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Create a new user

Due to some strange features in Lion, not preset with a new user, I am creating a new user on my MBP.
I want the new user to have the same name and short name as my iMac.
I changed the name on the MBP and created a new user with the name I wanted.
Question 1, How do I find the short name on both computers?
Question 2, I am dragging and dropping all items in the old Home folders to the new Home folders. Is this the way to do it?
Question 3, Any words of advice on this project?
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Robert Poland

Comments: 5 Responses to “Create a new user”

    13 years ago

    The short name is the name of the user folder. So look in /Users and there are the short names of each user. There is no such thing as a "short name" for Mac. That's a term that goes with users, not computers. Your computer has a name that is used for file sharing, and a name for the hard drive. Neither are user names, really. Both of those can be changed.
    You can drag and drop documents from one Home folder to the other, but make sure you are doing it "as" the new user. In other words, pull, don't push them.
    But keep in mind that this just gives you documents. Settings and many other things aren't part of your documents and are in your Library folder. I wouldn't try to copy them directly.
    The much better way to do this is to use Migration Assistant. One of its major purposes is to allow you to move user accounts with all data and settings.

    Robert Poland
    13 years ago

    Gary,

    The problem with Migration Assistant is "All data and settings". I'm assuming that somewhere I have a preference or application that is causing a problem with Lion.
    PROBLEM: System locks up EVERY night and sometimes more often.

      13 years ago

      I would forget about trying to create a new user and all of that and try to find out what is causing the issue. What third-party software do you have that may be causing this? What apps do you have running when this happens?

    Michael
    13 years ago

    What I did with my last migration after installing lion, I just checked the box to bring my "data" over. Meaning files just in my Home folder, excluding Library (migration assistant does not bring over Library folder unless you choose "other files and folder". I also did not migrate Applications because I was told and I found this out my experience. That migrating Applications over brings over the "Application Support" folders and Prefs (so if you thing you have a corrupt file, you may very well migrate over.) So instead I just brought over my data and "system preferences, so as to not have to set up network and all and just reinstall from scratch your Applications fresh. What I did was went to the website of all the app I wanted and redownloaded and put them on a scratch disk. Again I just used Migration for "my" data. I know you can do this manually, but to be safe I let Migration Assistant do it so to avoid any permission issues.

    Michael
    13 years ago

    Sorry for typos. On iPhone. But what I meant was downloaded .dmg files from website to put on a scratch disk. And again to clarify, Migration Assistant allows for "custom" migration.

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