User name - Migration Assistant

Is there a way to change the user name from an old computer when using Migration Assistant to set up a new MBA? I want everything from the old computer, but want to change the user name.

After your computer is all set up, changing the User ID is difficult.... but if you set it up first with your real name and set up a user id that you want first: then you should be able to use the "set up later" option for migration assistant as long as the actual account holder name is the same. You would still be you but with a user name that you desire.
check out the User Guide pdf which you can download from the Apple Support site. I downloaded the user guide for the 11" at<http://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=answerlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmanuals.i nfo.apple.com%2FenUS%2FMacBook_Air_11inch_Late2010_UG.pdf&answerid=16777216&src=supportsite.manuals.search> If you are looking for the 13", you would go to a similar url .... check out the Apple Support > manuals site. I find it simpler to read the user guides on my computer before actually opening an apple notebook box.
Message was edited by: Rhyd

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Migrating a user without Migration Assistant

Hi
My wife's old MacBook (Snow Leopard) just died. I had backed up my wife's user account, and so I'm trying to transfer her account to my MacBook Pro (Mountain Lion) making my wife an additional user.
Issue #1
First problem was Migration Assistant didn't want to know. It appears to only deal with Time Machine back-ups or start-up disks. My back-up is neither, it's just USERNAME/ Desktop, Downloads, Library etc. on an external drive.
Issue #2
So I logged in as Admin and tried to simply drag the user account and its folders into the USERS directory in the target computer. Not Permitted.
Issue #3
So I created a new account in my wife's name, then replaced the account folders (Desktop, Downloads, Library etc) with those from the back-up. I logged in as my wife and it seemed like it was working until I got an error message saying iTunes wouldn't open because I didn't have write permission for the iTunes library.
Going Foward
Seems like I've got two options:
Fix the permissions issue on iTunes
Find a way of getting Migration Assistant (or something else similar) to work – and start the migration all over again.
Fixing permissions seems quicker, provided you know what you're doing! Advice gratefully received.
Marcus

When you replaced the folders, were you logged into your wife's account? If not, they copied folders are owned by the user who created them.
To repair home folder permissions, you need to boot into the Recovery HD (hold down cmd-r on restart). When that boots, select Terminal from the Utilities menu.
Type resetpassword and hit return.
Select your hard drive, then her user account, then click the button at the bottom to Reset Home folder permissions and ACLs.

First-time Mac user with Migration Assistant woes

I'm a new Mac user with a MacBook Air. Still trying to get the migration process completed after three days so I can start using my computer. Looks nice, at least. Three questions:
1. After a 36-hour migration attempt from a PC over Wi-Fi, and with 2 hours to go, I'm getting a "Reconnecting to Mac" window on the PC. If it reconnects, how long could it take? It's still sitting there after 15 minutes.
2. If I cancel the migration process, do I have to start over and cross my fingers for another 36 hours, or does it pick up where it left off?
3. Is there any way to get a faster file transfer, say by Ethernet cable (I have the adapter), USB, anything. This is becoming painful.
I have verified the Wi-Fi connection is up and running. I can connect and reach the internet from my PC.
I don't want to schlep to the Apple Store. I bought this on Apple's assurance that the migration process would would work. If it doesn't, I'm returning it.
Thanks.

Steve, you don't have to run Migration Assistant right away. You can set it up as if you weren't going to migrate anything. You can start using your Mac right away.
Later, you can run Migration Assistant any time you want.
Depending on when you cancel MA, it is probable that whatever it did up to that point will be lost. 36 hours is unreasonable.
After you start using your Mac and are comfortable that it works to your satisfaction, connect the two with an Ethernet cable. Make sure it's a Category 5e or Category 6 patch cable (most are today). Then run MA. That ought to work and nothing will be faster.
For what it's worth I never got MA to function properly upon initial setup. It ought to work in theory but mine would get stuck at about the 99% point. Running it after initial setup has always been more reliable. I don't know why.

How do you combined users after migration assistant?

After using the migrtion assistant to move my files from my pc to my macbook it added another user. how can i merge the users so i do not have two?

Nevermind, I found it at the very bottom of the screen. Hides very well with a dark grey background.

