Getting it done! New laptop, that is.

As I mentioned in my last post, my new (what a deal – back to full price now) laptop arrived via Fedex on Wednesday. Although late in the afternoon, I started working as soon as it had a charge and spent Thursday through Sunday getting it set up. Apple makes it relatively easy to move files, including applications and basic settings, from one computer to another.

But I learned the hard way to not move files and photographs if I wanted to maintain their original creation date. Apple takes the approach that the creation date is the date the file is “created” on the device. That’s a no-go for me, having learned that lesson when I migrated my old PC laptop to my first Mac laptop.

Instead, I bought a 128GB memory card and manually copied/moved those files. It took more time but the effort was well worth it. Of course there are always those new accessories, some must-haves and some want-haves that I picked up on Amazon as well. Here’s my list thus far…

• Purgo USB C Hub Adapter with 4K HDMI, Thunderbolt 3 5K@60Hz, 100W PD, 2 USB 3.0 and SD/Micro Card Readers – adds all the missing ports
• ISMARTEN Slim Dual Mode Optical Mouse with USB Receiver, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz Rechargeable – no more big bumps in the laptop case
• 3 Pack of Fast Charger Cables (10ft+6.6ft+3.3ft) – I can leave one in the living room, one in the office, and the short one for travel 
• JSAUX USB C to USB Adapter – for when I don’t need the extras offered with the hub
• Anker 30W PIQ 3.0 Power Adapter – compact size, perfect for keeping in my bag for travel
• tomtoc 360 Protective Laptop Sleeve – I’m in love with this case! Padded with a Velcro strap inside, large outside pocket for accessories, and a telescoping handle.

I spent probably close to two days cleaning up files on my old MacBook Pro, a much needed task and one that I had put off for a long time. I used an app to help identify duplicate images (I still haven’t done duplicate files, mainly because I know I have a lot in my writing folder) and clean them up. Then I did some major reorganization so in the future it should be easier to find what I want. I also ran all my apps that I hadn’t run in a while and either updated them or ended up deleting them. Something else that I should do more often.

Once the applications, settings, and files were all moved over, it was time to sign on and see how it went. Oops, forgot I needed to change all the app preferences, setting them to what I was used to on the old computer. So Saturday was spent with the two computers side-by-side as I made them look the same.

A couple of apps gave me hiccups and I sent off support tickets, not expecting a reply until Monday. One got back to me this morning and the app is now up and running. The other isn’t critical. I need to run a bunch more apps but that can wait a bit…my old laptop is still functional and will remain an active backup. My 11″ MacBook Air (non-retina) is already sold, I just need to purge it and get it ready for sale.

Today I have exclusively worked on the new laptop and I’m really enjoying it. The keyboard is different but I love the feel, even better than the old. The mouse took a little getting used to and I find the Bluetooth blips every once in a while so I run it in USB mode most of the time.

This is a busy week with my medical tests that were rescheduled from December start this week. Tuesday is liquid diet day and Wednesday is test day. Just a pain in the….nevermind. LOL!