New M1 Mac

[rjonst]

Purchased a new M1 Mac desktop. Followed protocol on new Mac to set up account (1), etc. Used migration tool to move items over from old MAC. Following migration, 2 items are at issue

1) won't accept original passwd used on old system and used to set up account on new system. (This is not a caps lock key problem). data used was from a printout of users passwords.

2) bluetooth mouse won't work on login screen / have to tab over to use login window

Tried to boot using extended options, but again bluetooth (mouse) won't work until system is genned to a higher state / tab key does not work either with black screen showing macHD and gear wheel. How can I get in as superuser and make the passwd file corrections.

Can't return system now that all the personal data, passwords files and bank info is onboard and can't be erased

What next?

 

[IWT]

A warm welcome to Mac-Forums.

You say you used Migration Assistant to copy over data etc from old Mac to new. When you did this, did you get an "offer" of creating a new account on your M1 or replacing the current account on the new M1.

I ask because, depending on the "account" choices you made, it is possible that you have, in effect, created a brand new account on the M1 which, if so, could lead to permission issues regarding your data and could explain why your old PW doesn't seem to work on the M1 Mac.

In replying, could you give us as much detail - blow by blow if possible - of how you used Migration Assistant, please.

Ian

 

[rjonst]

Yes, as far as I recall, turned on the new system and followed the bouncing ball. There was a point where it asked about a user account and I did trim the suggested account name back to the old 8 character one that was used on the old Mac, then commenced to use the migration assistant.
After the files were transferred, the reboot produced a login screen, for only the user, no admin avenue here (which is a bit disappointing) and from then on, the scene got worse.
The Bluetooth mouse was charged and nearby, but new Mac would not connect to make it usable. The tab key was the only way to move around. After a few tries, the screen locked and we had to restart to try again.
After too many attempts, I tried recovery mode and it presented the Mac HDD image and the Gear, but again no Bluetooth and also no tab function now. So we’re dead in the water.
I went online with my system and ordered a cabled mouse, but it won’t arrive til Thursday. That is where we sit at the moment.

 

[IWT]

There was a point where it asked about a user account and I did trim the suggested account name back to the old 8 character one that was used on the old Mac, then commenced to use the migration assistant.

We have the good fortune to have a member here called Jake who has written a lot about the Account issues you have encountered when using Migration Assistant.

Reading part of your post that I've copied above, it does seem to me, at any rate, that the problem lies with your choice of account and the way you altered it. This is not a criticism as such, merely an observation based on previous posts to this Forum.

Hold fire, if you can, till Jake responds.

Ian

 

[MacInWin]

@rjonst I've read this thread quickly and I think I know what went wrong. Migration Assistant should be used BEFORE creating any acccounts on a new system, as it will create the account with the same login and password as was on the system that made the TM backup. But if there is an account already ON the new Mac, unless it was set up with EXACTLY the same name and EXACTLY the same password, Migration Assistant won't put the migrated files in that account, but put them into a separate area. Unfortunately, the security of the system then won't let that new account have access to that location because as far as the security is concerned, there are two different accounts, and unless the two accounts agree to share, each is blocked from the other. In shortening the login name, you created a NEW account, so MA did what it was asked and migrated that data to that old account, not to your new one.

So, what to do? Well, if you have that backup still around, and if you haven't added much to the new account that you would mind losing, the easiest way forward is to just go back to factory-new and start over. Fortunately, that's not that hard to do with the new Apple Silicon macs. In fact, it's dead easy.

But let's tackle the mouse first, as that is going to make it much harder to do. Can you get into Settings at all? That's the gear symbol on the Dock, or you can get there from the apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen.

And just so we are confident we are on the same page, exactly what Mac do you have? Mini or iMac? And is your user account an Admin account or not? If it's not, it's a different process. Every Mac has to have at least one admin account to manage it.

Finally, one clearup for you. You said,

Can't return system now that all the personal data, passwords files and bank info is onboard and can't be erased

Actually you can return it as all of that will be erased with the factory reset. In fact, given you have that on the system, if you changed any of it from the old machine make note of the changes because the factory reset will erase ALL of it.

So, get back to me

 

[rjonst]

Hello and thanks for the quick reply.
I recall turning the M1 on and just following the guide. The Migration bit came in as one of the questions after the basics, asking if it (MA) were to be used and am fairly positive that it was after setting an admin and user password.
That aside, the mouse had been on the charger for almost an hour and the migration took 3+ hours. you are likely right about the account name issue, as this was an old Mac being decommissioned and I'm used to the old 8 character logins.
There was nothing transferred to the M1 that cannot be tossed, so if possible it would be best to wipe the system and start over. The issue with the mouse is still on the table. It was charging overnight and was tried again this AM. In neither mode, user login or admin mode, will the mouse be usable. The new cabled mouse will not be here until Thursday, so for the factory reset is the first option.
thks

 

[MacInWin]

OK, to work around the mouse, you can turn on the accessability option for the keyboard to work for you to navigate. This article has the instructions for that:

Mouse Not Working on Your Mac? 10 Tips to Fix It

Get your wired or wireless mouse to work with your Mac in no time with these valuable tips.

www.makeuseof.com

Once you have movement options, you want to open Settings from the Dock (the gear icon), or from clickiing on the apple icon upper left, then Settings. In the Search bar for Settings, search for "erase" and one option will be "Erase all contents and settings." That option will lead you to a panel where you can select "Erase All Content and Settings.." and the machine will be set back to factory settings. Everything you have done/added/put on the machine will be gone. On the next boot, you will see the "Welcome" screens just as if you just opened the Mac for the very first time. The movement setting will have to be reestablished again until you get a mouse working, so be ready to repeat that if needed.