Help! - Migration Assistant cannot transfer from newer OS X

I am trying to set up an external drive for emergency boot disk for my MacBook Pro 15" (2.66GHz, very early 2009). However, when I tried to use Migration Assistant (after installing Snow Leopard on external drive from the DVD) to transfer files/settings/apps from the MBP, it tells me that it can't because the MBP OS X version is newer (have done all updates on the MBP's drive already). M.A. tells me to upgrade the drive - but I haven't created any user account on the external yet...
If I enter all my information new again on the external drive, I do recall from past experience that M.A. will balk at my wanting to update from a user with same name on the other drive (the MBP's).
What's the simpler way to get my settings/apps/etc. to the external? Can Migration Assistant be run on the MBP and transfer TO the external drive? Or does M.A. only work to its current drive?
Thanks in advance for whatever useful info you can provide...
Jim

The problem I have run into in the past is, when I go to transfer the apps, settings, and files (even when I have updated to the "2nd point" version (10.6, for example)), because the stuff I want to transfer is in the same user name, Migration Assistant tells me I have to rename my 'old' apps, settings and files username (same as the one I am then logged in under). So it's a general pain to attempt to move the files and settings over, and then have to go through all my folders and change permissions for the new 'me'. (I have over 1.2 million files, last time I counted during a copy/cloning)
But I will have to come back and update this question - once I got the external drive this evening and hooked it up, then started up from it, and once I entered a few things (thank Heaven that with an internet connection, it connects to Apple and checks if I've registered for the MBP hardware already and just fills most of the boxes with my info!), I discovered that the system I had installed on the external drive was Leopard (10.5! D'oh...), so I have to go get the Snow Leopard DVD and install that onto the external drive. Then, I will be able to test out some of the options you all have suggested.
(Not having internet service at home *****...)
More later.

Migration Assistant won't migrate User Account settings

I have Mac OS 10.7.5 running on the internal hard drive of my mid-2011 iMac. Because I'm having some issues with it that I suspect is due to old data/settings affecting 10.7.5, I wanted to see if installing Mac OS 10.8 might fix them. I installed 10.8 on an external FireWire drive but just did a clean install of the OS initially without migrating anything from the internal drive. My plan was to migrate things slowly rather than everything at once. Well I hit a snag at the outset when I tried to migrate my User settings; Migration Assistant says it can't do with out renaming my user account! The problem is that I don't know why this is happening AND I don't know if MA is talking about the user account in 10.8 or the one in 10.7.
Any idea as to what I can do? I was thinking of wiping the external drive and starting over but this time have the User account(s) migrated as part of the install; might this work?
BTW, when migrating AFTER a new OS install, is it better to have MA in the NEW OS pull the data from the old OS or have MA in the OLD OS push the data to the new OS (is it even possible to do this? I've always had the new MA pull the data from the old OS.)?

OK, yesterday I wiped the drive and started over. When I got to the Setup/Migration Assistant, I was given 4 options:
Users; Applications; Settings; Other files and documents... Under the Users option was a drop down where I could select which users to transfer; I selected mine and left the other ones (a "Test" account & an "Apple Service" account). Under the Settings option I could select "Computer" and/or "Network"; I selected both.The Applications & Other... options did not have ant drop down selections; I de-selected both.
After the installation was complete, I let the iMac run for several hours with no hint of the slow down that happens on the Mac OS 10.7.5 system. I then used the Assistant and had my applications copied over. Oh, I also created new "Test" and "Apple Service" user accounts.
OK, so what exactly is migrated via the "Other..." option?

HT4796 after transfering data froAm my pc to mac using windows migration assist, where do the data go to on my mac please?

after transfering data froAm my pc to mac using windows migration assist, where do the data go to on my mac please?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
By default, Migration Assistant creates a new user account where it puts all the transferred data. Just go to  > Log Out, and log in the new user that Migration Assistant has created, so you will be able to access to the transferred data.
If you want to merge the data into the first user account, use the Shared folder (it's in /Users/Shared) to put the transferred files there, and then, on the first user, go to the Shared folder and put all the data in the folders you want

