Migration Assistant Mystery

Please,
In the migration assistant window that says "select items to migrate" under settings you can click computer or unclick computer. Can anyone explain what this means? I don't want to import unneeded or unnecessary settings to the new machine if I can avoid it.
Thank you

Mendel,
i am once again grateful to have a reply from you. However, i wonder if you could give me an example of one or two of these settings. I don't know what kind of settings these are or where they are located. I don't know if i want them included or not on the new machine. Thank you.

Similar Messages

  • Migration Assistant Missing Examples Mystery

    Here are three contributions to an earlier discussion that did not completely resolve an issue.
    Can anyone reading this supply the examples requested in part three?
    - grateful for any ideas
    Please,
    In the migration assistant window that says "select items to migrate" under settings you can click computer or unclick computer. Can anyone explain what this means? I don't want to import unneeded or unnecessary settings to the new machine if I can avoid it.
    Thank you
    That option is referring to transfer the customized settings you had on your old Mac onto the new Mac. If you want your settings, tick the option
    i am once again grateful to have a reply from you. However, i wonder if you could give me an example of one or two of these settings. I don't know what kind of settings these are or where they are located. I don't know if i want them included or not on the new machine. Thank you.

    I finally found an answer! when forum software provided a link
    "Migration Assistant will offer to transfer computer settings from your previous version of OS X. The options are to transfer Network Settings, Time Zone, and Sharing Settings; these are the settings you were using for file sharing, web sharing, printer sharing, and remote access."

  • Migration Assistant failure - intriguing behavior

    I'm now on my third attempt to run Migration Assistant to reinstall my user account files. On the second attempt, I watched as Migration Assistant copied the files (from Desktop down to Pictures), and then sat horrified as the files quickly disappeared from the screen (in reverse order of how they appeared).
    A little background. This is on a PowerMac G5 running 10.4.10 (the 10.4.10 update may be the reason for this reinstall and restore, btw). A clean install was required b/c the Volume Bitmap could not be repaired. I used Disk Utility to image the hard drive to a external firewire, which I'm using w/ the Migration Assistant.
    The Applications and the Networking Settings were migrated w/o incident, but the user folder was no where to be found after the migration. Observation revealed the mysterious deletion of files.
    Any ideas why this may have occured? I know I can copy the files manually at this point, but I'm truly intrigued by this behavior.
    Many thanks for any ideas you may be able to provide.
    -Val
    PowerMac G5 Duo Mac OS X (10.4.10)

    I used Disk Utility to image the hard drive to a external firewire
    Did you create an image or did you use the restore option? Can you boot with the FWHD? If so, then I suggest that you do another erase & install, but after booting with the install disk, entering your language, select Utilities->Disk Utility and repair the FWHD and repair permissions, quit DU, select Window->Show Log->Show everything, continue the installation, and watch the log while the installation progresses to see what's going on.

  • Discrepancy between old/new mac using migration assistant

    Replaced G4 Powerbook with new Macbook Pro. G4 was saying disk was full (80 Gb), Migration assistant showed it was copying only 41 Gb of contents. What did the other 39 Gb consist of? A mystery to me! Can this all be system files?

    There are many things that are not copied by Migration Assistant such as swap and Trash.
    Is it possible you have significant amounts of data in Trash?
    |___________________
    Allan

  • TM Backup isn't listed in Migration Assistant - help!

