Migration Assistant doesn't respect User Templates

Hi everyone,
I work doing Information Technology support for a small (of about 30-40 people) communications department. We just ordered about 9 computers, and they all came with Lion.
Some people that I work with are very change-phobic, and I've created a default user template that respects what they've been doing for a long time and includes what I need to do my job. The main things I've changed include reversing the natural scroll direction (I know, I know, I like it myself, but like I said, some people I work with are incredibly change-phobic) remote login settings, showing the Library folder, and including default login software (such as new backup software we've decided to deploy at the same time as new computer deployments).
I've found that creating new users on the system respects the user template:
(found at /System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences/).
But when I migrate users (either choosing to migrate settings, or not migrate settings), it doesn't matter, as the OS defaults back to not including the new login software and reverting scroll direction.
I can't hold off much longer in deploying these computers, but I know that I'll immediatly get a lot of requests about how to put settings back to the way they were.
Is there a way to have Migration Assistant respect the default user template (when not migrating settings)?
Best,
Allen

Hi John,
While your link was certainly informative, it isn't really addressing my problem, though I appreciate your response.
I don't know if this may interest you, but you can force the Setup Assistant to run without reinstalling Lion. Just boot into single user mode (command+s), then remove this file:
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
You see, your mac, upon every boot, checks to see if that file is present. Its not really even a file that holds any information (its just a file named .AppleSetupDone). If the file is not present, your computer will run the "first-run wizard," or Setup Assistant.
It's also a trick you can use if you don't have an administrative account on a computer.
Anyway, I'm still hoping I can get answers about why migration assistant refuses to respect the defaults I've set at:
/System/Library/User\ Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences/
Best, and thanks again,
Allen

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I just did a clean install of Mountain Lion on my iMac and Migration Assistant doesn't seem to see my 3TB Time Machine. It continuously looks for other computers, and nothing else. I know the files work because I loaded it on my other MBP and it sees them just fine? am I just inpatient or is something wrong?

This happened to me after hard drive replacement under the Seagate Drive Recall at the local Apple Store. Here's what I learned from the process:
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Having figured that out, we re-image 10.7.5 at the store thinking we've fixed it. But no - Setup Assistant still won't see the Time Machine drive. Not on USB, not on Firewire. Not in a box, not with a fox.
So here's the second trick - newer machines have a recovery partion. see: http://www.apple.com/osx/recovery/ Boot with the option key held down, pick that partition, then you'll get a "system restore" option, to restore your whole system from a Time Machine backup. My drive was recognized by the recovery partition restore process when neither Setup nor Migration Assistant would. Obviously, there's something broken in Setup/Migration Assistant.
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HT201250 I have had my mac stolen, I have an external HD I connect via USB for these time machine backups, I now have a new replacement mac and wish to restore from my external HD, migration assistant doesn't seem to recognise or see my drive ? please hel

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See Pondini's Excellent information here...
Setting-up a new Mac from an old one, its backups, or a PC
See the Second Chance to Use Setup Assistant here...
http://Pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html

Migration Assistant showing 0.0kb User Profiles

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Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Was your iMac PowerPC or Intel?

I'm wanting to migrate certain applications from my MacBook Pro over to my newer Mini, but Migration Assistant doesn't allow doing this by choosing which applications to migrate-how can I pick only certain ones?

I'm wanting to migrate certain applications from my MacBook Pro over to my newer Mini, but Migration Assistant doesn't allow doing this by choosing which applications to migrate-how can I pick only certain ones?

You only bought it four months ago, so it's still under warrantly.
Call Applecare or call your nearest Applestore to make an appointment. Tell them your mac has serious technical issues, describe them shortly.

Migration Assistant doesn't appear to migrate all user accounts

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I did exactly that
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If you didn't use SA on the first boot, it might be far less time consuming and aggravating to simply reinstall the OS and the bundled apps. This will produce a brand new option to use SA on the first boot.