Now, when you are going through the setup, read very carefully every screen before you move on. There are some not very well shown options for which the default is probably NOT what you want. For example, do not let it "Optimize Mac Storage" as that will lead to the system moving the entire Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud, which you probably don't want, at least right now. Similarly, Migration Assistant will be offered, but not as obviously as you might think it would be. It's subtle in that it asks if you want to move data or restore data from an older machine. That SHOULD come before the option to create a new user, just after you pick the language and regional settings. But if you get to the stage to create an account first, make sure the account has EXACTLY the same username and password as was used for the Time Machine backup you are migrating, or for the machine from which you are migrating. Then when MA migrates your data it will see the match and put your old data and settings in that account. Here is an Apple article on it:

Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant - Apple Support

Use Migration Assistant to copy your files from another computer.

support.apple.com

Once you have an Apple icon in the upper right corner, or a Dock with Settings, you can go there and pair the mouse. If it's an Apple mouse, it should be found automatically but if it's a third party mouse, you'll need to pair it, however it is connected. Logitech mouses use a dongle of some kind, and I thiink they have separate drivers for them (I don't use Logitech, mostly for that single reason, so I'm not an expert on setting up their mouse devices, sorry.).

BTW, if you have ANY USB mouse around, even one for Windows PCs, that will work for the setup and allow you to pair with the wireless mouse.

Next post, tell us what Mac you have and what mouse and we should be able to give you steps on them.

 

[Rod]

I agree with everything you say above Jake with one caveat. Where you say, "But if you get to the stage to create an account first, make sure the account has EXACTLY the same username and password as was used for the Time Machine backup you are migrating, or for the machine from which you are migrating. Then when MA migrates your data it will see the match and put your old data and settings in that account." Although I did the above myself, just to get the new device up and running I still chose "Replace" in this part of the instructions below;

1. Before clicking Continue, learn what it means to transfer a user account. In the example pictured here, Danny Rico is a user account on the old Mac. If an account on the new Mac has the same name, Migration Assistant asks whether to rename or replace:
   • Rename: The account on your old Mac will appear as an additional user on your new Mac, with a separate login and home folder.
   • Replace: The account on your old Mac will replace the identically named account on your new Mac.

The result was one identical admin account on the new machine with same preferences and all files in the same places. Apart from that the instructions are spot on but that bit really had me scratching my head.

 

[MacInWin]

Rod, what that says is correct, but the key is that the two accounts, old and new, must have IDENTICAL names and IDENTICAL passwords or you don't even get the offer to rename or replace. So, if Danny Rico created an account on the new machine with Dan Rico as the name, or if the account for Danny Rico had a different password from the old Danny Rico account, the rename/replace offer is not (should not be) made and MA will simply transfer the data to the original Danny Rico account with the identical password.

What is hidden in all of this is that each user has a system number (UID) as well as account name. MA looks at the account identity in total, including that obfuscated UID. UIDs start with 501, so the very first account on the machine will be associated with that user number. Security is tied to that UID. MA also respects the UID, but if the user migrates with EXACTLY the same account data otherwise, and if you select "Replace" then the new account will end up with the UID of the target account and all will be well. If the option "Rename" is used, then assuming the original account was UID 501, a new account will be created with UID 502 and the login/password from the original source drive. That circumstance then leads to access issues down the road as every file moved from that 502 account to the 501 account will have to have permissions set to allow the 501 user access.

On my system I have an account named "Clean" that is an Admin account with no special settings. It's UID is 502, where mine is 501. I use Clean to test any issue to see if the problem is with my account or systemic.


If you are curious, you can open Terminal and type "id" and hit return to see your account information, starting with the UID for your account and all of the groups on the machine. You can also use "man id" to get the manual for the "id" command to see what it can do. Yeah, it's geekery at it's very best!

 

[Rod]

That explains a lot. Thank you. I try very hard to avoid permission conflict's by being rather literal about following instructions, now I understand why. I’ll check the “id” in Terminal just for interest, geeky is good sometimes.

 

[IWT]

Thanks Jake

Ian

 

[rjonst]

Thank you once more. I'm in the middle of family things at the moment, but I looked up the article on Accessibility and followed through with Cmd-Opt-F5 and opened the menu, but surprise now, the tab key would not function in that screen, while it did work with the login screen just previous. I'll get some time later to check this out again.

Regarding the exact system, it's a new tabletop MAC from Costco

 

[MacInWin]

Regarding the exact system, it's a new tabletop MAC from Costco

Mini or iMac? I suspect iMac, but both are considered desktop.

 

[rjonst]

Hello all,

We are up and running. When I returned to the system, it was status quo and untouchable because of the mouse issue, etc. Turned the system on and login screen came up. The mouse had been setting aside for a while and we were unaware if it had been charged lately. The charging cable was attached and it was plugged into the rear of the new Mac (for the first time) using a USB/USBc adapter and bingo, it was seen by the system and was now usable.
We followed MacInWin comments about settings/erase/erase all, etc and wiped the system, followed by a re-migration and made no modifications.
When all was done, the original password worked. /

The bit with plugging the mouse in one of the rear ports wouldn't work originally because we did not have those adapters as yet and had to use other means to charge it.

Thank you all for your help. Happy new year