Transferring Data to new iMac?

[jaybar]

I ordered a new iMac (BTO) and it arrived at the Apple Store. Is there any advantage of having the Apple Store transfer our data? There is a $99 charge, and THE COST IS NOT AN ISSUE. two weeks ago, I tried fixing our accounts and ended up losing all our iCloud Data. We really had to work to get all our lost dat back, so I am uneasy about screwing it up. We have two time machine backups and one carbon copy closer backup as well as key data on iCloud Drive. Again, the charge to have the store do it is not an issue. Just wondering what is best. My old iMac has been sent for trade in.

Thanks

Jay

 

[Fishrrman]

I say, "do it yourself".

I also recommend that you use the CCC cloned backup INSTEAD OF the TM backups. I have read reports that migrating from a cloned backup actually goes better than from TM.

The procedure is not hard to do.
Here it is in simple steps:
1. when the new iMac comes, take it out of the box, set it up, but DO NOT TURN IT ON YET
2. connect your CCC cloned backup to a USB port
3. NOW press the power-on button
4. Begin setup
5. At the appropriate moment, setup assistant will ask if you wish to transfer data from another Mac or drive. YES you want to do this, so...
6. "aim" setup assistant at the cloned backup. Now select WHAT you wish to migrate. I suggest you just accept the default -- everything will be migrated.
7. It will take a little while to bring it all over. Be patient.
8. When the migration is complete, you should see a login screen "just like it was on your old Mac". So... log in and be happy.

PRINT THIS OUT AND SAVE IT FOR REFERENCE

 

[cwanja]

Just use the Time Machine backup. When you get home and start the iMac for the first time it will ask you if you want to restore data and if so, how. Just select Time Machine and point it to your Time Machine backup. Maybe take one more backup before you restore it for good measure.

Unless you have a ton of users or settings you have massively customized, you could also just put them on the same network, connect to the old iMac and drag and drop data. I prefer this method as the new Mac will start fresh and completely unencumbered with all your old files. Everyone has their own preference.

 

[RootBeerMan]

When I bought my iMac I had Time Machine backups on an external HDD. It was really simple to just transfer everything from that drive to the new machine. Do it yourself and use the $99 to go out for a nice dinner!

 

[26139]

Apple is going to do exactly what you would do with a Time Machine backup.

What do you mean by "lost your iCloud data", as in you couldn't access it or files you needed were gone?

 

[jaybar]

iCloud Drive became empty. No data all lost.

 

[26139]

iCloud Drive became empty. No data all lost.

Empty on your computer or empty on iCloud itself?

How did you get the data back?

 

[jaybar]

My husband had an iCloud folder with all his data missing. It became empty.
[doublepost=1533135230][/doublepost]He had to piece together the data from a former home folder.

 

[26139]

My husband had an iCloud folder with all his data missing. It became empty.
[doublepost=1533135230][/doublepost]He had to piece together the data from a former home folder.

So your iCloud data was erased from your computer and iCloud itself?

You should definitely just pay the $99, then.

 

[jaybar]

Originally we had one account and one Apple ID. This became untenable. Apple advised that my husband use that Apple ID and account and that I create a new account for me. However, while we were easily able to change the account name to his, this left the home folder in my name. When I went to rename the home folder,all hell broke loose.

 

[26139]

Originally we had one account and one Apple ID. This became untenable. Apple advised that my husband use that Apple ID and account and that I create a new account for me. However, while we were easily able to change the account name to his, this left the home folder in my name. When I went to rename the home folder,all hell broke loose.

yeah, can't ever rename the home folder in UNIX. I learned that lesson once, too.
Have you considered using separate user accounts?

 

[jaybar]

He is using what was the original account that we both shared. I am using a new account. However the account name for him (his name) is different from his home folder name, which is the original home folder, when we both shared the account.

 

[cwanja]

Originally we had one account and one Apple ID. This became untenable. Apple advised that my husband use that Apple ID and account and that I create a new account for me. However, while we were easily able to change the account name to his, this left the home folder in my name. When I went to rename the home folder,all hell broke loose.

Wasn't it advised to not rename the home directory in your thread about that? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/change-account-name-user-name-and-home-directory.2123087/
[doublepost=1533140543][/doublepost]

He is using what was the original account that we both shared. I am using a new account. However the account name for him (his name) is different from his home folder name, which is the original home folder, when we both shared the account.

