Problem Copying Files Between Macs

I have an iMac and MBP using OS X 10.6.6. I use the same username and password for my admin account on both. On each Mac, I can see the other one in Finder. I've enabled sharing and all the file permissions seem to be correct, but I have a problem when copying files.

If, for example, I'm using my iMac and I try to copy a file to my MBP in Finder, I'm asked to "Type your password to allow Finder to make changes." Then I get a message "A newer item named "xxx.xxx” already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the older one you’re moving?" I click on yes, and then get "The operation can’t be completed because an item with the name xxx.xxx already exists."

In the example above when using Finder on the iMac, I can copy files from the MBP to the iMac but I get the errors when I try to copy from the iMac to the MBP. The same problem occurs when I'm working on the MBP and I try to copy files to the iMac.

This seems strange as I can, for example, delete files on the second Mac in Finder, I just can't copy files to it.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal, or could there be an issue with permissions or some other problem?

Thanks.

 

Hi,

This was a while ago but I did find the problem, so maybe you can check whether you have the same issue. For some reason I ended up with a different User ID (a numerical value given to each user) on each machine. I was using the same username and password on both, and this seems to have caused problems when trying to copy files between them.

I'd suggest you check the User ID on both your machines. Go to System Preferences then open Users & Groups. Unlock this with your admin password if it's not already unlocked then right-click on your ID in the left hand column and select 'Advanced Options'. Check the User ID shown on both machines. Mine are now both 501 (which I think is the default) but when I had problems one of these was 501 and the other something different (502 from memory).

If these User IDs are different but you are using the same username on two machines then this could be the problem. Do heed the warning shown about changing settings though. I seem to recall it's not definitely not recommended to simply change the number under system preferences. That could cause all sorts of issues.

If this does turn out to be your problem, then Google will find lots of articles on this. I had a quick look and found http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1320952 which talks about changing the User ID after logging in as the 'root user', and then updating permissions as required. This was the method I used and it worked perfectly.