Fresh Mac OS install on a MacBook after migration assistant screwed Logic

[chagzuki]

I'm on my second MacBook and still consider myself a non-expert when it comes to Mac OS. I can't remember exactly what the migration process was from MacBook one to two, but I think I used aspects of it but not all. On the newer MacBook I've had weird issues with Logic which the advice of Apple support hasn't fixed, and having been told I'd soon get more focussed instruction they've left me hanging.
I'm not keen on the idea of reinstalling everything from scratch, partly because I have too many plugins to keep track of, but also because I don't have an overview of how I've organised my system... as I suppose is normal. It turns into a sprawling mess.

The whole thing is a pain, and perhaps if I understood all the files associated with an installation of Logic I might be able to figure out what's causing the problem. Apple support got me to try deleting Logic and reinstalling from scratch, plus removing all plugins etc., but it didn't help.
Is there a way to proceed in terms of figuring out what migration assistant might have brought from the old machine which could screw the new installation? I've deleted the Logic preferences file, to no avail.

In terms of reinstalling Mac OS, is the only option via a bootable USB installer?

And then there's the issue as to whether copy protection systems will view this as a new system with a different machine ID? Could certain installers be confused by the fact that the machine ID is already considered activated, or other such weirdness?

[macmuse]

It will definitely be seen as a different machine ID.

The best way to install OS and apps on a new machine is a fresh install, from scratch. It's a pain that no one wants to do, but the benefits are that it doesn't bring over remnants and junk from the other computer, and the machine will run faster and leaner because of it. I've done OS / hard drive upgrades where I did use the Migration tool. It works well but there was one time when I upgraded an OS, which made the computer slow and awful. I blamed the OS until I wiped the drive and then reinstalled everything piece by piece, and realized the OS wasn't the problem at all, because it then became fast and responsive.

Booting into Recovery mode is another way you can reinstall the OS and it doesn't erase your drive unless you tell it to. But in any case, always have a backup before you do these things. I do feel if it's a new machine, it's best to start fresh. Then on that machine for a few new OS upgrades, you can use the Migration. But when the machine is new, best to start from scratch. JMO.

[chagzuki]

But in any case, always have a backup before you do these things.

Very helpful, thanks. I thought machine ID would be sophisticated enough to be based purely on the hardware. So are you saying that there's a standard for machine ID which involves genesis during OS installation, and which remains unchanged after OS upgrades?
I keep two Time Machine backup disks, though I'm paranoid that somehow there'll be something that gets left out. I haven't opted to exclude anything from Time Machine backups, but is there any reason why I ought to manually back up certain folders?

[zvenx]

As an apple user and owner for decades I think migration assistant is the greatest thing they ever have created.
I recently moved from my mac book pro intel 2014 to a macbook pro m1 max silicon and used migration assistant.
Not one problem, of course at the end I had to delete some older apps and update some plugins/apps.

Sorry it didn't work as well for you.
rsp

[chagzuki]

Sorry it didn't work as well for you.

Well, I don't know that that's the cause, but I can't think of any other reason. Do you use Logic?

[zvenx]

Sorry it didn't work as well for you.

Well, I don't know that that's the cause, but I can't think of any other reason. Do you use Logic?

No, I use Cubendo.

But it would be odd that of all the DAWs that Migration assistant screwed up would be apple's own DAWN.. like you suggest it may not be Migration Assistant causing the issue.

rsp

[mgw38]

It depends what you mean by "screwed". Migration Assistant is a great tool, but it has its limits. In particular, it cannot bring license activations over (for somewhat obvious reasons). I usually don't use Migration Assistant because of that. Installing everything from scratch forces you to think critically about what licenses you need to deactivate on the old machine before reactivating on the new one. And it also helps cleaning house.

Don't try to figure out the file structure of Logic manually. MacOS is a Unix based operating system. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, you should not mess with the file structure.

[macmuse]

But in any case, always have a backup before you do these things.

Very helpful, thanks. I thought machine ID would be sophisticated enough to be based purely on the hardware. So are you saying that there's a standard for machine ID which involves genesis during OS installation, and which remains unchanged after OS upgrades?
I keep two Time Machine backup disks, though I'm paranoid that somehow there'll be something that gets left out. I haven't opted to exclude anything from Time Machine backups, but is there any reason why I ought to manually back up certain folders?

I meant if your MacBook was a new machine it would be a new ID.

I keep a TimeMachine backup as well as a hard drive clone.

[chagzuki]

I meant if your MacBook was a new machine it would be a new ID.

In that case I wonder if some plugin installers will try to double-activate to the same machine ID and cause some sort of issue, or whether they'll just regard the prior activation as continuous?

[mgw38]

I keep a TimeMachine backup as well as a hard drive clone.

I would advise against using clones. Creating bootable clones used to be a good way to backup your system. This does not really work anymore in the latest OS versions (Windows as well as Mac). Carbon Copy Cloner also does not have that option anymore.

[keyman_sam]

I used migration assistant and it did not work well at all whatsoever. The plugins are all installed but they don't load up. Not even a "missing license" or anything. They just plain don't load. So my M1 air is in a zombie state with fully installed plugins and half-baked installed-but-not-really plugins.

Next time I'd skip migration assistant and just do it the hard way.

[revvy]

I keep a TimeMachine backup as well as a hard drive clone.

I would advise against using clones. Creating bootable clones used to be a good way to backup your system. This does not really work anymore in the latest OS versions (Windows as well as Mac). Carbon Copy Cloner also does not have that option anymore.

What’s wrong with/doesn’t work about clones , on MacOS?

[mgw38]

I keep a TimeMachine backup as well as a hard drive clone.

I would advise against using clones. Creating bootable clones used to be a good way to backup your system. This does not really work anymore in the latest OS versions (Windows as well as Mac). Carbon Copy Cloner also does not have that option anymore.

What’s wrong with/doesn’t work about clones , on MacOS?

On the Mac you run into security limitations by the OS. Bombich, makers of carbon copy cleaner, have a nice writeup explaining the situation: https://bombich.com/kb/ccc6/cloning-mac ... re-restore

On Windows, the system gets confused about the DiskID. It will still work but it will light up the system log with errors and might trigger unexpected behavior that is very difficult to debug (I’m speaking from experience).

[revvy]

I keep a TimeMachine backup as well as a hard drive clone.

I would advise against using clones. Creating bootable clones used to be a good way to backup your system. This does not really work anymore in the latest OS versions (Windows as well as Mac). Carbon Copy Cloner also does not have that option anymore.

What’s wrong with/doesn’t work about clones , on MacOS?

On the Mac you run into security limitations by the OS. Bombich, makers of carbon copy cleaner, have a nice writeup explaining the situation: https://bombich.com/kb/ccc6/cloning-mac ... re-restore

On Windows, the system gets confused about the DiskID. It will still work but it will light up the system log with errors and might trigger unexpected behavior that is very difficult to debug (I’m speaking from experience).

Interesting from the CCC guys. I used SuperDuper, which still promotes its bootable clone offering.

[mgw38]

Interesting from the CCC guys. I used SuperDuper, which still promotes its bootable clone offering.

I have used CCC for as long as I can remember and put a lot of trust into their judgement. If you use a backup solution it better be working 100% of the time.