Migration assistant created a new user when transferring files from a PC to mac

Cattus Thraex wrote:

. . .

‘shall I transfer files to existing user

That's the same as merging users. Possible, in theory, for some kinds of files, but not realistic for others, unfortunately, especially files for 3rd-party apps. See Transferring files from one User Account to another, especially the yellow box.

and some other refinements would be useful. Perhaps it is high time to suggest something for next generation Mac OS X.

Yes, that's been done, and you can add your suggestions via the feedback link above.

You are right, nevertheless, if done immeiately after installation, is not harm. Ultimately, if doing this in the final phase of installation it is the same thing, more or less.

Also, as long as syncing currently implies merging data, if desired, I do not see any impediment in doing the same with accounts.

Thirdly, this is what I do if using iBackup, it replaces my initial settings with my settings. In this very case, I have been using for years, it may be merging data or replacing data, users may choose.

Summing up, I do not think this is major programming impediment, so more so as in other instances, but not with MA, this is possible.

I may be wrong, of course, but this is how I see the issue.

Cattus Thraex wrote:

You are right, nevertheless, if done immeiately after installation, is not harm.

For some types of data, it's extremely difficult. Look at the structure of ~/Library/Mail, for example. It's hard enough to convert from the previous version of that structure, but imagine trying to merge two sets -- then consider how much of that is controlled by the preferences in the two different accounts. If a user has already set it up, perhaps with some different rules and mailboxes, trying to put it all together given all the possible conflicts?

Or ~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook. Even harder, since the same contact will have a different file name in the Metadata folder.

Now multiply that by several apps, and add a bunch of 3rd-party apps, where Apple hasn't a clue.

Ultimately, if doing this in the final phase of installation it is the same thing, more or less.

No, it's not. Setup Assistant transfers accounts "intact."

Summing up, I do not think this is major programming impediment, so more so as in other instances, but not with MA, this is possible.

Tell Apple all about it. But don't hold your breath.

So be it, truce.

I am a iBackup user anyway, MA is just for the sake of testing something I do not use. grapefruit.ch did a good backup utility,and am not going to change it for the time being.

well I did use set up assistant and I still got 2 user accounts. bummer. I did everything right, when it asked me to name the mac there was a user name in there already, and I thought it could not be named the same as my other mac, so I changed it. Now I have to log in and out, help would be appreciated. I wanted to have both my machine identical to bring one to work, and one of them is, the other is the new user.

This is a quite frequent question, but the behavior is normal. MA restores a user form another computer to the main (admin) user of the new computer only when used during the installation process in its last phase. When you set up a new computer and choose a user, then run MA, it will automatically create a new user (I have just done this). Therefore, if the transferred user is planned to be the main (admin) user, just give it admin privileges, lot into that user, and delete the old user, after backing up data, of course.

You probably did it by the book, but you probably expected to have one user after migting data. No, you will get 2, as described. If you had migrated data during the installation proces, you would have got one user only.

Well Cattus, you are r ight I did it completly by the book during setup, I have everything printed etc..It was also in the last part of the install, so I have no clue what went wrong. I was very careful. The only thing I can think of is when it was at the naming part at the end, there was a name already in there, as I thought we could not have the same name on 2 I changed it, that is where the 2 users was ,ade I am thinking. An also for the heck of it, it was the worse experience I have had setting up a new mac, the apps were corrupted, my serial numbers were missing, had to reinstall a ton of stuff, none of my filters and plugins are in cs4, bummer, what an ordeal going through all of my reciepts looking for serial numbers. I am comparing bot hmacs side by side, seeing what is missing, ho freakin hum😕

Hm... corrupt files should not occur. If things are so tragic, you should re-import data.

If you have a backup disk, as you should, try iBackup (grapefruit.ch), it is my preferred backup and restore utility, things are EXACTY as they were on the original disk.

Nevertheless, MA should also work.

some of them were the same, the issues were with a lot of the plugins and filters I use for cs4. The componants were not right. So slowly I will get them all working, just a lot of work that I thought would be ok, so can I remove the new user on the new machine as the old one is the duplicate from my other mac

I have been testing and expirimenting as I had most recently 3 mbp's and a mb and 3 users and I have them all backed-up in different configurations and it has taken me months to get what I deem the perfect configuration, and that having Adobe and Office and other applications that work or are authorized for one user but not the other and this business about programs creating users is a nightmare, especially when upgrading and not really noticing that you are using an entirely different user and chalk the difference in appearence and settings to "the upgrade" and then doing all the work of setting it up the way you like only to realize 2 weeks into it that none of your real programs work and you don't want to revert back to the system as it was 2 weeks ago. It is **** and I am ultimately so sick of cloning and backing up and clean installibg and finding the nuances and differences of MA ans SA and as well as their limitations as a matter of fact I egun doing this the day ML came out and I am just about finished......3 months later. So imho they all suck. This "security" is very ******** to say the least. both SA And MA are messed up and for people on here to assume they arent or that features such as creating new users by itself are obvious and common sense is B.S. I can gaurantee there are many more frustrated users.

