HT204350: Move your content to a new Mac

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martin b.fromann arbor
Level 1 (4 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Migrating from PPC-based Mac to brand-new MBP running El Capitan

Can using Setup Assistant to migrate files from a PPC-based Mac running Leopard to a brand-new MacBook Pro non-Retina running El Capitan cause problems? The support article "Move Your Content to a New Mac" (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204350) says the old Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard v10.6.8 or later, but that wasn’t my experience on Nov 24, 2015.

 

When my new MBP arrived direct from China (I paid the extra $15 for express shipping) and I was booting it for the first time, I connected it to my old PPC-based PowerBook G4 running Leopard 10.5.8, and when I got to the "do you want to transfer your information" screen, I selected "transfer from a Mac," hit continue, and expected to see an error screen.  Surprise, surpise, the transfer went forward, and all my accounts and passwords were transferred to the MBP.  I used a Firewire 400 to 800 cable to connect the two machines and started the G4 in Target Mode.  The only "glitch" I noticed (if that’s the right word) is that my new MBP ended up with the same name as my old G4.  I expected the setup procedure to ask me to name MBP somewhere along the line.

 

I subsequently ran into two system-related problems with the MBP, but I don't know if they were related to the transfer or were part of a problem either with the original, factory system or the 10.11.1 update, which I ran just after the MBP finished booting the first time.  The first problem was the MBP wouldn't print to either of my Epson printers (Stylus CX7400 and Stylus Photo R280), even after it downloaded what it determined were the right drivers; I'd get a "Filter failed" error message.  The second problem was the MBP wouldn't create a bootable installer for El Capitan using Terminal and the appropriate SUDO command.  Both those problem went away after I completely reinstalled El Cap 10.11.1, but I'd still like to know whether transferring in my info the PPC-based G4 using Setup Assistant could have caused or contributed to them.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), Model A1278 bought November 2015

Posted on Dec 8, 2015 3:05 PM

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martin b.fromann arbor

Q: Migrating from PPC-based Mac to brand-new MBP running El Capitan

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  • by my ginger,Helpful

    my ginger my ginger Dec 8, 2015 5:08 PM in response to martin b.fromann arbor
    Level 4 (2,472 points)
    Dec 8, 2015 5:08 PM in response to martin b.fromann arbor

    Very likely  as the system software and some of the apps would not be compatible  with an intel mac. Music and photos would. And also movies. But any third party apps would have to have upgrade to work. If you used migration assistant there would have been a screen where you could pick what files to transfer. You ether transfer the entire  hard drive contents or your entire home folder. That is how you ended up with the same user name. Reinstalling El Capitan straightened out some of it. You may still have to go through and delete some things.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Dec 8, 2015 6:02 PM in response to martin b.fromann arbor
    Level 9 (60,719 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 8, 2015 6:02 PM in response to martin b.fromann arbor

    The article you referenced details how to use Migration Assistant, which will not run on 10.5.8. But you used Target Disk Mode to get access to the old Mac, so you did not need it to run Migration Assistant on the old Mac at all.

     

    From your description of what you did on the new Mac, you used Setup Assistant.

     

    If you have brought forward Applications that will not run, you may have to get modern replacements for them. If you want to change the name of anything, there is generally a way to do that, and most involve just re-naming an Icon.

     

    exceptions are:

    to rename your computer: that setting is in System Preferences >Sharing.

    To change your username: DON'T! -- Just create a new username and copy your files over.

  • by martin b.fromann arbor,

    martin b.fromann arbor martin b.fromann arbor Dec 8, 2015 8:30 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 8, 2015 8:30 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Thanks for your response.  Did transferring the files and settings from the G4 using Setup Assistant cause or contribute to the problems I experienced on the new MBP, namely, getting the "Filter failed" error when trying to print to my Epson ink jets and not being able to create a bootable El Cap installer using Terminal and the SUDO command?  If not, would it be correct to say that those were problems caused either by the factory-installed version of El Capitan or the 10.11.1 updater?

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Dec 8, 2015 8:42 PM in response to martin b.fromann arbor
    Level 9 (60,719 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 8, 2015 8:42 PM in response to martin b.fromann arbor

    Now that I understand what you did...

     

    Your probably brought over your 10.5 printers. Those have no hope of working under 10.11. Either 'reset the printing system' or delete the individual Printers and re-create them.

