StCySt
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Time Machine migration with different administrator?

My boss has decided to give me the computer I've been using for about 3 years now. It's been running Leopard and I want to update

it to Lion. He set himself up as the administrator and I'd naturally like to set myself as the administrator on the machine when I install Lion.

 

I have everything backed up with TimeMachine. My question is:  whenI install Lion and I set myself up as the new administrator, will

I get into trouble when I migrate my info from TimeMachine because it is backed up in his name?

 

If so is there an easier way around all this?

 

Thanks.

iMac Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on May 19, 2012 2:27 PM

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StCySt

Q: Time Machine migration with different administrator?

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  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua May 19, 2012 3:31 PM in response to StCySt
    Level 10 (123,860 points)
    May 19, 2012 3:31 PM in response to StCySt

    Hello,

     

    The great Pondini has about every TM question answered.

     

    http://pondini.org/OSX/MigrateLion.html

     

    http://pondini.org/OSX/MigrationProblems.html

     

    But, it is possible to rename the current one...

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1428

     

    Might require redoing TM afterwards though.

  • by Pondini,

    Pondini Pondini May 19, 2012 5:52 PM in response to StCySt
    Level 8 (38,747 points)
    May 19, 2012 5:52 PM in response to StCySt

    StCySt wrote:

    . . .

    I'd naturally like to set myself as the administrator on the machine when I install Lion.

    How do you plan to do that?  If you're just going to continue to use his user account, there's no problem -- just change the password and you're done.

     

    If there are two accounts there now (yours and his), all you have to do is make yours an Admin account.  If you don't need any of the data in his account, you can delete it if you want, via System Prefs > Accounts (called Users & Groups on Lion).  You may want to wait a while before you do that, though, just to be sure.

     

    If you want to set up a new user account, and make it an Admin account, you'll have to either start fresh with all the data or copy it from the old account.  Depending on how much stuff there is, that can be a large project.  See Transferring files from one User Account to another for details.

     

     

    will I get into trouble when I migrate my info from TimeMachine because it is backed up in his name?

    There's no reason to migrate anything.  Just upgrade to Lion  (if it's running Leopard, you must upgrade to Snow Leopard before upgrading to Lion).

  • by StCySt,

    StCySt StCySt May 21, 2012 7:20 PM in response to Pondini
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 21, 2012 7:20 PM in response to Pondini

    I'd like to start completely fresh. Is it possible to just copy the files in my home folder, ersase the HD, install a fresh copy of Leopard, put my files back in, do updates, then load Snow Leopard and Lion? Or will I somehow be missing something if I do that? I've heard there are invisible files, and I don't know if I'll catch them if I do it this way.

  • by Pondini,Helpful

    Pondini Pondini May 21, 2012 7:33 PM in response to StCySt
    Level 8 (38,747 points)
    May 21, 2012 7:33 PM in response to StCySt

    StCySt wrote:

     

    I'd like to start completely fresh. Is it possible to just copy the files in my home folder, ersase the HD, install a fresh copy of Leopard, put my files back in, do updates, then load Snow Leopard and Lion?

    You can do that, but there are some downsides.  And you don't need to install Leopard -- start with Snow Leopard.

     

    The downsides are:

     

    Applications other than the default ones that come with OSX.  That includes the iLife and iWork apps, and all 3rd-party apps.  You'd need to reinstall them from the original discs, or redownload them.

     

    Data for apps that you may not know where the data is.   Mail, AddressBook, iCal, and many, many others.

     

    Preference and settings files. They'll be recreated automatically, with default values, so you can just reset them, but some are more complex.  Mail in particular has all the account names, mailboxes and rules, server names, passwords, etc.

     

    You may also have to set up your network configuration again.  

     

    Or will I somehow be missing something if I do that? I've heard there are invisible files, and I don't know if I'll catch them if I do it this way.

    Most invisible files won't be a problem, but some may.