Mac help please!

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Ok I figured this might be a good place to ask. I just got a new computer, a G4 eMac and I wanna transfer my files from my old imac which is OS9, not OSX. What should I do? Oh god help.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno how you transfer files with a Mac, but you can start Classic mode in OS X, if that helps. It emulates OS 9 to a point.

― Core of Sphagnum (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Your program files, like Word, Excel, and so on can just be swapped over via disk or filesharing, if that's what you meant.

― Orbit (Orbit), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:05 (twenty-one years ago)

How about emails from outlook express?

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:08 (twenty-one years ago)

i just bought a new ibook, and the 'how to' manual that is on the hard drive had a whole section on transferring the files from your old computer to your new one. not sure about the outlook express question though.

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it apple key + t that makes the computer be recognized as a hard drive? Someone else will have to confirm that. You would shut down the OS9 imac, hook it up to the new one using a USB cable, then start the old imac while holding down the t. A symbol will float around the screen and then it will show up on your new OSX imac's desktop as a hard drive. Then you can just drag and drop your files over to OSX.

The bad news is that you'll have to start up the OS9 environment to use your old software, as Core said.

― Orbit (Orbit), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah what I really want is all my old emails, serves me right for using Outlook Express.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:13 (twenty-one years ago)

you should be able to copy your outlook express mail data file, surely?

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Assuming the OS 9 machine has a USB output. :)

Or is that a given?

― Core of Sphagnum (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah it does! Where would I find the mail data file?

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

This new computer is really overexciting me.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

You might have to export your mail in Outlook. It's in a menu option somewhere.

― Core of Sphagnum (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:16 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i think the export option is in the file menu

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

So I should connect the two computers thru USB, and then select export mail and it should all work?

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm.. not sure about the actual transferring of the data file (isn't it some .pst file with Outlook Express) but once you've got it on your new mac, you can certainly import the messages into the Mail application that comes with OSX. Just go to File - Import Mailboxes and choose 'Outlook Express' from there.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

(unless you want to carry on using Outlook Express, but I really wouldnt - Mail is much better)

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Choose Export Mailbox , just save it to your old drive somewhere, then

Try this:
1. Connect the two
2. Start the old one holding down the apple key and the t key--see if it works--if it doesn't try mac.com or apple.com for help
3. Then do whatever you need to, drag the file and then choose Import Mailbox when setting up your acct, choosing that file.

Until our resident Mac wizards post to your rescue that's the best advice I can give....

― Orbit (Orbit), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah I want to use Mail it looks superduper. Thanks! I'll actually try doing this later when I've got more time.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Or if you can still get your old iMac on the net, in which case just emailing the file would maybe be simpler, if you don't have patch leads. Or burning it to a CD, if you have a burner. Good old floppy discs!

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

The hold-down-t-while-rebooting thing is not for USB, but for firewire. Many iMacs have Firewire ports, I'm not sure if all of them do.

― Augustine (Augustine Bearse), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah mine's got Firewire, but I don't have a cable. I'll try emailing the file I guess.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 02:28 (twenty-one years ago)

two methods, both require a cable. Firewire target disk is easiest, and described above. You can network the two with a crossover ethernet cable turn on file sharing on the OS 9 computer. (Control Panels:File Sharing). Give your computer a name and a password. On the OS X machine in the finder choose connect to server or Apple +K schoose your computer from the list log on and start copying files.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 21 October 2004 05:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Its just 'T' you hold down when stating up the new computer, not 'apple T'. Stands for 'Target' I think.

― winterland, Thursday, 21 October 2004 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

OK so the best thing to do would be to connect the two computers with the Firewire ports and then hold down T while starting up the OS9 computer? Then I'll be able to grab stuff from it and it won't matter that it's on OS9? When it asked me about transferring stuff when I first started it up it said it needed to be OSX or something.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Thursday, 21 October 2004 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i have an os 9 g3 that i connect to an OS 10 powerbook to transfer files back and forth. all it takes is an ethernet crossover cable and appletalk. there are instructions to do this in the apple help menu index. search for ethernet filesharing. not sure how to do it with firewire, maybe that's easier though.

― mr. burns, Thursday, 21 October 2004 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

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