migration

If you are using more than one Mac, or have replaced your Mac with a new one, there are several ways you can migrate your account to the new system.

Conventionally, when you get a new system you are presented with the OS X Setup Assistant, which will guide you through migrating your data from an existing system or a backup.

In addition to Setup Assistant, you can use Apple's Migration Assistant tool at any time to transfer data from one Mac to another. This tool is especially useful for establishing your current user account on another system. Simply … Read more

If you're still holding onto an old AOL e-mail account or using the one your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gave you, it might be time to consider switching to Gmail. Gmail offers a ton of storage (currently at 10GB and growing), spam filtering at the server-level, two-step verification, and access from any Web browser or mobile device. In other words, it's secure, reliable, and convenient. And if you spend any time at all on a tablet or smartphone, the Gmail apps provide an unrivaled experience.

Migrating your old e-mail account to Gmail isn't that difficult and Gmail … Read more

If the events surrounding Instagram over the last few days have made you want to close your account and start using a different service such as Flickr, we understand. But before you go and delete your Instagram account, wouldn't it be nice to have all of your photos imported to Flickr for you?

Check out @freethephotos to automagically migrate @instagram pics to @flickr bit.ly/VQ5wQs

As you can see from the tweet above, it's possible and the process is simple.

Freethephotos is a new Web site created during the … Read more

Sometimes you have to make a transition from one Google account to another. In times like these, you'll want to be able to pack up your personalized settings and migrate them to your new spot. Google+ circles can be quite large in size if you only keep a few of them, and reorganizing all of those people can be time consuming. For instance, you might have 40 colleagues, 30 local friends, and 150 celebrities you're following; no one wants to hunt down all of those people and organize them yet again.

This is where Google Takeout comes to … Read more

Still plugging along with Windows XP or Vista? Dreading the prospect of upgrading to Windows 7 because Microsoft offers no direct upgrade path? (More on that in a bit.)

Help is on the way. Today only, in honor of its 29th birthday, Laplink is offering PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant absolutely free. It regularly sells for $29.95.

To get the software, click here, then click the little "Add to cart" box in the upper-right corner of the free-PCmover banner. Scroll down and click "Proceed to Cart." Follow the instructions on the following page.

Not interested? … Read more

When migrating or restoring your Mac using Apple's Migration Assistant utility, if you have cancelled the migration operation or experienced an error such as a power outage or crash, then you may find some odd behavior. Changes made to some system resources might not be recognized.

For instance, if you have third-party utilities installed on your system that use launch agents or daemons to keep them running, if you decide to disable these agents by removing them from your system, you might find the programs continue to launch.

Recently I ran into such a situation. When migrating to a … Read more

Apple's move to Intel processors for its Mac systems in 2006 opened up many opportunities for Mac users, one of which was the ability to install and boot Windows directly on the Mac hardware without any emulation. To facilitate this for those who needed it, Apple introduced Boot Camp to easily partition the hard drive and supply drivers to the Windows OS for various features like iSight cameras and multitouch trackpads.

Boot Camp is a great option to have on the Mac, but unfortunately its support from Apple is rather limited, especially if you need to migrate from your … Read more

Cuban blogger and activist Yoani Sanchez was told last week for the 19th time in four years that she was not allowed to leave Cuba, according to Amnesty International.

"My cell is not surrounded by concrete and metal, but rather water," Sanchez tweeted last week.

She was hoping to travel to a film premiere in Brazil where she had been invited to speak, but Cuba's migration authorities denied her an exit permit. As with all the other times she requested permission to leave, she wasn't given a reason why.

However, the reason why is clear to … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is where to go for all your questions.

This week people wrote in with issues ranging from how to replace missing or damaged foot pads for Apple's MacBook systems to what versions of iOS will work on specific iPod Touch models. One reader's CD drives are not accepting any discs, another is missing toolbars in programs like Mail, and one user wants to know how to migrate from a PC to a Mac. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so post your own suggestions in the comments!

Question: New feet for a MacBook system … Read more