Using TIme Machine with New Computer

1) Open System Preference from the Apple Menu.
2) Click on Sharing (3 rows down, 4th icon in)
3) At the top it will say "Computer Name" w/ a space in which you will see "Powerbook g4"
4) Delete "Powerbook g4" and put whatever you want the machine to be named

That should do it.

I had the same issue, the best bet is to restore it with the install disc and only copy the select files and folders listed in here

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435350

i did similar to what you did on my macbook from an ibook and had a number of weird issues.

Hi, and welcome to the forums.

It sounds like you did full system restore from your Time Machine backups, as in item 14 of the Frequently Asked Questions post at the top of this forum.

If so, that was a mistake. That procedure is to restore to the same Mac, or an identical one.

What you did was load the version of OSX from your old Mac onto the new one. So the new Mac has the hardware drivers, etc., from the old one, and all sorts of things may go wrong.

The proper procedure is to go through the normal set-up procedure on the new Mac, then when it asks if you already have a Mac, and would like to "migrate" from it or a Time Machine backup, do so.

Now your best bet is to use the Leopard disc that came with your new Mac to do an Erase and Install, then use the migration procedure towards the end of that process. Details are in the Full instructions for this are in the *Erase, Install, & Migrate* section of the Glenn Carter - Restoring Your Entire System / Time Machine post at the top of this forum.

PoohSwim2,

The problem you're facing is due to the fact that the new machine has a new network ID (MAC address), and the TimeMachine uses this ID to identify your computer to match the copy on the TM disk.

See this article: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080128003716101

The author here did not buy a new computer but had his motherboard replaced, which also caused his MAC address renewed. I followed his steps every time I bought a new laptop, and every time it worked.

Though, each time I kept my laptop's name the same, now, I am looking for help or a way to rename my computer's name while keeping the same TM backups backward.

I recommend you use the TM backups at the time of installation. After the first log in, you will notice your TM will not recognize the copy it restored (weird!). However, follow the steps in the link as the first thing after the log in.

Hope, this helps.

PS. I noticed that the TM restore during the Mac OS installation does not replace the new software or settings that come with the new laptop, though, all of my settings were in place, i.e., passwords, network settings, wallpaper, etc.

Message was edited by: rosemont_il

PoohSwim2 wrote:
I just did a clean erase and install and did not migrate until after and I still have the same problem with this new machine thinking its a Powerbook. Am I never going to be able to copy all of my settings easily because its a new machine??

Do you mean the title in the MenuBar of System Profiler, or a few lines down, under *Hardware Overview* and after +Model Name+ shows "Powerbook g4"?

Almost certainly, it's just your +Computer Name+ which you can change easily, via System Preferences > Sharing, as posted earlier by J-Man. By the way, keep the name fairly short, and avoid punctuation and strange characters.

This has nothing to do with migrating settings, etc.

Once your new Mac is set up to your satisfaction, you should either erase the TM backups from your old Mac (via Disk Utility in your Applications/Utilities folder), or use a different disk/partition for backups of the new one.

After you do this, if you're still having troubles, post back with details.

rosemont_il wrote:
PoohSwim2,

The problem you're facing is due to the fact that the new machine has a new network ID (MAC address), and the TimeMachine uses this ID to identify your computer to match the copy on the TM disk.

No. This is a different situation. It's just the Computer Name on the new Mac is the same as the old one.

The author here did not buy a new computer but had his motherboard replaced, which also caused his MAC address renewed. I followed his steps every time I bought a new laptop, and every time it worked.

That's not what that article is for. It is for a new Logic board in the same Mac, and will also work for an identical replacement Mac.

Trying to fool TM into thinking the backups for a previous Mac are from a new, different Mac is asking for trouble. If you do a full system restore from those backups, you will have the wrong OS, with the wrong drivers. If it boots at all, any number of things will go wrong.

That's why you should use the Migration process, either during the initial set-up of your new Mac, or later, via the Migration Assistant app in your Applications/Utilities folder.

You should do an *Archive and Install* as soon as possible. Full instructions for this are in the *Archive & Install* section of the Glenn Carter - Restoring Your Entire System / Time Machine post at the top of this forum.