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nzibis

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 28, 2022
2
0
I’ve migrated a user account from an older MBA to a new MBP. All the files seem to copy over fine, except Migration Assistant (MA) has appended '_1' to the user home folder on the new machine. So if on the old machine it was in /Users/buddy, on the new machine it’s under /Users/buddy_1.

Several programs now cannot find files. (Both user-installed software, and Pages, etc.) One directly reports where it’s looking and, as you might expect, it’s looking via the old home directory name, /Users/buddy/someplace/somefile.

I could just rename the home directory (in the way Apple recommends; via an admin account, changing the folder name, then the Users/Groups data). Does anyone have experience of what that might do? - i.e. any issues that might occur. I’ve read that on older versions of MacOS this sometimes caused issues. (Note I’m not aiming to change the account name, just the home folder name, /Users/buddy_1 to /Users/buddy. I mention this as in principle file ownerships of, say, preference files etc should be unaffected.)

As a seperate issue (not my main point!), this appending _1 seems a straight-forward bug to me. The home folder name ought to be preserved, surely? It’s the name on the old system, there is no competing name on the system needing an _1 to be disambiguated from, and MA has retired the original account on the MBP into a 'deleted users' folder. Has anyone else experienced this?

(I used the instructions here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204350 When MA spots that you’re copying to an account of the same name it asked if you want to replace it (as the instructions in that article note); I asked it to replace it.)
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,183
13,229
You didn't do the migration properly.

I'll bet you did it this way:
- opened new MBP, set it up with a new account and new username
and then
- opened migration assistant, and migrated from your old MBA -- which brought over your OLD account, and gave it a new name.

And now... you have TWO accounts, when you only wanted one.

Is that correct?

WARNING WARNING WARNING
Do NOT
attempt to change account names unless you really REALLY know what you're doing. It could mess things up so badly the account may not work at all.

There are ways to fix things, but I'd first like to know if my initial guess was correct...
 

nzibis

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 28, 2022
2
0
You didn't do the migration properly.

I'll bet you did it this way:
- opened new MBP, set it up with a new account and new username
and then
- opened migration assistant, and migrated from your old MBA -- which brought over your OLD account, and gave it a new name.

And now... you have TWO accounts, when you only wanted one.

Is that correct?

WARNING WARNING WARNING
Do NOT
attempt to change account names unless you really REALLY know what you're doing. It could mess things up so badly the account may not work at all.

There are ways to fix things, but I'd first like to know if my initial guess was correct...
There is only one account. (Can we please not play "blame the user" or guessing games? It’s not going to help.) As I wrote earlier, I used Apple’s procedure, and I wrote I’d prefer hearing from someone who has had to resolve something similar. I know that’s a long shot, but it’s not the sort of thing where guesses are not going to be helpful! I’m aware of the potential for issues (it’s a reason for the post, right?) and wrote that I’ve read around (I’ve seen that warning echoed from Apple’s page in rote fashion in many places).

I’m just trying to see if anyone else has run into this, or perhaps hear from someone familiar with Apple’s current situation for the Unix side of things. I doubt anyone else can offer much.

Cheers.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,183
13,229
Alright, then I suggest you "start all over again", from scratch.
Since the new Mac is absolutely brand-new, you can do this with no harm.

I would first do this on the NEW Mac (I've not tried it all the way through, have no need to):
1. Open system preferences
2. Now go to the system preferences menu (in the menu bar)
3. Choose "erase all content and settings"
4. This invokes something called "erase assistant"
5. Enter your administrative password and "click through"
6. Although I've not "followed through", I believe doing this will completely erase any and all "user installed" data, returning the SSD to the state it was in "as shipped from Apple".
7. I'm going to GUESS that when you're done, a reboot occurs that will boot to the original "setup screen" (choose your language) and offer to re-do the setup procedure exactly as when you first booted the MBP.

First thing to do is connect your backup drive from the OLD Mac.
Then, start "clicking through".
Setup assistant will ask from where you wish to migrate -- "aim SA at" the backup drive and give it time to digest everything.
SA will present you with a checklist of stuff to migrate (accounts, apps, data, settings).
I suggest you just migrate it all.
Turn SA loose and give it a while.

Does this fix things?
 
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