PC to iMac - Migration Assistant set up another user

Dear Mac Users!
Set up my 21.5" iMac last night, set up a new user "Rory" - then downloaded Migration Assistant on my PC to transfer files, music, pics, docs and my iMac has created "Rory1" since I've discovered I should've transfered docs across BEFORE I set up an initial user!
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Copying folder by folder is fine. Your photos as well as iTunes music and movies are best copied by choosing "Import to Library" and "Add to Library" from their respective File menus, since those programs like to keep their content organized in mysterious ways.
The "guest" account is normal in Lion. There are good reasons for having it but it can be disabled if you desire.
... any other "Top John" housekeeping tips? Or anything handy worth knowing to prevent myself getting in a future pickle?
Oh, many. If you are new to Macs start here: http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
It may seem remedial to you but it is a good place to start.
There are few absolutes but in no particular order,
Don't bring any preconceived ideas that may be rooted in Windows PCs to the Mac. The Mac is a different world and it is only getting more so.
Aside from periodically running Software Update, the Mac needs no maintenance. Macs are designed to be neglected.
All hard disks fail eventually, which means a backup plan is desirable. Buy an external hard disk drive and plug it in. Time Machine will ask you if you want to use it as a backup disk. You do. Time Machine does the rest so you can continue to neglect your Mac.
Installing software is like inviting someone into your home. A lot of trouble can be avoided by not opening the door just because the bell rings. Trouble comes in the form of "toolbars", "scanners", "optimizers", "cleaners" and similar ilk that often accompanies websites in the form of popup windows or other in-your-face techniques, mostly Flash advertisements. Remember that nothing enters a Mac unless you invite it in by providing your password. Before you grant access to something know what it is, what it does, and how to get rid of it if it starts making a mess. There are no viruses known to infect OS X but malware exists.
As for uninvited intruders, the Mac is very secure. You do not need any anti-virus utilities. OS X is the descendant of a decades old multiuser, multitasking operating system that was designed from its very beginning to keep users protected from malicious interference. Some AV tools are benign, many are harmful, but all are superfluous. Some Windows AV products published by well-known and respected companies fail miserably on the Mac: see point number one. OS X already includes all the virus protection it requires. I recommend nothing more.
Don't panic if something goes wrong. Search here for help but don't necessarily believe everything you read. Knowledgeable participants are usually literate.
Beware of phishing scams. They are getting better all the time. It doesn't matter what computer you're using, nothing can stop you from willingly providing your name, password, Apple ID, mother's maiden name and social security number in order to inherit a fortune left in your name by a deceased Nigerian prince.
Then go about enjoying life without Windows. You'll wonder how you managed to cope all those years.

Migration assistant now seeing my User file only back ups on my time machine, nor am I able to drag the entire user folder to my new desktop.

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What can I do?
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
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persol19 wrote:
Yes, there were no system files included. Soley the items that are incopassed within the user file.
Rats. It's awful that Apple doesn't warn folks about that.
Since I am not able to use them as backups, what is the best way to restore all of my previous preferences, calenders, notes, adressbook, etc.?
Would it be best to replace each file in the library of the new machine with the coresponding folders of the new machine?
That's going to be difficult, but is about your only option (assuming you have no other backups).
Part of the hassle is, you have to do it "piecemeal" -- you can't just delete the old home folder, or any of the "default" sub-folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.), and drag in the one from your backups -- you'll get a message about it being a required folder, so you can't delete it.
So you'll have to do it with the contents of the sub-folders.
Make a large pot of coffee.
For future reference, many long-time users consider a good backup plan to start with a minimum of two full backups, via two different apps, on two different pieces of hardware. These should be updated regularly.
For "primary" backups, Time Machine (built in to OSX) is quite good. You might want to review the Time Machine Tutorial, and perhaps browse Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.
#27 in the FAQ link has some suggestions for "secondary" backups.

Migration Assistant Doesn't See Time Machine

I've seen a few threads on this topic but no answer.
I upgraded my Mac Pro from 10.5 to 10.6, but when I tell the Migration Assistant that I want to restore from Time Machine, it doesn't see it or any of the other 3 drives that are in this machine. I just want to restore the user accounts and groups because one of the other drives is a data drive with lots of folders that only certain users have access to.

Yes, I could, but I gave up and just re-created all of the users and groups and reset folder permissions manually.

