[ea0423]

Finances have forced me to save some $ and replace a 2007 iMac with a Mac Mini. My questions is if irestore from a Time Machine backup will that overwrite the newer preinstalled iLife apps or just add my older apps to the new machine?

Is there an iMore best practice for moving to a newer Mac that has newer OS and software compared to the old Mac?

[warcraftWidow]

A complete Time Machine restore from the old to the new probably won't even work. Time machine restore restores everything including OS X. And a Mac will never run with an OS X version older than the one it came with.

So I would recommend using the TM backup to restore just the stuff in your user directories and maybe applications directory. Or just reinstall your apps.

Also since a new Mac should come with a warranty and at least 90 days of free telephone support, you could call Apple and see what they recommend and have them walk you thru it.

[ea0423]

I fear I wasn't clear or I am confused by what I see on Apple's site. I thought I could use Migration Assistant to copy my user profile and data. I am wondering if that will bring over installed programs from the iMac or will I have to manually install.

Blissfully ignorant since this is my first Mac hardware upgrade.

[warcraftWidow]

I fear I wasn't clear or I am confused by what I see on Apple's site. I thought I could use Migration Assistant to copy my user profile and data. I am wondering if that will bring over installed programs from the iMac or will I have to manually install.

Blissfully ignorant since this is my first Mac hardware upgrade.

Ok. Migration assistant should work to move your user profile and data over. I'm not sure about the installed programs since I haven't used it.

[ea0423]

Fyi it was even easier than I expected. Migrated from Time Machine during setup and everything came over without a hitch. The older versions were put in folders and the current programs were the default. iPhoto updated my older library with no issues. Huzzah!