Migration Assistant Failure

[HFultzjr]

As the title, I'm having and issue using Migration Assistant.
Sounds like an easy program to use. Here is what I did. Trying to move from Macbook to Desktop.
2017 Macbook to 2021 Desktop
Updated Macbook
Created Time Machine on a new drive (340gb data)
On 1st boot of desktop went with "use Time Machine" when asked during setup
Tried to Migrate Apps, Settings and User profile
Seemed to go really fast for the amount of data.
Desktop boots to the "new" user, but no info transferred
Tried again with option to only transfer user profile
Went really fast again, but nothing transferred
Thinking I mucked things up, did a restore and tried to migrate only user profile............nothing
Tried to migrate to a 2nd user profile..................nothing
All the info can be seen on the external Time Machine Backup.
Ended up doing a restore, create user and manual restore from External HD
Any ideas how I took an easy job and turned it into a very lengthy job?

 

[geranium]

On a new install of macOS, I always create an Admin user account before firing up Migration Assistant to bring over the client's account - it gives you a second way to get into the OS if the migration goes sideways.

I've had the occasional problem with Migration Assistant using a Time Machine backup. In those situations, I have gone to using Migration Assistant over a wired ethernet connection to the client's old machine, and then the migration succeeds.

 

[overburnz]

Was it on Big Sur? I have been seeing the same issues with other customers MacBooks

 

[HFultzjr]

Was it on Big Sur? I have been seeing the same issues with other customers MacBooks

Yes it was!

 

[overburnz]

Yes it was!

It could the issue, I would advice to try the following: clone the original HD to the new MacBook and update to Big Sur or update Big Sur to the latest version 11.2.1 and run migration assistant within the macOS

 

[Markverhyden]

If the old machine is working and at or near the same OS version as the new machine I'll just stick them both on a wired network and do MA over the network.

 

[HFultzjr]

Thanks to all for the advice.
I went with a manual install of needed info, as that what I knew how to do at the time.