I just experienced the same thing and since I figured out the answer (and couldn't find said answer anywhere under this or similar posts), I thought I'd share my results.

Other posts mention that using Setup Assistant instead of Migration Assistant will prevent this problem. Good to know but what do you do in our case when it's already happened, right? Right. So:

Go to Macintosh HD > Users > You will see there the new user mac created and that the files have little 'do not enter' symbols on them. Right-click (you know what I mean) on one of those folders > Get Info. In the very bottom right hand-corner you see a lock icon. Click it to unlock it (it will as you for your password to confirm). Now at the bottom under 'Permissions', click the + sign and choose your actual/usual user/profile name, then 'Select'. Now you are in the list under 'Permissions'. Now where it says 'Read only' under 'Privilege' - click on the little up/down arrows to change it to 'Read & Write'

Voila, you now have access to that folder's contents. You can now drag the contents of each folder into the corresponding folder under your actual/usual user/profile name under Macintosh HD > Users > Each time you drag the files it will ask you for your password to confirm, but it works!

Once you have drained all of your files out of the folders, they can be deleted. Now go to system preferences > users. Click the little 'lock' again, enter password (so you can make changes). Select the user Mac created and then click the little minus (- ) symbol to remove/delete the user.

Yes, that will get much of your data -- enough, perhaps, for many cases. But it's not everything.

The problem is, you won't even see the other user's Library folder, so you can't copy anything from it.

That includes the following:

• Virtually all user-level settings and preferences. In most cases, it's not a big problem to re-set them, in others it is. For example, all Mail accounts, server names, passwords, rules, etc.

• Speaking of Mail, all mailboxes and emails saved on your Mac.

• Contacts

• Calendars

• Keychains (passwords to web sites, etc.)

• A number of Application plug-ins

• Launch agents for some Applications (to start or control their background processes)

• Browser history and bookmarks

• Various data and support files for some 3rd-party applications

That's why it's usually best to use one of the workarounds in the green box of Problems after using Migration Assistant

So, my head has exploded after reading all of this. Like many others I went through the set up assistant, but because I didn't have the correct cable to transfer from mac to mac, I had to do my migration later. Which I did. It asked me to create a new user name as the two users couldn't be the same. I should stress here that I NEVER USED THE NEW MAC AT ALL until I migrated the old stuff over. There's no data in the mail, the itunes, the iphoto. So, if I'm understanding everyone correctly (which I doubt I am) can I simply make the 'old mac' user the primary user and boom...then I have access to all my itunes and pictures and such or do I have to transfer everything from the old mac user to the new mac user? It seems like it's a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

jessica mccartney wrote:

. . .

So, if I'm understanding everyone correctly (which I doubt I am) can I simply make the 'old mac' user the primary user and boom...then I have access to all my itunes and pictures and such

Most likely, yes. 🙂

You now have (at least) two user accounts; the one you created and used to run Migration Assistant, and the one you transferred.

If you didn't do anything else with the created account, then just don't use it -- use only the migrated one. You could delete the created one, but you might want to keep it, just in case a problem develops with the transferred account.

To confirm, just log on to the migrated account -- be sure it has everything you need, and seems to work properly.

If everything seems ok, the only other problem you might have is, the migrated account may not have permission to files on other disks, especially Time Machine backups -- those may be treated as belonging to a different account. See the pink box in Problems after using Migration Assistant for an explanation. That can be worked around, but it won't be convenient.

Jessica, this is correct. MA works like this: 1. if MA is used during the last phase of the install process, when asked to migrate data, then data will be migrated to the default, admin account. 2. If not, and an admin account is created (acc #1), then use MA, then a 2nd account is created (acc #2). Your first, default, and unused account (#1) is empty, but still is the main, admin account. If you wish to get rid of it, give acc #2 admin privileges, log out, log in into acc #2, and from there delete acc #1. Now, you will have one and unique account with admin privileges.

I hope this is clear.