Migration Assistant Assist, Please

pegbrantley Said:

"Woo-hoo! Thanks to your statement that my old iMac is obsolete, I decided to try to migrate using my new(er) model MacBook Pro. It's working! Question: My husband is using a PC. Would it be worth it for him to use this older Mac? I could reset to factory settings or something???"

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You are welcome.

How old is the Windows PC?

Would it be worth it? Well, that depend on what he would be using it for.

In all honesty, I do not recommend using it, if he were to watch movies and play media files like iTunes, or steam content like YouTube, or even if he were to play video games. It all has to do with Multitasking (Running-Many-Things-at-Once). Back in 2010 - Wireless N(5GHz) was coming out, and nowadays, there is Wireless AC (Dual Band, 2.4GHz and 5GHz). So, with it being only Wireless N, it would not see the SSID (broadcasted network name) of a Wireless B or G{2.4 GHz), network.

So, point being: It all comes down to what he'll be using it for.

Just browsing the Web, I'd stick with following through with the Mac.. But, using it for School, Home, and/or Work, it may result in unreliability such as non-responding programs crashing. So, just stick with the PC, if those are the case.

pegbrantley Said:

"Migration Assistant Assist, Please It's been "Setting up..." for a very long time. Is something wrong? (This is on my old iMac.)"

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How Old is "Old"?

Its an old Mac(In years), it will take a bit, in a certain. If need be, try this all once more, but this time, do so in Safe Mode, holding down the Shift key upon boot.

pegbrantley Said:

"[...]My husband is using a PC. Would it be worth it for him to use this older Mac? I could reset to factory settings or something???"

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To Install:

See my Post: Upgrading from Pre-High Sierra to Install Post-High Sierra. Follow it all the way down to step 3. Do not proceed with Step 4.

Perform this All Manually:

1. Log Out: of iCloud
2. Backup the Mac
3. Erase: the hard drive in Recovery Mode
4. Install: Catalina anew using a USB bootable installer
5. Transfer: everything over to the new install using Migration Assistant.

pegbrantley Said:

"Ten years old. I've tried multiple ties. Hold the shift key down at what point? A reboot? (And thank you.)"

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Ten Years is Obsolete:

Ten years is, indeed, going to be slow. It is obsolete, and its hardware (USB Ports and Wi-Fi) does not meet today's standards for performing this. So, consider using an older hard drive that is from 2010 or thereabouts. Find a new one, linked on Amazon.

As for when to hold shift:

1. Shut Down: the Mac
2. Wait: 30 seconds
3. Power Up: the Mac
4. Hold Down: shift key when you hear the boot chime.
5. Proceed with the login

About Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, login items do not load upon boot, and damaged files (i.e. caches) are rid of and fixed, if existent.

You are welcome.

You are welcome. Hope my User Tip helps as well.

Proud to have help. Great troubleshooting on your part. 👍