    Hello all,
    The WD hard drive in my 24" iMac (Jupiter) recently crapped out. Apple Care to the rescue! They replaced the drive and loaded up a fresh install of 10.6.1. I came home with the intent to just restore from my Time Machine backups. But...
    My backups aren't showing up in Migration Assistant, while the backups from my wife's MacBook are. The facts:
    * My backups are there, but don't display in Migration Assistant.
    * My backups, admittedly, excluded system files, but my understanding is that I should still be able to use Migration Assistant to restore user accounts/files, etc.
    * My wife's backups are there, and do display in Migration Assistant.
    * My wife's backups do include system files.
    * In my backup folder (Backups.backupdb/Jupiter) there is a fairly large file called "2009-10-25-173341.inProgress", but it does not contain enough of a backup to be useful.
    * The "Latest" backup is 2009-10-25-164450, but the folder in there only has the Applications and Developer folders, whereas every other backup folder (2009-10-25-143643 all the way back to 2009-2-26-185723) contains what I would expect to see; Applications, Developer, Library, Users, and a few extraneous files.
    My question is: what do I do? I've tried a couple things already, but with no luck:
    * I copied the "2009-10-25-173341.inProgress" file to the Desktop and deleted it from the Backups.backupdb/Jupiter folder, in case it was confusing Migration Assistant; this had no effect.
    * I tried changing the "Latest" symlink to point to the backup that I think is valid (2009-10-25-143643) by copying over 10.5's version of fsaclctl (doesn't exist in 10.6) to disable ACLs for the Backups.backupdb folder, but it didn't appear to have any effect as far as Migration Assistant was concerned.
    Is trying to get my backups to show up in Migration Assistant a lost cause? Would I be better off trying to manually copy files from the last full backup (2009-10-25-143643)? Please help; your time and help in this matter will be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks,
    Lee

    jlgoolsbee wrote:
    * My backups, admittedly, excluded system files, but my understanding is that I should still be able to use Migration Assistant to restore user accounts/files, etc.
    I think that's true, but hope once this is sorted out you'll remove that exclusion.
    * In my backup folder (Backups.backupdb/Jupiter) there is a fairly large file called "2009-10-25-173341.inProgress", but it does not contain enough of a backup to be useful.
    Yes, that's a failed or interrupted backup. The full restore option, Setup Assistant, Migration Assistant, and TM's "Star Wars" interface will all ignore it.
    * The "Latest" backup is 2009-10-25-164450, but the folder in there only has the Applications and Developer folders, whereas every other backup folder (2009-10-25-143643 all the way back to 2009-2-26-185723) contains what I would expect to see; Applications, Developer, Library, Users, and a few extraneous files.
    That's likely the problem. Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant only look at the last completed backup. (Why nothing else is there is separate mystery.)
    My question is: what do I do? I've tried a couple things already, but with no luck:
    * I copied the "2009-10-25-173341.inProgress" file to the Desktop and deleted it from the Backups.backupdb/Jupiter folder, in case it was confusing Migration Assistant; this had no effect.
    +*Never, ever, move, change or delete anything in TM's backups via the Finder.+* This may not have caused damage, but it's possible to hopelessly corrupt your backups that way. And do not try to put it back.
    * I tried changing the "Latest" symlink to point to the backup that I think is valid (2009-10-25-143643) by copying over 10.5's version of fsaclctl (doesn't exist in 10.6) to disable ACLs for the Backups.backupdb folder, but it didn't appear to have any effect as far as Migration Assistant was concerned.
    Ditto. That may have been the "kiss of death." Change it back if you can.
    Is trying to get my backups to show up in Migration Assistant a lost cause? Would I be better off trying to manually copy files from the last full backup (2009-10-25-143643)? Please help; your time and help in this matter will be greatly appreciated!
    First, do a +*Repair Disk+* (not permissions) on your TM volume.
    Then use TM to try to delete the 2009-10-25-164450 backup. (See #12 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.)
    That might then let MA see the 2009-10-25-143643 backup. If so, immediately go buy a lottery ticket -- you're one lucky fellow!
    If not, your only remaining option is probably to try copying via the Finder. That's going to be rather "iffy" and, especially if you have a multi-user setup, will give you all sorts of permissions problems on the copied items.
    Good luck!

  • Upgrading to Lion, There Must be a Better Way Than Migration Assistant!

