05-09-2011, 04:16 AM

Hello forum,

Im new to this forum and to mac as well. I tried to get answers but Apple Inc. was not making sense and google doesn't have a straight answer..

I currently have a 2010 macbook pro 15''.

I want to reformat my computer because i feel it needs it and also after doing it before my name was not what i wanted during the setup process.

When you go in the "finder" in the "places" area on the left, you see:

Desktop
jsmith89
Applications
Documents

so my name is john smith but the Mac put it in as jsmith89. i dont know why.
I want to chance jsmith to john smith but i herd changing your name is a pain in the butt and will create problems in the long run. So i herd reformatting my computer will be better.

So this is my question. Since i backed up my whole computer using Time Machine, Will i be able to restore everything AFTER i reformatted the computer using a different name? such as john smith? Or do i have to reinstall programs and back up data manually?

You know what I mean??

Thanks a whole lot everyone

05-09-2011, 07:35 AM

Have you read this?

Mac OS X: How to change user short name or home directory name

05-09-2011, 11:58 AM

No. I have no seen that page... thanks.
But.
After reading this it explained creating a new user and deleting the old.. I have herd this before but I don't want to do this. I believe this is unsafe in some matter. I rather just rename it like how a PC would as easly.

But whY if I reformat my MAC? Can j still restore it with my previous time machine back up

05-09-2011, 01:39 PM

Which operating system are you using? Assuming it's Snow Leopard, reinstalling does not destroy data, documents, or applications. It overwrites the system files only.

If you format (really not necessary) your hard drive first, then everything on it will be destroyed. That will then require a new install. And yes, during the process you can restore with Time Machine. But guess what? It will also restore the user name you don't want.

Why don't you follow the instructions given you in the previous reply? If it fails, then reformat and reinstall if you like.

05-09-2011, 01:45 PM

But what if I restore just the applications and data? and not the full system?? would that still work out?

I dont want to do that one way because i dont thinks its safe.

05-09-2011, 01:57 PM

You can if you wish selectively restore content from Time Machine without doing a full restore. However, that's going to require more work on your part. It's your choice. Changing the name is really not that difficult if you follow Apple's directions. But it's up to you....