I unsuccessfully tried to migrate data from an old iMac to a new one using a time machine backup disc.
I received a message at the end of migration that a user account could not be created.
Disc Utility has an entry now called "Data" which is occupying a considerable amount of disc space.
Could someone explain what is happening please?
iMac Line (2012 and Later)
I think you should talk to the Apple techs. Maybe you have twice the data is because of your double efforts to do the transfer. Just a thought; maybe you could first restart your new Mac in the recovery mode. if so, do the following:
-press the power button after shutting down, and press command+option+R to restart.
-Then run the Disk Utility app to erase the new hard drive
-Then reload a clean version of Catalina.
-Then use the Migration Assistant to transfer your data from the old computer.
Note that installing the new OS does take some time to download and install, so be patient.
Good luck.
I did employ migration assistant but as you pointed out, I initially tried to use WiFi for the transfer, which did not work meaning the two devices did not recognize each other on the network. Today I am using an ethernet wired connection instead of the Time Machine backup disk. I will try to remember to let you know how this goes. The reason for this post was my concern that all this data was occupying the new disk but was not accessible to the user.
Sorry I am not expressing myself very well. After my second attempt at migration I have twice the data I had before but cannot access most of it. I will have to talk to Apple support and hope I can fix this. I have used migration assistant multiple times in the past and never encountered any of these issues with previous devices
Thanks for your response. I am thinking along the same lines.
It's possible that my history of migrations going back too many years has finally caught up with me. I have used an iBook, and the first generation of iMacs after intel processors. (2007), with data transfer each time eventually to the current "old" iMac. "Cleaning up" after myself was done here and there, but I'm just an amateur at all of this. The "old" and new Macs are actually for my wife, as she is running a small business and using photos and the internet and more. I thought I was helping her, as her old "machine" is a 2010 model and cannot be updated in its software. That Mac was her first personal computer.
I have one additional thought which is somewhat unrelated. I would also get a new SSD drive for your back up. You know, older external drives also fail eventually. The new drives are now very inexpensive and compact. I got a new external SSD when I recently upgraded my computer. Then I partitioned it into two sections (drives). One smaller one for an additional Catalina OS and the other larger one for all of my back ups. I personally do not use time machine, but everything is backed up to the minute using the drag and drop method. Either way, as you know, it's a good thing to do back ups.
I don't understand why you are trying to do what you did. II strongly suggest that you use the Apple supplied app Migration to transfer all of your data safely and efficiently. That's what it is for. Just follow the instructions and it will guide you through the set up process easily. Also, it is critical to use a wired connection between the two computers and do not try a wireless transfer. It's too much data for a wireless transfer to handle.
Lastly, check Apple's help site where they provide useful instructions for how to best clean our your data from the old computer.
With the new OS Catalina, Disk Utility will now show Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data. This is the new normal. The Data portion (if I am correct) is where Apple's operating system isolated. It is read only. The other HD s where our installed apps, etc are stored and is read/rite. This is a major enhancement which disallows writing data or malicious apps on to the operating system. I hope this is helpful. Good luck.
I am sorry, I don't understand your last sentence. Could you restate it differently, please?
Migration to new iMac
