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XP SP3 Never Responds to Migration Assistant Authentication Request

I've been using Macs for years and years and PCs for years and years before that. My parents have hung onto their XP machines as long as they (and I) could stand and it's now time to move them over to Mac. I remember the very painful days I spent migrating my Windows Outlook email and address book over to the Mac and swore I'd never go through that again. So when I heard Lion would have a Windows Migration Assistant that works with Outlook, I was nearly ecstatic. That was some days ago now and I now wish I'd just done the migration the old painful way because I'd be done by now.

I have two systems running Lion, one brand new Mini that came pre-installed with Lion and one brand new 17" MBP that came loaded with Snow Leopard but was immediately upgraded to Lion using the App store. I also have two Dell desktops running XP Pro SP3 that's fully up to date with Windows Update. I have exactly the same experience with Migration Assistant on both pairs of machines:

I download and installed Migration Assistant for Windows
I connect the Mac and the PC via an Ethernet cable
- Both computers acknowledge that there's ethernet present.
- The Mac can actually browse the XP machine's hard drive.
I run Migration Assistant on the Mac and take it up to the point that it's looking on the network for a computer to connect to.
I run Migration Assistant on the XP machine
The Mac now sees the XP machine in Migration Assistant
I select the XP machine and continue to the authentication step
The Mac spits out an authentication code
The XP machine appears to be waiting to hear from the Mac
Everybody waits for everyone else
Two hours go by
Nothing ever happens.

So, I tried a few things:

I rebooted everybody and that changed nothing.
I tried it over and over for two days and that changed nothing.
I tried reversing the order of steps 3 & 4 above, no difference in the outcome.
I tried connecting the two computers via USB, but they never saw each other.
I called Apple tech support. The first guy reviewed the steps with me and suggested very nicely that I call Microsoft (LOL). I asked him to escalate the case and he sent me to someone else who did actually seem to know what he was talking about. That person said I should give the XP machine up to 20 minutes to notice the authentication request from the Mac. That's why step 10 is in there above.

So if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Posted on Jul 25, 2011 1:49 PM

67 replies

mjrapple

Level 1

0 points

Aug 6, 2011 3:04 AM in response to Christian Swanson

Same problem on brand new iMac with Lion preinstalled.

mjrapple

Level 1

0 points

Aug 6, 2011 3:30 AM in response to Christian Swanson

We know the Migration Assistant creates a logfile on the Windows site. in search of clues, did anyone find a logfile on the Mac site?

Aug 6, 2011 1:28 PM in response to mjrapple

In Finder select from the menu Go > Go to Folder and enter /var/log/
Look for files that start with "install.log"

Aug 6, 2011 7:00 PM in response to Christian Swanson

I have several logs (the "two instances" thread was started by me). Here is a partial from my last attempt (the full log seems to break this forum)

Aug 4 10:29:55: --- last message repeated 4 times ---

Aug 4 10:29:55 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:29:55 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:29:55: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Aug 4 10:29:55 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: 20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side...

Aug 4 10:29:56 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: Handshake successful

Aug 4 10:29:56 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: SSLWrite failed in _writeData: 4294957490 errSSLClosedAbort

Aug 4 10:29:56: --- last message repeated 5 times ---

Aug 4 10:29:56 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:29:56 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:29:56: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Aug 4 10:29:56 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: 20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side...

Aug 4 10:29:57 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: Handshake successful

Aug 4 10:29:57 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: SSLWrite failed in _writeData: 4294957490 errSSLClosedAbort

Aug 4 10:29:57: --- last message repeated 4 times ---

Aug 4 10:29:57 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:29:57 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:29:57: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Aug 4 10:29:57 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: 20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side...

Aug 4 10:29:58 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: Handshake successful

Aug 4 10:29:58 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: SSLWrite failed in _writeData: 4294957490 errSSLClosedAbort

Aug 4 10:29:58: --- last message repeated 4 times ---

Aug 4 10:29:58 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:29:58 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:29:58: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Aug 4 10:29:58 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: 20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side...

Aug 4 10:29:59 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: Handshake successful

Aug 4 10:29:59 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: SSLWrite failed in _writeData: 4294957490 errSSLClosedAbort

Aug 4 10:29:59: --- last message repeated 3 times ---

Aug 4 10:29:59 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:29:59 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:29:59: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Aug 4 10:29:59 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: 20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side...

Aug 4 10:30:00 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: Handshake successful

Aug 4 10:30:00 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: SSLWrite failed in _writeData: 4294957490 errSSLClosedAbort

Aug 4 10:30:00: --- last message repeated 5 times ---

Aug 4 10:30:00 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:30:00 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:30:00: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Aug 4 10:30:00 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: 20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side...

Aug 4 10:30:01 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: Handshake successful

Aug 4 10:30:01 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: SSLWrite failed in _writeData: 4294957490 errSSLClosedAbort

Aug 4 10:30:01: --- last message repeated 5 times ---

Aug 4 10:30:01 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: *!!* Warning incomplete data write.