Time Machine after Migration Assistant restore

During vacation, my MacBook pro’s hard disk suffered directory corruption so bad that neither Disk Utility nor DiskWarrior could repair it. I knew I had a recent Time Machine backup at the office, so I just reformatted my hard disk, reinstalled, and was up in running again in a few hours.
When I returned from my holidays, I used Migration Assistant to restore everything from the Time Machine backup, including users, applications, preferences, and other data.
I experienced several problems:
1. The Mac is bound to an Active Directory domain. After restoring users using Migration Assistant, domain users could no longer log in. I had to unbind and re-bind the Mac to the domain before domain logins worked again.
2. The newly re-installed and restored Mac no longer recognized the Time Machine backup as being a backup of itself. This caused additional problems because when I enabled Time Machine again, it tried to make a full backup, saw that there wasn’t enough space on the disk, and deleted all but the most recent backup from the Time Machine volume.
3. Migration Assistant failed to restore several very important files, including:
a. Finder preferences and desktop layout
b. Mail preferences, including accounts and signatures
c. Keychains, including passwords to WiFi access points and web sites
d. VPN settings
e. The Stickies database
f. Some Address Book contacts
g. The iTerm.plist file (from ~/Library/Preferences)
h. Lotus Notes Data (from ~/Library/Application Support)
i. Other application preferences & data
I was able to locate some of these files in the single remaining backup on my Time Machine volume. However, some were simply gone. The iTerm.plist file, for example, was nowhere to be found. This file contained several dozen customized iTerm commands that I will have to reconstruct from scratch.
4. Ever since restoring from backup, Mail has exhibited a problem wherein it sometimes displays the wrong message. It doesn’t do this with all messages; only some. For example, if I select the most recent message in my inbox right now, a message received in June is displayed in the preview pane instead.
Has anyone else observed problems like these? Is there any hope of recovering the backups that Time Machine saw fit to delete?

Pondini wrote:
Michael Lowry wrote:
2. Time Machine does not recognize old backups as being from the same computer if the Migration Assistant method was used to restore the computer.
Not exactly, but the result is nearly the same. When you erased the internal HD, it got a new UUID, so to OSX it's a different drive, and everything put back on it was considered as new, and Time Machine backed it up.
Ah, ok. So if I understand correctly, it was the fact that I reformatted the drive, and not the particular method I used to restore, that led to Time Machine deleting most of the backups. Is that right? I still find it very odd that right after restoring from a backup, the system doesn’t recognize that very same backup.
I suppose if I had investigated the matter more carefully and spent a few hours reading on the web, I might have learned about some properties file inside the backupdb where I could have manually tweaked the UUID after reformatting. But honestly, how would I have known this? I thought I did things according the proper procedure. When Disk Utility was unable to repair the drive, it displayed specific instructions to back up my files (done), reformat, reinstall, and then restore from backup. When I followed these instructions provided by Disk Utility, my Time Machine backup was rendered unrecognizable, and most of my backups were deleted without warning.
Moreover, I wonder again: how would a less knowledgeable user experience this?
I gotta say, this process could be made more user-friendly and the instructions & warnings clearer.
The iTunes Library was not restored.
Was it in the default location (the +<your home folder>/Music+ folder)?
I found the original iTunes Library on the backup disk; I restored these files manually and that fixed iTunes. All of the music had already been restored successfully. And yes, my library was in the ~Music directory.
Once I’d made iTunes happy, I was able to sync my iPhone. This brought back the missing Address Book contacts, because they were on the phone.
The Mail database appears to be irretrievably corrupted. I have no confidence any more that clicking on an item in the list will actually display that item.
Have you tried +Mailbox > Rebuild+ from the Mail menubar?
I hadn’t seen that option. That fixed it. Thanks!
This was my first time relying on my Time Machine backup, and I must say I am not satisfied. I work in IT and consider myself a power user; I hate to think how a less expert user would experience this situation. So much for “it just works.”
Ordinarily it does; this is quite unusual.
I'm a retired IT guy, and learned many years ago that all hardware fails, sooner or later, and no backup app is perfect, so I always recommend keeping (at least) secondary backups. It's not any help now, of course, but you might want to check out #27 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum) for some suggestions.
I’m not sure I will continue using Time Machine. I like the advantages (multiple versions, integration into some apps, nice UI); but I don’t know if they’re worth much if the backup is not reliable as a system backup. I wonder if an incremental Carbon Copy Cloner backup wouldn’t be better for my needs. A CCC backup would also give me one additional benefit: it would be bootable, virtually eliminating downtime and facilitating quick repair and restoration.
Thanks again for your suggestions. They have been informative and helpful.