    I finally got around to updating to Lion and it's turned out to be a little frustrating.
    First Attempt: simply updating over the top of my existing Snow Leopard installation. I had a variety of annoyances mostly surrounding the amazing amount of cruft laying around from years of installing,  then removing apps and just upgrading new versions of Mac OS on top of the existing ones.
    Second Attempt: Partition the drive, did a clean installation, used Migration Assistant and moved my old account to the new installation. This resulted in most of the cruft coming over, many of the annoyances remaining, and some settings and daemons mysteriously disappearing.
    Third Attempt: Deleted the second attempt, did another clean installation, created a new account with the same name as the old account, and then copied only the data I really wanted (Documents, iTunes Library, Mail Data, &tc...). This resulted in dozens of annoyances stemming from permission problems.
    So... how do I jettison all the artifacts from the past while only keeping the data I really want? How do developers deal with having more than one working installation on a Mac? Do they never move stuff between them?

    I pretty much agree with baltwo on this. The only way to weed out the 'cruft' is to reinstall each program manually, copy data from your Pictures, Documents, Music, and Movies folders. Then to be very careful about what you move from the old Library into the new one. Invariably this process leads to missing templates and other issues that take several days - and longer - to resolve. The end result? Your computer doesn't run noticeably faster and you gain perhaps a whopping couple GB or less of drive space.
    I speak from experience. I have performed this painful task twice (and was very thankful to have complete backups that I didn't erase because I didn't realize I was missing some templates for several months). My two work desktops and notebook go all the way back to Jaguar and they are no faster than my home computers of the same vintage.

  • Migration Assistant Nightmares

    I tried migrating my G4 iBook running Tiger to my new MacBook running Leopard. All went horribly wrong - I'd been using File Vault so my usual account no longer would let me log in - on either machines! I did some research (a little late I know) and found the migration assistant is known to cause problems in this situation. So I did a clean install on my MacBook and its running fine. I'd done a backup 2 weeks go so currently have lost 2 weeks of info - not major but still a pain.
    Strangely my iCal file I'd backed up was empty so not sure how or if I can get it back (though its on my iPhone so I get it from there). Ditto with iTunes.
    Is it worth trying to get my old iBook account back and running and if so how??? Or should I cut my losses and just spend the time recreating the past 2 weeks info I've lost on the MacBook?
    Advice would be MUCH appreciated
    I hope next time I get a new MacBook I remember to back up right before I set it up.....

    Thanks - I had already seen that thread which helped me make sure I had the right files copied over - apart from iCal which still remains a mystery. As does what on earth happened to my home folder on the G4.....

  • 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!
    The only thing I'd set up on my original "Rory" mac account was downloading Flash Player and installing my email to 'Mail' - so I've hardly done a lot of configs.
    Can I just delete the original "Rory" profile and use the "Rory1" profile that the Mac set up? ( I realise the Mac has done this because my old Windows PC user name was obviously called "Rory" as well).
    Or, is it easier to try and get the files (transfered from the PC under 'Rory1') to the original Mac profile of "Rory".
    It's only 12 hours since I first went to set the my Mac up so as I said, I'm hardly in that much of a pickle yet - am I?!
    Thanks to anyone who replies! Really appreciate your help!
    I've joined the Mac revolution!
    - Rory
    Ascot, UK

    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.

  • After a Lion clean install, how do I retrieve my data from external back-up? Following Apple advice for use of Migration Assistant did not work creating similar issues leading to clean install.

    After a Lion clean install, how do I retrieve my data from external hard drive?
    Following Apple advice I used Migration Assistant which crashed new system twice which is why I had to clean install Lion in the first place.
    Is there a sure way of doing it?
    I have only a few programs that I will have to install myself and that should not be a problem.
    I just want my data, music and photos back where I can use them.

    Time machine backups. I went to migration assistant a few hours ago and limited my selection to "users", no need for applications, settings and other files.  Stuff started moving over at a fast pace but has now seemed to stall.
    I will let it run overnight as there are lots of songs and photos as well as a few movies.
    If that does not work, then I will go into TM and try restore. I have restored some things in the past such a mail files and it has worked well. 
    The Apple fellow at the store told me to go right into TM, he may have had a point. I'll get it eventually.

  • I transferred data from my external hard drive to my restored Mac Book Pro via migration assistant and now my external hard drive in time capsule has red minus signs. How do I get rid of that without getting rid of any of my data?