Aug 4 10:30:01 PAULs-MacBook-Pro MigrateTool[1597]: (CLI) + client reset

Aug 4 10:30:01 PAULs-MacBook-Pro newsyslog[1606]: logfile turned over due to size>1000K

iLac

Level 1

5 points

Aug 7, 2011 6:17 AM in response to Christian Swanson

Just a heads-up: I had the exact same issue. Big let-down for my in-laws, my reputation in shatters. 🙂

Seriously, here is a link to my original question, and I hope all this prompts, er, prompt work from Apple. (Even if it is Redmond's fault, they won't fix it...)

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3245259

Thanks.

mjrapple

Level 1

0 points

Aug 7, 2011 12:57 PM in response to Christian Swanson

My /var/log/install.log contains simular messages.

Combining the log on both Mac and PC it looks like

- there is contact (Mac sees PC, Handshake successfull)

- Mac attempts to write data to PC, but this doesn´t succeed or takes longer than the Mac wants to wait for

- Mac resets the connection to try another attempt

- PC notices that the Mac aborts the connection and resets as well

So apparently the big question is: what makes the write´s on the Mac fail?

(by the way, note that the messages ´20 seconds to go accept the migration on the other side´ are only 1 second apart)

My /var/log/syslog.log also contains messages like

MigrateAssistant[3519]: Will not set default: UID=0 does not own directory /Users/my_superuser

Does anyone recognize this?

Aug 7, 2011 5:27 PM in response to mjrapple

I was also having trouble getting the Parallels Transporter working on my PC. After a long series of steps, I found my M$ Installer was not the current version 4.5 When I updated that, I was able to repair the install and Parallels is running. Just for kicks, I repaired the migration assistant also. I cannot run the Migration Utility (because it will kill my Parallels session) but here are some steps. I actually had many more steps but I am thinking this was key to the solution.

To find out the Microsoft Installer, get to a COMMAND Prompt (Start, Run, CMD) At the command prompt, type: MSIEXEC. I should pop a window showing (at the top) the version.

If the version is not 4.5, use this link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942288?FR=1

and download (assuming you are on XP SP3)

WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe

Install that, reboot, cross your fingers and try the migrate. I'll try it after the Parallels finishes but I am excited that maybe this will help wipe some egg off some faces.

Aug 8, 2011 1:51 AM in response to paulfromgrafton

paulfromgrafton, thanks for your suggestion.

I had Microsoft Installer 3.something on my XP SP3 and I updated to 4.5.

I tried either with "repair" and with "remove" and "install" options. However the migration assistant still doesn't work with the very same behaviour as before.

iLac

Level 1

5 points

Aug 8, 2011 3:40 AM in response to paulfromgrafton

FYI: I did the same as Stefano, following Paul's suggestion. No help. Hoping for a quick update from Apple ASAP...

Aug 8, 2011 8:51 AM in response to iLac

I tried migration this morning and it failed for me too. Sorry. I was so hopeful.

(FYI, Parallels is still failing on my PC too and I have spent hours on that)

iLac

Level 1

5 points

Aug 8, 2011 3:56 PM in response to Christian Swanson

FYI: my router's manufacturer's customer support now claims that the router does not support Bonjour. I don't know whether this is even possible. Even if so, it is strange that the mac sees the PC but the PC does not see the mac. But I lost 4 days just right there. And the email migration is a nightmare otherwise. Windows Live Mail exported emails to Microsoft Exchange nightmare file format, and Mail.app cannot touch it. Touché.

Apple, I have access to none of your Geniuses, it is time for you to rescue me...

Aug 8, 2011 7:05 PM in response to iLac

I subscribe to MobileMe and GoogleSync. That allowed my MS Exchange, outlook calendar, google calendar, contacts to be transferred to my iPhone and iPad. When I added the MacBook to MobileMe, the MacBook retrieved contacts and calendar info. That has reduced some of the pain.

The pictures I manually moved over using a drive. The folder structure was lost.importing to iPhoto from the external drive.

Aug 9, 2011 12:04 AM in response to iLac

To move mail I installed Mozilla Thunderbird in the Windows box.

Thunderbird has a good support to import from Outlook Express and Mail.app has a good support to import from Thunderbird.

So I let Thunderbird importing everything from Outlook Express, then I shared the folder with the Thunderbird data on the network and let Mail.app to import it.

Aug 17, 2011 12:59 AM in response to Christian Swanson

As a new convert to Mac, the windows migration assistant was a major selling point. The main issue for us is transferring email accounts from Outlook to the Mac.

We have exactly the same symptoms as described here, and went through the procedure several times on the phone to Apple support (including direct ethernet connection and booting windows into safe mode, creating different user accounts, and a complete uninstall of iTunes which failed because the Apple installer refused to uninstall)

In the end we were told that it has been escalated to "engineering", and we hope something happens. We have also been told that there is paid-for software that can do it, or we can pay the Mac store to do it, but that is not the point (especially after buying a top of the range MBP that was sold as having the ability built-in!)

jmdaniel

Level 1

8 points

Aug 17, 2011 9:30 AM in response to Christian Swanson

Is anyone having any luck clearing this issue up after installing 10.7.1? One of the stated features of that update seems to address this issue specifically.

XP SP3 Never Responds to Migration Assistant Authentication Request