How to use migration assistant when the same user account name is on both computers

I want to migrate all my info from my MacBook to my new (to me) MacBook Pro. I've already set up a user account on the new MBP that has the same name as the user account on the MacBook that I want to migrate.

Snags40 wrote:
In both cases the UID for my primary User Account is 507
507? That's odd; usually the first one created is 501, then 502, etc. Could you have gone through 6 accounts?
Since I've migrated thru several Macs to get to the current state on the old MacBook, I suspect the UID has changed.
That could explain some of it, if you used Migration Assistant instead of Setup Assistant. It would have taken a lot of migrations and user accounts to get to 507, I'd think.
I still have the Powerbook that preceded the MacBook. How can I determine the UID on 10.4.11? The right click on the Account name in User Accounts doesn't show that value. I'd like to see if UID has changed going from 10.4 to 10.5.
Good question. I skipped Tiger, and don't recall earlier versions, but this article may help: http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20051022175850619&query=change%252BU ID

Migration Assistant doesn't recognize old iMac OSX

I just bought a new iMac 20 inch running Tiger. In the migration assistant (first initial setup), it asks if I would like to transfer files and settings from an old iMac using a FireWire cable (I do). After it prompts me, I boot my "old" iMac (PowerPC G4 running OS 10.2.8) in FireWire Target Disk Mode (pressing "T" while restarting). Then connect the FireWire cable from my old iMac to the new iMac. The migration assistant says that OSX is not installed on my "old" computer (which it is).
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iMac Mac OS X (10.4.4)

One thing I don't know if it is relevant, but I found having the same username already created on my new machine when I ran the migration assistant caused it to fail.
If you haven't created anything essential on your new Mac, run the restore disks over again, and create an alternative user name:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61802
Once that is done, then try to run the Migration Assistant from the Applications -> Utilities folder, and then login the old username and delete the new one.

New MBP migration assistant doesn't offer ethernet nor WiFi options!!!???

I've read many places that we can now transfer the data from the old Mac (if both are OS X, Leopard), even if we don't have Firewire cable... Using either Ethernet cable or through WiFi (maybe slower, but hey, if that's all we have!).
I wanted to use Migration assistant for the first time, and Ethernet cable too... for the first time in switching computers, I wouldn't have to wait an eternity, and I wouldn't have to painstainkingly go through all my files and lose some along the way...
Except when I tried to follow the steps, the only option to me was to connect the computers with Firewire!!!
In the menu, it said I could connect them using Ethernet or WiFi too, but on the next page, it said I had to connect them with FireWire, and if I wasn't doing that, to hit "return" (in other words, to forget about it).
The only other options, then, were to transfer from another disk, a partition or Time Machine (also offered but not relevant, transfering TO another machine).
I was hoping I had missed something and the Ethernet and WiFi options could only be done AFTER original setup, so I did it and opened the app... which was the same.
I'm now trying to transfer the data using Time Machine and my latest backup, hoping it was really complete and will do the job.
And I have to do it WiFi.
Makes me real mad that an option that so many talk about and rave about, that is even talked about in the "more info" portion of the menu window doesn't truly exists!
...And yeah, both computers were plugged in and running, and the WiFi option wasn't more offered after the network was up and running.

Thank you thank you thank you!!!
After a couple hours of trying with Time Machine backup in WiFi, my MBP went to sleep (hadn't thought about it and no message to prevent me), and it bugged... So I could try your help and IT WORKED!!!
YESSSS!
BUT, I had to look everywhere for an answer to another problem, since I didn't know how to access my files... 'cause since I couldn't access the ethernet option on the first setup screen, I had to create a new user account and didn't know I had to login under that account to see all my files.
Which makes me think I better go put THAT account as admin right now!
Now everything seems perfect, just gotta check it out before cleaning out old MB.
Still, I can't see why they don't make it all clear : Ethernet and Wifi as easy to select as Firewire (why a small button in the corner? Why not there -I sure as **** didn't see it and I looked hard and long) in the setup screen?
And why not put anything about user accounts in the manual or online how-to's?
So thanks again!

Migration Assistant doesn't respect User Templates

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