Migration Help Please

[Somewhereville]

I've searched high and low and realize I may have already made my bed with the migration I did, but here goes...

Migrated from Powerbook G4 to MacBook Pro. Already had a username on the new computer (and files, etc.), and just wanted to bring over my files that I had sitting on the other computer. Migration wouldn't let me repeat the same username when I did the migration, so I now have two users on the MacBook Pro.

I'm not allowed permission to view the files from the Powerbook G4 (username "PowerBook"), but I understand how to go in under Get Info and manually change the settings to Read & Write. Trouble is, there are so many folders that I'd hate to have to do this manually for all of them.

I gather I could also just enable fast switching between accounts, but the user "PowerBook" isn't listed as a user, nor can I add it.

My primary goal in all this, if possible, is to somehow merge the "Sent Mail" folders from the MacMail "PowerBook" account with the current account.

Is this at all possible? To merge the folders from the different user accounts?

Is there a fast/semi-painless way to get around having to change sharing & permissions for all of my old folders?

I've searched the forums and it seems like I shot myself in the foot with the way I did the migration, and am not sure if there's a(n easy) way to undo that first move...

Thanks for any help!

 

[IngerMan]

I understand what you are talking about. The last 3 new laptops I have gotten. I have to setup a user name on power up then I migrated over everything from TM from the previous laptop, but had to change my name, just like you. I just added in my middle initial. When TM was complete I then deleted the first user name and edited the migration name back to what I just deleted.

But your dilemma is you have stuff on your original user and probably can't do that. Im curious of a fix. Good luck.

 

[Somewhereville]

Yeah, I think the fact that I now have a bunch of folders under both usernames is a problem.

I have fewer files/folders on the MacBook Pro than I do from the PowerBook, but the idea of changing the username on all of the folders for either computer seems like it shouldn't be the most efficient way to accomplish things...

If I could just merge the users in MacMail I'd be happy, but not sure that's possible. Ugh.

 

[IngerMan]

I am not going to disk up to see, but does migration not offer bringing over selected files? Perhaps you give another go and see if you can select just mac mail and bring it into your existing account.

 

[Somewhereville]

Thanks for trying to help me with this.

Migration does allow me to just select certain folders, but I'm still going to run into the fact that they have to be brought over (from the PowerBook) under a different user name from my current user name on the MacBook Pro. So if I redo it, I'm pretty sure I'll end up creating yet a third user name on the MacBook Pro instead of being able to combine them.

 

[IngerMan]

Well its worth the try. If you have to create a new name and can't select the current name then you stop there. Even if you brought over a little bit it's easy enough to delete the entire user in system pref's Users.

 

[Somewhereville]

I found the "Import Mailboxes" feature under File in Mail, so I was able to import all of the folders from the previous MacMail user account into my current user account, after going in one by one and changing the permissions for the folders. May not have been the most efficient, but at least it worked.

As for the other folders, I'll probably just do the same (change the permissions).

Thanks again for your help and suggestions!

 

[IngerMan]

I found the "Import Mailboxes" feature under File in Mail, so I was able to import all of the folders from the previous MacMail user account into my current user account, after going in one by one and changing the permissions for the folders. May not have been the most efficient, but at least it worked.

As for the other folders, I'll probably just do the same (change the permissions).

Thanks again for your help and suggestions!

Glad you made headway Don't forget to do a TM backup when you get it straight...LMAO......