thanhtutruong

Q: Problem on new Mac after using Migration Assistant

Hi, I recently got a Macbook Pro 15" (Mid 2015) with OS X El Capitan 10.11.2 and was using Migration Assistant to move my stuff over from an older Macbook Pro 13" (Mid 2013). Everything was moving over just fine until I found out all the data was transferred to a new user account. So I deleted the original account I created when I first opened up the OS, and renamed the user account & home folder of the second account to what I wanted.

 

The problem here is that after I'm done setting up everything, whenever I quit any application and opening it up again, it would start as "brand new". As in Terms and Conditions window, welcome screen... would appear, and most importantly anything I've done prior to quitting it would be gone. This is the same with the OS as a whole. Any changes would be wiped after I restart the computer.

 

I've used Migration Assistant once before with my MBP 13", and all the stuff were moving over to the original account that I created. Not sure what happened this time around, I just remembered I was forced to make a new account.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Dec 30, 2015 3:27 AM

Close

Q: Problem on new Mac after using Migration Assistant

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by cdhw,

    cdhw cdhw Dec 30, 2015 3:46 AM in response to thanhtutruong
    Level 4 (2,653 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Dec 30, 2015 3:46 AM in response to thanhtutruong

    Changing the 'name' of a user account is not a straightforward process and you've missed at least one step where you modify the ownerships and permissions of the files to match the new uid. Try using the 'reset Home Folder Permissions and ACLs'  using the button at the bottom of the password recovery application, shown here:

     

         http://www.trickyways.com/2015/03/reset-mac-password-terminal-recovery-mode-os-x /

  • by thanhtutruong,

    thanhtutruong thanhtutruong Dec 30, 2015 3:51 AM in response to cdhw
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2015 3:51 AM in response to cdhw

    I also believe the problem arose from me trying to rename the user account & home folder, although I did follow the instructions here:

     

    Change the account name and home directory name on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    Everything was fine before I did this. After this was done, the "restarting" problem occurs.

  • by thanhtutruong,

    thanhtutruong thanhtutruong Dec 30, 2015 4:00 AM in response to cdhw
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2015 4:00 AM in response to cdhw

    I tried following the instructions from the link you shared but when I got to the Reset Password window, there seem to be no "volume containing the user account". So I couldn't reset Home Folder Permissions and ACLs.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 30, 2015 8:14 AM in response to thanhtutruong
    Level 10 (207,978 points)
    Applications
    Dec 30, 2015 8:14 AM in response to thanhtutruong

    Please back up all data before proceeding.

    This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership, permissions, and access controls to the default. If you've intentionally set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it, but you do need to follow the instructions below.

    Step 1

    If you have more than one user, and the one in question is not an administrator, then go to Step 2.

    Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:

    sudo find ~ $TMPDIR.. -exec chflags -h nosappnd,noschg,nosunlnk,nouappnd,nouchg {} + -exec chown -h $UID {} + -exec chmod +rw {} + -exec chmod -h -N {} + -type d -exec chmod -h +x {} + 2>&-

    Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

    Launch the built-in Terminal application in any one 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 and start typing the name.

    Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.

    You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.

    The command may take several minutes to run, depending on how many files you have. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear, then quit Terminal.

    Step 2 (optional)

    Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1, if you prefer not to take it, or if it doesn't solve the problem.

    Start up in Recovery mode. You may be prompted to select a language, then the OS X Utilities screen will appear.

    If you use FileVault 2, select Disk Utility, then select the icon of the FileVault startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) It will be nested below another drive icon. Click the Unlock button in the toolbar and enter your login password when prompted. Then quit Disk Utility to be returned to the main screen.

    Select

              Utilities Terminal

    from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. In that window, type this:

    resetp

    Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:

    resetpassword

    Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.

    Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.

    Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.

    Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.

    Select

               Restart

    from the menu bar.