New MacBook Pro, old one on last legs. Migration Assistant will not recognize the old MacBook

[enough]

to do the transfer from the old to the new.

Old MacBook is 10.6.8, which theoretically should be able to use Migration Assistant.

I have connected the two with a direct ethernet connection using Apple's Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter. I also tried doing the connection wirelessly. Neither works at all. Migration Assistant just does not see the old computer, the grey wheel just spins forever, looking for "other sources."

Does anybody have any experience with this? Looking at the net, it appears to be a rather common problem.

[NV Whino]

1. I've never been able to use migration assistant

I jostled stuff on thumb drives and transfer that way. Reinstall programs.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. Last time I first backed up the old computer using Time Machine

and then used the backup disk to transfer programs and documents to the new computer.

[enough]

4. Hey thanks for these thoughts!

Actually, I haven't been using Time Machine, so that might be a good option to try.

I'll experiment with that Target Disk Mode method also. I wonder if it would work with the ethernet cable instead of firewire?

[enough]

7. To update, finally got on the phone with Apple support, who told me I had to

update the old computer to Yosemite in order to do the migration. Was about to do that (no cost) when I got alerts telling me that several apps I value will not be able to run on Yosemite.

So I decided to keep the old OS intact on the old MacBook and do a piecemeal transfer of things from the old to the new. That wasn't too difficult, and everything seems to be running well.

Only one pesky problem, having to do with a particular font we use in our business website, email, etc. That beloved font does not show up on the fancy new MacBook. OTOH, the new one has many beautiful fonts in all kinds of languages from all over the world, none of which I will ever use, but I do like the idea of it. Eventually, I will figure out how to download the particular font, and all will be solved. In the meantime, I can still use the old MacBook for those great old applications, should I ever need to.

Thanks to all.