Time Machine Question - 2 Users

[johnmclane2000]

Hi,

I have a Time machine backup of my MBP and wish to restore to an iMac.

So far so easy. However there is already a different user on the iMac and I can't "destroy" that user by simply restoring my backup over everything else. (It is my understanding that is what would happen if I were to restore to the iMac right?).

I probably could create a second partiton on the iMac and then restore to that one right?

However I would lose the convenienve of being able to switch users fast etc.

Is there any way to restore a TM backup to just a user account with leaving the other user intact (and not to use a second partition for that) or is it just impossible?

Another question...when I have more than one user in my account...does the TM backup store all the users or just the active one from whose account the backup was initiated? Anyone tried this?

Thanks a lot!

John

 

[RoninXI]

I can't say for sure but I think you can make another admin account on your fresh install and use it to restore the entire user folder you want restored (restore the contents not the folder itself) if that works out then you may have to give yourself ownership on the account you restored "chown -R /Users/ShortName" I did that myself but it was copying old files not time machine I am not sure if it will see that home folder as the same folder even if it is the same name though.

Personally I would try restoring both and then going into System preferences > Accounts and deleting the unused account. Choose "Do not change the home folder" if you want to keep the files though it sounds like it is just the starter account that you have sitting there in which case choose "Delete the home folder".

 

[johnmclane2000]

You mean I would make a second account on the iMac...and then manually restore the entire user folder of my MBP from my Time machine backup to that account, correct?

I'm kinda doubtful if the first account would "accept" that. I would overwrite system preferences, settings, programs, everything basically.

I wish TM could restore to just a user account...but I think it can't for the same reasons you can't just copy your user folder to a new account on a different computer. Somehow the two accounts are linked together...and copying them together will produce problems.

Sounds to me like TM is an all or nothing approach. Works fine though for just one user.

I guess I'll go with the second partition then...a little inconvenient having to restart to have access to a different user instead of just logging off but easier to accomplish the restore like that.

When I insert the install DVD it will ask me on which partition I want my system restored right?


Hey wait a second...what about the migration assistent...doesn't that allow you to restore a TM backup into just a user account????

 

[johnmclane2000]

Noone having an idea?