Is forms Migration Assistant supported on forms10g?

Hi.
I'm trying to user forms migration assistant with forms1g (Forms [32 bits] Versión 10.1.2.0.2 (Producción)), but i´m getting the following message: "the specified staging area is not supported by the current OUI". Seems like i need to install using a previous version of OUI or curent OUI is not supported.
Answers will be greatly appreciated ..!

Hi,
I had the same problem right now and solved it.
So for everyone who hits this problem .. the answer is:
no need to install the Forms Migration Assitant,
it is already included in 10g.
Yours
Volker

When I use migration assistant it won't let me use my account name that I'm signed in with. It requires me to select a different user name and then creates a separate account where my files live. Why can't I select the user name and account name I have?

I'm trying to migrate my music and pictures over to my new iMac. When I use the migration assistant it connects to my PC fine but it won't let me use the account name and username that I have created as the admin. It requires me to create a new user account - so then I have two separate accounts to log in to which i don't want. How do I get it to let me use the current account that I have to move my files to?
Thanks!

Migration Assistant creates a new account and migrates all the information you have requested to that new account. There is no way around that. However once migrated you can move the data to the account you want to. Here are some instructions for doing so:
Transferring files from one User Account to another.

I recently purchased an iMac and used migration assistant to get all files from my emac, but now I have three user accounts. I only want one (perhaps two) accounts. I want all my music, photos and word docs from old computer in one user name

I recently purchased a mac and used a firewire to transfer my files onto my new imac with migration assistant. Now I have 3 users. I want one with all my main files (pictures, music, files from my old computer).
I don't mind having an additional "family" account so my younger daughter can't mess us things, but I can't figure out how to get files from one to the next and then delete the one user name.
Thanks,

In order to delete other accounts you must be logged into an admin account. You cannot delete the account into which you are currently logged.
When you started the new computer you were in the Setup Assistant. You created a new admin account before finishing the setup. You need to log into that account because it is an admin account. You can then delete the account you migrated from the old computer (and any other accounts you don't need or want.)
Then create a temporary new user account with admin status - name it, Temp. Log out of the current account and log into the new account, Temp. Now delete the initial account you created in Setup Assistant. You now have one account, Temp. Now re-migrate your data from the old computer. When that is completed log into the migrated account, which should be an admin account, and delete the temporary account, Temp.

HT3231 I ended up having to create a new user name because the migration assistant wouldn't let me put the data back onto my original user name. I now have to log into the new user name to see all my data, apps, photographs etc. What went wrong?

I have a Mac that was part of the recall involved with the faulty Seagate hard drives. The folks at the Apple Store near me changed the hard drive early December, 2012. I had my data, etc. all backed up on a portable hard drive. When the Mac was returned with the new hard drive, I used the Migration Assistant to bring everything back over. Trouble was, it wouldn't let me bring it over to my original user name. I was forced to create a new user name that became the place where everything was restored. I can't see any data on my old user name, just the basics. Everything is on the new user name but I wish I didn't have it (just want everything back the way it was originally). Any suggestions?

Probably the cleanest thing to do is to erase and freshly install the operating system on the new drive. Then, on the first boot up, don't create a new user, instead select the option in Setup Assistant to immediately bring things over from your backup, which you must connect via USB or firewire. Setup Assistant will then recretae your old user to look just like it used to.
Before doing this, make sure you realize you will lose everything on the new drive by erasing it, and make sure your backup is still viable.

I had to reinstall ox and snow leopard on my imac g5. I used the migration assistant on my macbookpro to copy everything onto the imac. The apps came in fine, but all folders say "no access." None of my user names seem to work. What now?

My iMac G5 was running too slow. I tried everything I could think of or find in the literature, but finally had to start over by reinstalling OX and then Snow Leopard. I lost all my folders and applications, so I used the Migration Assistant on my MacBookPro to copy everything onto the iMac G5. The applications all came through fine, but all of my folders have the "no access" icon on them. I followed the instructions I found on line, but none of my user names worked. What do I do now? Am I just out of luck? The only other alternative I can see is to transfer all my folders onto a thumb drive and put them into the iMac, but that will be slow and cumbersome.