    I used Migration Assistant to transfer my data from my external hard drive via Time Capsule to my restored Mac Book Pro. When I now go into Time Capsule I there are red minus signs in the corner of all the folders that are contained in my back up. How do I get rid of this and access my previous back-ups?

    Select the drive and Finder > Get info and at the bottom "ignore permissions on this volume"
    You can copy the files, but the ownership on the files still belongs to the other user account, once your done copying, then perform a #6 Reset Users Permissions and that will set all the ownership to that account.
    ..Step by Step to fix your Mac
    Another method is to copy the entire folder, then change it's permissions.

  • Migration assistant stopped working and has left me with 100gb in 'other'? How do I delete 'other' and what is it exactly?

    I recently invested $2000 (one week ago) in a Macbook Pro Retina 2014 2.8ghz 512gb. Dont get me wrong, I am in love with my product and am extremely satisfied but I have honestly encountered nothing but issues.
    My first issue was the transferring of data from my 2010 white macbook 500gb. Both laptops have Yosemite installed and are 100% up to date but I have spent the last week getting them to talk to each other. I am not new to the workings of Apple but I have never endeavoured to use applications such as airdrop, migration assisstant or even bluetooth.
    My first attempt was to transfer 200gb of files (Photos mainly, I'm a photographer) to my other laptop via a 64gb USB in segments. But after an hour and only 10gb getting copied across, I decided other alternatives may be of more help.
    That is when I came to my first dilemma: AIRDROP. Airdrop is crazy. Yes I did click the option on my retina to search for older macs and yes they did connect. I can send files from my MBR to my white macbook 2010 immediately but my old macbook will not send files to my retina. Yes all of the necessary sharing settings are in place - both MacBooks have the same settings selected so I cannot figure out what to do. Information on this subject would also be helpful yet it is not the end of my troubles.
    Second Issue: Migration Assistant.
    So yesterday I discovered this little 'gem'. I am a very impatient person so you can imagine i did not appreciate 20 hours of file transfers (via wifi as i do not have a thunderbolt to ethernet adaptor for MBR). Anyway that's all well and good if it actually worked. But of course it did not. I followed apples instructions and I was down to my final 4 hours this morning when my MBR told me the connection was lost and to reconnect. It was making the loudest whirring noise like air coming from inside the hard drive or something. I freaked out. My $2000 machine should not be doing this. It was only a little bit warm; not hot but it was incredibly loud, I'm not sure how to describe it. Keep in mind this computer is brand new so please tell me: WHAT WAS THE SOUND?!?!?!?! AND WHY? what was wrong? what could I have possibly done wrong? My wifi WAS working because my desktop PC was connected. So i waited and waited. Of course I couldn't actually do anything without quitting airdrop and in the end that's just what I had to do. A lot of time wasted for such an unsuccessful cause.
    That brings me to my final issue:
    So after migration had.... "completed" or crashed or whatever you want to call it, I at least assumed some of the files had maybe copied over and i could just resume from where I left off last time somehow. Oh how stupid that assumption was. My user account did in fact copy over but not a single file copied. And yes, I did log into that user account to check. ANYWAY, I went onto "about this mac" to see my storage info (still being optimistic about my wasted 20 hours). SURPRISE SURPRISE: Yet another problem. I now have 100gb in "other". This macbook is brand new. I should not have any GB in other. I am so incredibly annoyed. HOW DO I DELETE OTHER?! (preferably without downloading software) and is there anything else of importance in other that i should be careful not to delete that is contained within other?
    I am only 15 years old  and this was a massive investment for me so I treat my Macbook like a baby. And no, I'm not spoilt by my parents. I had to work at Subway for a year to earn $2000 - without spending a single cent (My wage is only $9.00AUD an hour so i essentially worked some 222 hours for this macbook). And I'm not crazy, I needed it for school.
    Anyway I'm not impressed with apple. I have Applecare but they aren't open on the weekends or whenever I try to call so that hasn't exactly been helpful. PLEASE HELP ME.