The account name being different than the account home folder should not make a difference. It is just an alias, nick name, etc. You could have a name "ABC 123" and the home folder "XYZ987". All would work such as you do not try to rename the home folder to "ABC123".

 

[jaybar]

We tried and all hell broke loose. We learned.
[doublepost=1533140995][/doublepost]The renaming wiped out his include drive data.
[doublepost=1533141153][/doublepost]Apple tech said we could do it if we followed specific steps. We did and was on the phone with them and it did not work.
[doublepost=1533141896][/doublepost]I have another question. If Apple restores from the most recent TM backup, will the new keyboard and mouse, with automatically comes paired with a new machine, still work? I don’t have a wired mouse.

Jay

 

[Fishrrman]

The OP wrote:
"However, while we were easily able to change the account name to his, this left the home folder in my name. When I went to rename the home folder,all hell broke loose."

It's not a good idea to be changing the name of the home folder, or tinkering with accounts, unless you absolutely know what you are doing.
Serious unintended consequences can result.

The Apple guy advised you right.
The proper way:
1. Let husband's account be
2. Create a new one for yourself
3. CAREFULLY move things (that belong to you) from his account to yours.

What I would do to "fix" things (unsure of exactly what the problem is now):
- if your account is ok, LEAVE IT ALONE
- your husband should create a THIRD, NEW ACCOUNT for himself. DON'T go mucking with the names any more !!!!!!!
- your husband should CAREFULLY move things back into his "new home folder". This may "take some tricks", but it can be done.
- when things are all moved, you should DELETE the "original" home folder. Get it outta there.

Final thought:
Doing ALL this would be much easier if you had a cloned backup created by CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper...

 

[cwanja]

I have another question. If Apple restores from the most recent TM backup, will the new keyboard and mouse, with automatically comes paired with a new machine, still work? I don’t have a wired mouse.

Jay

Yes.

 

[jaybar]

Thanks to all. Fishrrman, how would this be easier with a CCC backup?

Jay

 

[Fishrrman]

The OP wrote:
"Fishrrman, how would this be easier with a CCC backup?"

A CCC (or SD) cloned backup is "nothing more" than a finder-mountable drive, like any other drive.
Everything "is there" in POFF -- plain ol' finder format.

You can copy one file from it.
You can copy several files from it.
You can copy a folder from it.
You can copy a group of folders from it.
You can even "clone the whole thing back" to your internal drive if you need to.

It's "just another drive with stuff on it".
No sparse bundles and you don't "need an app" to access it.

What this means in rebuilding your user folder:
A cloned backup of the original (and now messed up) home folder will make it easy to open, and then "pick and choose" the stuff you want to move into a new, working home folder.
It will be a matter of just "picking up a file here, and putting it back down there".

HOWEVER -- AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT:
There are things you must be aware of when moving files like this.

First thing -- to avoid permissions problems...
1. Mount the cloned backup in the finder
2. Click ONE TIME on the drive icon to select it
3. Type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box
4. At the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter your password
5. In "sharing and permissions", put a check into the box "ignore ownership on this volume"
6. Close get info.
Now any file you copy will "come under the ownership" of the NEW account (into which it's being copied).
YOU MUST DO THIS step, or else there will be problems.

Next thing:
You CANNOT copy the "first level of subfolders" within your home folder. These "are more than just folders" (I think they're called symbolic links).
That means, you cannot copy the folders named documents, movies, music, pictures, etc.

HOWEVER...
You CAN copy files and folders that are INSIDE of these folders.
So... if you want to move pictures, the way to do it would be to first open the pictures folder (in the home folder) on the external drive.
Then, select the items inside you wish to move (you can even select things like the Photos library), then, drag and drop them "into" the Pictures folder in your new account.
In a case like this, I would permit the copied file to replace the existing library file.

Some updating may be necessary. For instance, you might have to "redirect" Photos to the new library file.

I would suggest you also KEEP HANDWRITTEN NOTES so you know what's been moved and what remains.

It's a bit of work, but it can be done, and it's probably the only way to clean up a "messed up" home folder.

I recommend that you print out this post and keep it for reference.

 

[jaybar]

Thanks