Are you now using a different username from the one you used prior to migrating? If so that is the reason for the problem. You might, then, give this a try:
To fix Home folder permissions
Open the Terminal application in the Utilities folder. At the command line prompt enter or paste the following command line:
sudo chown -R `id -un`:`id -gn` ~
Press RETURN. You will be prompted to enter your admin password which will not be echoed.

Migration Assistant: User Name Confusion

Working through the screens of Migration Assistant to move data from 1Book G$ to MacBook, I'm asked to rename my User Name. Not sure why, or more importantly, rename it to what? If I do a re-naming, after the migration is finished, can I go back and re-re-name my User Name? Somehow that screen on the Assistant has me blocked.

You are doing something wrong. You should not get that dialog box. You should end up with a single User, the same name and password, and everything should look as it did on your G$ (LOL. I presume you meant G4).
So, the process should be:
1. Target mode the G4
2. Startup the new computer
3. When it asks from what you are transferring, say another computer, and then follow the instructions to hook up the cable.
4. The next screen should ask about which user to use
5. The next screen will ask what to migrate (you want it all)

Migration Assistant and User Names

I'm about to take delivery of a new Mac Pro to replace the G5. I intend to just migrate my user data and install all apps from scratch so they're all Intel where possible. However, from memory, when you get a new machine and switch it on for the first time, you have to set up a user before you're asked if you want to transfer data. If I use the user name I'm used to from the previous machine, it won't migrate a user with that same name. I know I can set up a dummy user, migrate my data then delete the dummy but is there another way?

I need help, and I'm definitely panicking. I need clear concise answers to things. I'm willing to try things on my own, but I don't want to keep getting deeper and deeper and it be spring, and I still haven't fully loaded my brand new i5 imac, and not be dong fun stuff. Between the flicker, migration assistant woes, and duplicate email issues, I'm 75% to being at 'wit's end' and taking the whole **** thing back.
I did not migrate when first using set-up asst, and registered same user name on new i5 as I have on macbook (or close enough, I thought caps were diffferent in one place, but apparently not). So... later, when I went to migrate, it asked for different user name. I 1) picked a slightly diff name, and 2) migrated every thing (apps, network, etc). approx 35 gigs & 90 minutes. I go to look, nothing's there, obviously, and I have exactly my old macbook on a new user name. I don't want this.
a) how do I get everything I need/want from old macbook (iphoto/movies, docs, etc) to my ORIGINAL user acct on new i5?
a2) WHAT, exactly, of the 4 clickable buttons (user, apps, network, ?,) when I'm migrating, do I need to actually move?
b) a friend said I can move these files/whatever to a shared folder from the addl user account to the original, then delete old one (or keep it as back up). Is this true?
b2) I moved one pic this way, and it works I had to ("authenticate"), but let's say I move the "picture" folder (which includes 4,000 pics) this way, will there be any problems? in other words, will the iphoto or pictures folder that migrated to the user name I did not want, 'merge,' or 'replace' (or something else?) the handful of iPhotos and files I already have on my original/proper user name? are there any issues w/ doing this? keep in mind, when the old iPhoto6 migrated from macbook to username I had to create on new 'puter, it was upgraded, after promp, to iPhoto9, which is fine; just want to make sure that will be fine, moving this way (as well as iMovie, everything else.). And I guess, I need to keep 'authenticating.'
c) also, one of the 4 buttons when migrating is "user accounts." that's different than the 'user' folder? Please tell me which 4 buttons I need to have clicked when I migrate from a 4-yr old macbook w/ ilife06, to a brand new quadcore i5. and again, please explain what 'applications' are again. I used to know, but my head is so wrapped around all this BS now....
d) can I just migrate again, but the proper stuff, TO my orginal user account on the new i5, or no?
e) If I eventually get all my stuff - whichever way - to the one and original user, can I simply delete the other user from this 'puter?
Thanks for the help. Mac sellers REALLY should tell customers this, about doing it upon setting up. Or apple should simply rewrite the program to include just being able to do what you do at set up, anytime.

User name - Migration Assistant

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