     

    To create a bootable El Capitan installer, you must have downloaded the 'Install El capitan' image (which is generally placed in the /Applications folder). A new, right out of the box Mac does not have that image yet, so it would take a re-download to get it there. Note that the image is deleted after the Install, so if you want to do this trick in future, you need to STOP the Install and create the bootable image before it gets erased.

  • by martin b.fromann arbor,

    martin b.fromann arbor martin b.fromann arbor Dec 8, 2015 9:03 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 8, 2015 9:03 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Before I reinstalled OS X 10.11.1, I tried deleting the individual printers and recreating them.  That didn't work, even though Printer Setup had downloaded what it determined were the appropriate, new printer drivers.  I was able to print a test page on the printers, but not a page from a document.  After the reinstall, and without doing anything else, I was able to print documents to the printers.  Problem solved.

     

    Before I reinstalled OS X 10.11.1, I had downloaded the El Cap installer from the App Store, so it was there in my Applications folder.  Time after time, when I ran the SUDO command to create a bootable El Cap installer, I got a response that said "sudo: unable to initialize PAM. No such file or directory."  After I reinstalled OS X 10.11.1, the SUDO command in Terminal worked, and I got my bootable El Cap Installer. Problem solved.

     

    What I'm trying to understand is whether two problems, which were solved by the reinstall of the system, were caused or contributed to by my use of Setup Assistant to transfer my files and setting from the old G4.  If not, would it be correct to say those problems were caused either by the factory-installed version of El Capitan or the 10.11.1 updater that I ran immediately after the initial boot of the new MBP?

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,Helpful

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Dec 9, 2015 9:27 AM in response to martin b.fromann arbor
    Level 9 (60,719 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 9, 2015 9:27 AM in response to martin b.fromann arbor

    were caused or contributed to by my use of Setup Assistant to transfer my files and setting from the old G4.

     

    I expect they were.

     

    On the Printing, it may have imported something from the old Mac that superseded or clobbered an important piece in Printing on the new Mac. The Printing system used by Mac OS X comes from a Linux-Printing open source project and some other additions. It was not developed from scratch by Apple, so it has a complex history.

     

    Support for making of the thumb drives is a fairly recent addition. Not everyone does it so it may not have been tested as well as many other components. Adding in the older stuff form the G4 may have confused it somehow.


    But if those are the only problems caused by a jump from 10.5.8 to 10.11, and you have already managed to overcome them, that is not too shabby.

  • by my ginger,

    my ginger my ginger Dec 9, 2015 8:30 AM in response to martin b.fromann arbor
    Level 4 (2,472 points)
    Dec 9, 2015 8:30 AM in response to martin b.fromann arbor

    The only think I will add is you might want to keep the essential  file from your ppc based mac on a external drive or something just in case. If you transferred the entire content of the ppc drive over. There still might be future conflicts. Also have a backup of your new drive. It has been some time since I used a ppc mac and I forgot about setup assistant. I do remember using target disk mode to transfer when I went to an intel Mac. But I transferred the files from my home folder and not anything in the system library or applications or settings. Hope everything stays good for you.

  • by martin b.fromann arbor,

    martin b.fromann arbor martin b.fromann arbor Dec 9, 2015 9:27 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 9, 2015 9:27 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Grant, Thanks for your reply.  For some reason, I didn't get an email about it last night. 

  • by martin b.fromann arbor,

    martin b.fromann arbor martin b.fromann arbor Dec 9, 2015 9:38 AM in response to my ginger
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 9, 2015 9:38 AM in response to my ginger

    my ginger,

     

    Thanks for your suggestions.  I may have been one of the last people still using the PowerBook G4, which I bought new in 2005.  I became quite good at popping open the case without damaging or bending it so I could swap out hard drives (those 4 little interior clips on the front were tricky).  I kept it so long because I had set of custom applications that played nicely with each other on it, and I'd still be using it except for the 1.25 GB RAM limitation.  That's just not enough for Internet browsing now. I was having to restart either Safari or the whole computer 4 times an hour, so I took the leap and got the old-style MBP with the 1 TB hard drive.

  • by my ginger,

    my ginger my ginger Dec 9, 2015 11:36 AM in response to martin b.fromann arbor
    Level 4 (2,472 points)
    Dec 9, 2015 11:36 AM in response to martin b.fromann arbor

    your welcome.