My clean install of Sierra ( test on external disk) won't let me migrate my user from High Sierra. ( Due to APFS...). Other than just copying everything over (pita...), does anybody know of another way?
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Migration from High Sierra to Sierra
- Thread starter Autistic Behaviour
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Migrate from a Time Machine backup (TM can only be HFS+ file system just like Sierra, so Sierra can read the data).
OP:
What I would do:
You'll need ANOTHER external drive.
Boot back into High Sierra for the moment.
Now, erase the 3rd drive to HFS+ with journaling enabled. DO NOT use APFS.
Or, erase it while booted up from the Low Sierra OS, should go to HFS+ automatically.
Download CarbonCopyCloner from here:
http://www.bombich.com/download.html
CCC is FREE to download and use for 30 days.
Now...
Use CCC to create an HFS+ cloned backup (again, NOT an APFS backup) of your High Sierra volume to the 3rd drive.
When done, it will be in HFS+ format and finder-mountable in Low Sierra.
Next...
Boot from the Low Sierra drive.
Connect the 3rd drive.
Let the icon mount on the desktop, but don't open it yet.
Click on the icon ONE time to select it, then...
Type Command-i (eye) to bring up the get info box.
At the bottom, click the lock icon and enter your password.
Now, put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions).
Close the get info box.
Now...
You can manually copy whatever you wish from the 3rd drive to the Low Sierra drive, and there will be no "permissions problems". The copied files will "come under the ownership" of your account (on the Low Sierra drive).
It will take some thought and planning to "manually migrate back".
But... if you really want to get there, you have to do, what you have to do.
Another approach:
You could -try- to use migration assistant, but I don't know if it will perform a migration from a High Sierra backup "back to" a Low Sierra installation. Probably not.
That's why you have to "do it by hand".
This is going to take some time, but that's what happens when you don't use CCC (or SuperDuper) to create a bootable cloned backup BEFORE you upgrade...
What I would do:
You'll need ANOTHER external drive.
Boot back into High Sierra for the moment.
Now, erase the 3rd drive to HFS+ with journaling enabled. DO NOT use APFS.
Or, erase it while booted up from the Low Sierra OS, should go to HFS+ automatically.
Download CarbonCopyCloner from here:
http://www.bombich.com/download.html
CCC is FREE to download and use for 30 days.
Now...
Use CCC to create an HFS+ cloned backup (again, NOT an APFS backup) of your High Sierra volume to the 3rd drive.
When done, it will be in HFS+ format and finder-mountable in Low Sierra.
Next...
Boot from the Low Sierra drive.
Connect the 3rd drive.
Let the icon mount on the desktop, but don't open it yet.
Click on the icon ONE time to select it, then...
Type Command-i (eye) to bring up the get info box.
At the bottom, click the lock icon and enter your password.
Now, put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions).
Close the get info box.
Now...
You can manually copy whatever you wish from the 3rd drive to the Low Sierra drive, and there will be no "permissions problems". The copied files will "come under the ownership" of your account (on the Low Sierra drive).
It will take some thought and planning to "manually migrate back".
But... if you really want to get there, you have to do, what you have to do.
Another approach:
You could -try- to use migration assistant, but I don't know if it will perform a migration from a High Sierra backup "back to" a Low Sierra installation. Probably not.
That's why you have to "do it by hand".
This is going to take some time, but that's what happens when you don't use CCC (or SuperDuper) to create a bootable cloned backup BEFORE you upgrade...
Thanks
But just to be clear, I do have multiple backups. I use CCC frequently. Im not having any problems, really, with HS. I was just looking to test ( geekbench, etc....) my system with a few different OS's. ( I have a drive with different OS installers/versions).
Unfortunately, one of my CCC backups of my system( the one with Sierra seems corrupt, and was not up to date anyway(( a few months worth of new apps, plugins, logic pro songs)
Just wanted to see, if any, the differences in performances. Im on HS 13.2 and the whole Intel debacle/apple patch, etc, got me wanting to test all that.
But just to be clear, I do have multiple backups. I use CCC frequently. Im not having any problems, really, with HS. I was just looking to test ( geekbench, etc....) my system with a few different OS's. ( I have a drive with different OS installers/versions).
Unfortunately, one of my CCC backups of my system( the one with Sierra seems corrupt, and was not up to date anyway(( a few months worth of new apps, plugins, logic pro songs)
Just wanted to see, if any, the differences in performances. Im on HS 13.2 and the whole Intel debacle/apple patch, etc, got me wanting to test all that.