migration assistant questions

[dork420]

Hello

I inherited an iMac which is more up to date and has newer versions of software that I want to keep.

Can migration assistant transfer my iphoto library without downgrading to the version I have on my old computer?

Can I just transfer my preferences, user account , bookmarks,and media files etc. but retain all the update software on the new computer?

thanks

[r0k]

Originally Posted by dork420

Hello

I inherited an iMac which is more up to date and has newer versions of software that I want to keep.

Can migration assistant transfer my iphoto library without downgrading to the version I have on my old computer?

Can I just transfer my preferences, user account , bookmarks,and media files etc. but retain all the update software on the new computer?

thanks

From Apple support, you can deselect applications to avoid bringing over old versions to your new Mac...

[dork420]

thanks

I've seen this screen and know how the basics work.

Would my transferred user account populate with the new programs? IE will my doc show the newer apps? If I then delete the user account that is currently on the new computer. Will I lose access to the apps? So confused.

Thanks

[r0k]

Originally Posted by dork420

thanks

I've seen this screen and know how the basics work.

Would my transferred user account populate with the new programs? IE will my doc show the newer apps? If I then delete the user account that is currently on the new computer. Will I lose access to the apps? So confused.

Thanks

Most applications live in /Applications. So creating and removing user accounts (though I don't recommend it) should not affect the ability to run apps, with a few caveats. Many apps like to put stuff in /Library/Application Support and some put stuff in ~/Library/Application support (where ~ is your home folder). Removing a account might remove some data the app needed.

So in general creating and removing accounts does no harm but it is not a good practice. Create one admin account. Don't delete it. Create a normal user account and use it for every day use, only using the admin account when you need to. Having said this, I don't follow my own advice. I stay logged in as Admin all the time. As a developer, I would be entering the admin password 10 times a minute if I didn't. But for a normal user, I recommend using a non-admin account for everyday use provided you know the admin username and password for those times you are asked for it such as installing new apps or making system changes.

So let's say you are migrating from a computer that has a john account to a new computer that already has a john account. You will get a warning and you will be asked whether to create a new account. If you do, both accounts will still be there and both will work. All apps (except apps with special licensing to only one user) should work on all accounts.

[dork420]

thanks r0k

If the user account on the destination iMac is an admin and the user account on the old machine I'm am transferring is an admin account, does that present problems?

Would I have to switch back and forth between user to access certain programs? Seem silly but honestly I have no idea.

programs I am concerned about are iphoto, MS office, and Adobe creative.

thanks

[r0k]

Originally Posted by dork420

thanks r0k

If the user account on the destination iMac is an admin and the user account on the old machine I'm am transferring is an admin account, does that present problems?

Would I have to switch back and forth between user to access certain programs? Seem silly but honestly I have no idea.

programs I am concerned about are iphoto, MS office, and Adobe creative.

thanks

You can have as many admin accounts as you want. I recommend making the everyday use account a non-admin account but this is not a huge deal. If the account on the old Mac and the account on the new Mac are both admin accounts, again it really doesn't matter. If they are both named the same, you will get some sort of error from migration assistant. It is for this reason that I recommend renaming one of them before you migrate. As for accessing programs like iphoto, ms office and adobe creative suite, I believe that these are normally installed so that all users can run them. It's best to do all your work as one user as users' files are generally not visible to other users. So pick one main account and use it for everything.

On my Macs, I generally set up 4 accounts. One for each human in our house. This way people can use each others' Macs without messing up each other's files. If you are the only user, there is really no reason to have more than one account, unless you decide to have a separate admin account that is not for everyday use which is something like a "best practice" but is something that I must admit I don't choose to follow.