'm trying to figure out how to preserve that freshness although since I would be starting off with coming from a time machine backup is that even possible. So... What order should I do all this

1. Should I clone the minis hd to the ssd first then restore from the time machine backup
Or
2. Fire up the mini first restoring from the TM Backup then clone the ssd

Lastly if I am coming from and old OS to new one on a new machine will It upgrade at the same time it takes the TM Backup or will it just restore to the TM backup of lion then I'll have to reinstall Mavericks

Thanks all

 

[honestone]

I went through a similar process last November with my Mac Mini, but restoring from the latest SuperDuper! backup of the Mac Mini to the Samsung SSD (in another external case) worked well (already had the latest version of Mavericks on it). From what you are saying, you want to "restore" from the TM backup of the iMac, as that has all your applications and other important documents on it. Here is the order you should proceed with (I'm assuming you'll first install the SSD inside a 2.5" external case):

1. Connect that small external case to the iMac, get the SSD "ready" via Disk Utility, and do a "TM restore" to the SSD.

2. You'll then need to upgrade from Lion to Mavericks on the SSD. I actually don't remember if my Mac Mini originally had the file called "Install OS X Mavericks" on it, but I believe that is what you'll need. The reason I say "believe" is that here is a link that explains how to do the upgrade:

https://www.apple.com/hk/en/osx/how-to-upgrade/

It says to go to the Apple store and download the Mavericks "file". Whether that file is on the Mac Mini or you need to download it, you would connect the external SSD to the Mac Mini, make a copy of the "Install OS X Mavericks" file in another location, and then run it from your Applications folder on the Mini (that is where the file is, or where the download places it). After you do the installation onto the SSD, that file will disappear, but (hopefully) you have the other copy saved somewhere.

3. Turn everything off, disconnect the SSD, and then install the SSD inside the Mac Mini. What do you plan on doing with the internal 5400 rpm drive that was in the Mac Mini? Mine was a 1 TB one, and I installed it inside the external 2.5" case. That setup works real well for me.

The last thing you'll need to check is if the version of Mavericks you get via all this is 10.9.5. If not, just download the 10.9.5 Combo Updater and install it.

There is, of course, one BIG ASSUMPTION here: all your applications are compatible with Mavericks. Hopefully, that is the case. If not, then you'll have some more work to do. (For Apple apps like Mail and Safari, I don't know about issues with upgrading them from Lion to Mavericks. I don't use either one of them. In fact, the only Apple apps I use occasionally are Disk Utility, Activity Monitor, and Terminal).

Good luck!