The thing about CCC is, it’s not just copying files. It’s supposed to make a *bootable* clone. Which, you know, is the whole point! If you just drag and drop, yeah, you get your files, but the OS itself, the stuff that makes it, uh, *boot*, that’s another story.
I saw a post where someone was trying to move their iMac’s drive to their Mac Pro over Ethernet using CCC. Sounds ambitious! But the complaint was, it only moved the files, not the system. That’s a bummer. Now, I’m thinking maybe they didn’t select the right options in CCC? There are definitely different ways to clone. Some create image files, others do a direct copy, but the “direct copy” SHOULD be bootable.
And then there was the guy who was having issues with Rob in support? Yikes. I mean, every company has its ups and downs, but bad support can really sour you on a product. Though he mentioned he’d bought like, four versions! So maybe he *mostly* likes it, lol.
Also, there’s this whole thing about cloning to an external SSD. Apparently, someone was advising *against* replacing the internal drive and instead suggesting an external SSD as the startup disk. Makes sense, actually! SSDs are way faster. Plus, they mentioned using CCC or SuperDuper! for that. SuperDuper! is another good one, a bit more… basic, maybe? But solid.
Anyway, back to the bootable clone thing. If you’re not getting a bootable clone, first thing I’d double-check is your CCC settings. Make sure you’re selecting to clone *everything*, including the system files. Sometimes there’s a little checkbox that’s easy to miss. Also, make sure the destination drive is formatted correctly. It needs to be Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS depending on your OS.
Oh, and *definitely* avoid those “cleaner” apps and anti-virus software before cloning. Those things can mess with your system and cause problems during the cloning process. They’re kinda, um, snake oil anyway, IMHO.