    Make a note of all your settings for Wi-Fi in the Network preference pane, then delete the connection from the connection list.
    Launch the Keychain Access application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Keychain Access in the page that opens.
    In the keychain list, an item named "System" should be listed. If it isn't, select File ▹ Add Keychain from the menu bar and add the following:
    /Library/Keychains/System.keychain
    Now search in Keychain Access for the name of the wireless network (not the name of the router.) Double-click one of the items and check the box labeled Show password in the inspector window. You'll be prompted for your keychain password to confirm. Make a note of the network password. Then delete every "AirPort Network Password" in the search results. Quit Keychain Access.
    Go back to the Network preference pane and recreate the Wi-Fi connection with the same settings as before. You do this by clicking the plus-sign icon below the connection list, and selecting Wi-Fi as the interface in the sheet that opens. Select Join other network from the Network Name menu, then select your network. Enter the password when prompted and save it in the keychain.

  • HT4796 Migration assistant is telling me that it has lost connection with my Mac and to ensure they are on the same network.  They are, and an ethernet cable is plugged into them.  What do i do?

    Migration Assistant has been running since yesterday evening.  My Dell is now telling me that its trying to reconnect to my Mac and to ensure they are both using the same network.  I have an Ethernet cable plugged in them and they are both on the same WiFi.  What can I do?

    Hello Wyodor,
    thanks for your reply on my question.
    You are wright the index file is 308 KB.
    And offcourse that I delete my files and documents is not an Iweb problem, but because my English is not that good, that I thougt I try to tell the whole story, and hope people can read trough the lines.
    Why I didn't use Iweb to upload to the server is because the server company recommanded to use file zilla. And I am a nobody with this kind of things, so I did exactly what they tell me to do.
    No, i did not make a backup of Iweb and the domain file, but reading other messages on this forum showed me that I can maybe try to make empty the cashfile (?)
    and otherwise I have bad luck and have to make my website again. Offcourse I have a lot of examples from all the pages (copied from the local map to my USB stick) and my website is aprox. 15 Mb, (not so big) so it will cost me a few nigths.
    But I'm still hoping on a miracle :-)
    greetings Lasource

  • Migration assistant freezes  - PLEASE HELP ASAP

    I am trying to run the migration assistant on a new imac i7 that I received. The "old" machine is an i5 ,and it is transferring about 500gb of data. It ran for many hours, and has been stuck on "19 minutes" remaining for about an hour now. What should I do?
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    -Rick
    twitter.com/Rick_Smith

    Thanks for the feedback. I actually just followed the directions on the new i7.
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    It simply asked me to hook up a firewire cable (fw 800), and then restart the "old" computer and hold down "t" as it restarted. It did that, the new machine "found" the "old" one, and it started transferring.
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    I guess I"ll go try that..
    **fingers crossed*

  • Using A FireWire cable between two Macs and Migration Assistance to transfer all my desktop to my macbook laptop, will all my apps, bookmarks, contacts and files be transferred? I am trying to make a complete copy of my desktop to my laptop.

    Using a FireWire cable between two Macs and the Migration Assistance feature, will al my apps, bookmarks, contacts and files be tranferred?

    See Pondini's Setup New Mac guide

  • Computer not responding during migration assist

    I bought a 27" iMac and have been trying to use migration assist to transfer my files and settings over from my 17" MacBook Pro with little success.  The iMac recognizes the MacBook and the confirmation code pops up on both but once the migration begins, the iMac has a message pop up that says the MacBook is not responding, even though it has a message saying that the iMac is ready. 
    I've tried searching other posts here but can't seem to find any with the same issue.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.
    Thanks.

    Well, I was following the instructions as they were presented on the screen.  As I mentioned, things seemed to progress normally, the two computers seemed to be communicating but then the message that the MBP was not responding would pop up and I would be forced to quit the migration.
    I had tried both FW 800 and ethernet connections to no avail.  After updating the iMac, I am running Mountain Lion on both machines and had consulted Pondini's guide prior to posting here.  I also opened up all the sharing options I could find on both computers thinking that would help. I'll take a closer look at Pondini's guide and see if that provides some answers.
    Thanks.

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