Migration Assistant Help needed - PPC Mini to MacBook Core Duo

My wife's MacBook's hard disk died (Intel Core Duo - verrrrry old).

She also uses a verrrrrry old PPC Mac Mini (running Snow Leopard).

I replaced the hard disk on her MacBook and installed Snow Leopard, and chose to migrate her info from the Mini to the MacBook.

I tried Ethernet, the machines could not see each other even after 20 minutes.

I hooked them up using Firewire 400.

Migration Assistant on the destination MacBook asked me to restart the Origin Mini with the T key held down until the Firewire symbol appeared on the Mini. I id so and the firewire symbol appeared.

The Destination MacBook went to the "Transfer your information" window. The "Information From" is blank, and the "Remaining Space" and "Selected Items" are stuck at "Calculating" for the past half an hour.

There are no items to select - everything is blank.

Is this normal behaviour? How long would it be stuck in "Calculating"?

Or, is this another manifestation of the machines not being able to see each other, just like it happened with Ethernet?

I am stuck, I need to get this MacBook up and running because:

1. My wife's iPhone 5 will not sync with a PPC Mini because it cannot run iTunes 7.
2. The MacBook can run iTunes 7 and sync with her new iPhone 5.

If the MacBook cannot be made to work, she has no option but to return the iPhone 5.

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

Thanks and cheers

Marvin, thank you for responding.

I finally managed to do it, but the hard way.

I created a TM backup of the Mini, created myself as a user on the MacBook, installed and updated all the software, and migrated using the TM backup, which then created my wife's user account with all her data.

So, now the MacBook is up and running, currently undergoing a SuperDuper! cloning.

Thanks again and cheers