Moving DP to new Mac

[geoffadams]

I am moving all my music production including DP to a new Mac. Do I need to reinstall all plug ins? Or can I merely copy them from the library of the old machine to the library of the new machine.

Many thanks!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Never just copy system stuff. There's a lot of hidden stuff (including authorizations) you'll miss.

If you have a Time Machine backup you can reconstruct the system or select files and apps from there. You can also use Migration Assistant if your system is working well and transfer apps, files. etc., and leave new system OS "clean." You can also just clone the existing drive if you;re staying on the same OS version.

[geoffadams]

Thanks for this excellent advice!

[mikehalloran]

If you clone the drive, reinstall the Apple OS. Cloning does not install the repair partition, one of the many reasons that Apple never recommends it.

If you are on Yosemite and going to a new Mac, cloning may not work if 10.10 is not supported. If in doubt, use Time Machine or Migration Assistant as Apple recommends. I find M.A. faster.

If you have any plugs with internet authorizations, de-activate them before the move or you may spend time with their support trying to get them back in service (companies are generally good about this but it takes more time).

iLok authorizations are not an issue—download the latest version of their license manager. DP 8/9, likewise, is not an issue as long as you enter your name, email address and auth. code info exactly the way that MOTU has it on file (dashes, not minus signs in the code)

[bralston]

If you clone the drive, reinstall the Apple OS. Cloning does not install the repair partition, one of the many reasons that Apple never recommends it.

Carbon Copy Cloner will make/copy over the recovery partition on a clone of the OSX if you tell it to. It recognizes you are making a boot drive clone and gives you the option.