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Migration Assistant: Thunderbolt to USB

I'm trying to do a migration from my old MacBook Pro Retina (Late 2013) to my new MacBook Pro (Late 2016). I have connected a Thunderbolt cable on the old MacBook to a USB-C Thunderbolt adapter on the new MacBook. The old MacBook is set to Target Disk Mode. I've confirmed that the dialog said it would use the Thunderbolt connection. After 8 hours of migration it is still going to take 2 hours at a whopping speed of 8 MB/s. As I want to get my money's worth of that ThunderBolt cable, I've cancelled the migration. I've read some reports about Target Disk Mode being slow, so I've restarted my old MacBook and am trying to get Migration Assistant to run without TDM.

However the old MacBook shows up, it gives an error about not being able to connect. My suspicion is that it ignores the Thunderbolt connection and tries peer-to-peer WiFi instead. According to Move content to your new MacBook or late-2016 MacBook Pro you can only use Migration Assistant with USB-C in Target Disk Mode. If found to be true, would make me very sad. Seeing that both MacBooks are equipped with SSD, 8 MB/s is joke.

FWIW, on the page you linked, no where does it mention using a Thunderbolt cable with TDM.

Perhaps you need to re-read the info.

It does mention USB-C to USB-C should use TDM. It takes little imagination to also read this as USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter to Thunderbolt. Sure, it's not an exact match. So yeah, the information is lacking. And still, while USB-C to Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt in TDM works, it's unbelievable slow.

You can move data between two MacBook or MacBook Pro computers equipped with USB-C using a USB-C to USB-C cable.

How is your imagination working out?

Select the categories of content you want to transfer. Click Continue. Then click Agree on the next two Terms and Conditions screens to start the transfer. Depending on how much content you have, the process might take several hours.

Your best bet and the fastest would be by

Over Ethernet with an adapter

I should add from a Time Machine backup might be faster as well.

I should note that I'm using Setup Assistant on the new MacBook, not Migration Assistant.

All I can tell you is there are basically 3 supported methods you can use…

1. Over WiFi.

2. From a Time Machine backup

3. Over Ethernet.

If you want to jerry rig a different method, whatever the outcome is what it is.

Thanks for your replies. I'm sad to see Apple's "improvements" have taken their toll on system migration as well.

1. Major drawback: slow

2. Not possible: I don't have Time Machine setup on these devices.

3. Not working: Over Ethernet doesn't work using a Belkin USB-C to Ethernet on one end and Thunderbolt to Ethernet on the other end. The assistant switches to Peer-to-Peer wifi instead.

So, back to slow TDM Thunderbolt migration.

FWIW, it's not Apple's fault you don't have the correct adapters or a Time Machine backup.

The only difference is now you can transfer USB-C to USB-C which you also don't have. Also not Apple's fault.

I don't know what the problem is, but I have to say your method is a perfectly valid one. Your older mac supports target disk mode over thunderbolt. As soon as it starts in that mode it becomes a thunderbolt drive for all intents and purposes. And this is the fastest connection available for it. Either there is a problem with the adapter or the setup or something else. Don't accept the idea that you were somehow doing it wrong.

FWIW I have done a similar thing very successfully - the only difference is mine was from a thunderbolt 2 mac to another.

If Luis says he has connected a 2016 MacBook or MacBook Pro with USB-C ports via TDM and a Thunderbolt cable utilizing Setup Assistant to an older MacBook I have no reason to doubt him.

A clarification is in order!

dialabrain wrote:

 

If Luis says he has connected a 2016 MacBook or MacBook Pro with USB-C ports via TDM and a Thunderbolt cable utilizing Setup Assistant to an older MacBook I have no reason to doubt him.

1) A MacBook has USB-C ports that are NOT Thunderbolt 3. Using Migration Assistant in the way described would not work on a 12" MacBook

2) A 2016 MacBook Pro has four (or two for the non-touchbar model) Thunderbolt 3 ports. These use the same USB-C type plug and can be used as regular USB-C. The converse is NOT true (the 12" MacBook CANNOT use Thunderbolt at all - here's hoping a new 2017 model rectifies this).

3) With an Apple TB3->TB2 adapter, one can connect TB2 peripherals to a 2016 rMBP; they will be limited to TB2 speeds (which is not a big limitation; odds are the peripherals cannot saturate the TB2 bus). A TB2 equipped Mac in target mode is one relevant example of one such peripheral. Even its fast pci-e SSD would not saturate the TB2 channel - meaning the transfer should as fast, but not faster, than when connecting two TB2 macs.

What I said is this:

a) in situation 3, there is no reason to suspect Migration Assistant would not work reliably to bring stuff from a TB2 equipped Mac to a 2016 rMBP.

b) I do not have a 2016 rMBP (though I accept offers :-)), but I did this migration to transfer info from a TB2 mac to another. There was obviously no adapter involved, just a direct Thunderbolt cable between the two Macs.

I submit that unless the adapter is somehow faulty, it should not impede a fast migration.

The method the original poster tried is the one I would/will try today (should someone graciously offer me a new mac - come to think of it, it's my birthday :-))

Happy Birthday.

I am having the exact same problem, on the same machines. I am using a TB3 to TB2 adapter and a TB2 cable (all from Apple). It starts at near 100 Mbps then steadily drops to about 10 Mbp. Tried 2 different cables and adapters. Tried TDM and straight migration assistant. Once migration was complete (10-12 hours), the user account was unusable. Constant beach balls, won't authenticate to web services like iCloud. Spent days on it and hours online with Apple support. Still no solution. Did Apple just become Microsoft? So far I hate the late 2016, I hate USB-C and I am contemplating next moves. This is my second $4500 late 2016, my first one failed the power test at the Genius Bar and was sent back. After another 6 week wait, I am now once again in migration ****.

The migration completed successfully after all. The reported speeds were 2 - 8 MB/s and the process took about 16 hours, for some 200 GB data.

As a side note, migrating my MacBook Pro Early 2011 over Thunderbolt to the MacBook Pro Late 2013, took only 1 hour some 100 GB data.

最後更新：2017-09-30 11:33:08

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