Transferring files to my iMac has been anything but easy. Now I'm stuck again.....

[BruiserBear]

I was finally able to complete the transfer of files from my old iBook to my new iMac. I figured this would be easy, since this is a Mac after all. It's been anything but.

I figured that after this transfer, all my favorites would be imported to Safari, all my music would be moved into iTunes, and all my photos would show up in iPhoto. None of that has occurred.


When I began this transferring, it told me I had to rename my iBook data files, as they had the same name as my new iMac. So I named them something else. Well, now when I search those files, and try to access them, it says I'm not authorized to use them.

Please, someone explain this for me. It's truly frustrating, and I can't believe they couldn't make this a little more simple.

 

[windowpain]

Hello,

Let me start by asking 'how did you try to transfer the files?'

I'm guessing you just dragged and dropped them over.

You should try using the application 'migration assistant', it will take care of everything for you. and it makes it easy to move to a new mac. You can find it using spotlight.

Good luck!

 

[BruiserBear]

Hello,

Let me start by asking 'how did you try to transfer the files?'

I'm guessing you just dragged and dropped them over.

You should try using the application 'migration assistant', it will take care of everything for you. and it makes it easy to move to a new mac. You can find it using spotlight.

Good luck!

I used the migration assistant as I was told. I never had to "drag and drop" anything though, as it simply asked me to check the boxes for "Applications", and such. It seems to have transferred those files, but now it's not allowing me to access any of them, and they're not migrating into the appropriate places, such as iTunes.



A question for those that know. When I do a transfer like this, is it supposed to move these files over to my new iMac, and delete them off the iBook, or is it simply supposed to copy them?



Edit: Here is a pic of what I'm seeing when I attempt to access these files. It won't let me go past this point.

 

[BruiserBear]

Wow. With the help of someone on another forum, I finally got to the bottom of this whole mess.


Yesterday, I powered on my new iMac, and attempted to transfer over all the data from my old iBook. Well, it failed and wouldn't allow me to. So I went ahead as it recommended, and created a new username on the new iMac. I told me I could transfer my data later.


So I later got a firewire cable, and went ahead with transferring that data. It told me the data had the same username as the one I was using on the new iMac, so I was forced to rename it. Little did I know it was creating an entirely new username on my new iMac. So the trasfer completes, and I have no idea all that data is sitting on a new username on the computer. That is why I could not access it. It was locked to the iBook username I had to create. So when I simply logged in on that secondary username, everything was as it should be. All data transferred perfectly.

Let this be a lesson to those who come across this in the future. Kind of annoying to deal with, but all seems fine now.

Now I just have to figure out how to delete that new username I created yesterday, and all files associated with it.

 

[mastershakess]

So you just had to change the username of the imac to something different than the ibook?

Seems like a very cut and dry solution, I've never had issues with transfering files whether it be drag/drop or migration assistant

Glad you got it to work.

 

[NC MacGuy]

That's strange. I transfer my data to other computers all the time using migration asst.

Trick I've always used is don't let it get past the "do you want to transfer ...." screen on a virgin copy of OSX without doing the migration. Once you go beyond that screen, name and use a computer it gets more complicated.

 

[BruiserBear]

So you just had to change the username of the imac to something different than the ibook?

Seems like a very cut and dry solution, I've never had issues with transfering files whether it be drag/drop or migration assistant

Glad you got it to work.

It never offered me a drag and drop option. It just asked me to check the boxes for the stuff I wanted to transfer. I only got like 5 boxes to check. Apps, username, documents, etc.

 

[mastershakess]

It never offered me a drag and drop option. It just asked me to check the boxes for the stuff I wanted to transfer. I only got like 5 boxes to check. Apps, username, documents, etc.

I've always backed up all the stuff on an external hardrive and just drag/droped from that on new macs.

Just my way of knowing everything that is transfered and where it is transfered to.