Aborted LaCie Setup Assistant while it was formatting. Want to reformat your storage device after successfully formatting the hard drive with LaCie Setup Assistant. About file system formats. NTFS: since it is the native file system for Windows, volumes created in NTFS are read and write with computers running Windows. Mac OS can read NTFS. Apple's Setup Assistant walks you through most of the process. The first time your Mac turns on, a setup assistant will greet you. The assistant will walk you through selecting your country.
As I have recently discussed with some of my colleagues, there have been some inconsistencies over the years managing the Setup Assistant experience on macOS when new users login. Lets talk about 2 ways many know to manage this:
- DEP Enrolment Profile, choosing items to Skip (such as a Jamf Pro PreStage Enrolment Profile)
- Manual Profiles Created by the MacAdmins community, like these:
Here are the 3 issues I have encountered:
- All items being skipped for a new user login on a pre-configured computer, but the setting up your Mac screen still being displayed
- All except a couple items being skipped for a new user login on a pre-configured computer, even though we “ticked all the skip options in the DEP Enrolment Profile”
- Deploying the community sourced custom profiles above but only some of them work/don’t skip everything
Given I have been victim of all these scenarios I thought it was time to take a closer look.
First, to Apple’s documentation: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/setupassistant
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Stand out observations:
- There are 8 preferences keys for skipping items
- The profiles above only refer to 6/8, with one key per profile
- Documentation and the community profiles both refer to the PayloadType needing to be com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed
- Custom Settings Profiles from Jamf use com.apple.ManagedClient.preferences for the PayloadType when managing app preferences like those of Microsoft Office
So from this hit list of info, we see that our community profiles may be letting us down, possibly adding to one of our other issues we see as well.
Digging a bit further, I uploaded SkipiCloudSetup.mobileconfig to my test Jamf Pro and then re-downloaded and unsigned a copy of it to see if what I uploaded matched which I got back, it did’t. The important bits:
- PayloadType was still com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed
- SkipCloudSetup preference key was still there, but instead of being TRUE, it was FALSE
- SkipSiriSetup preference key magically joined it in the profile and was also FALSE
Looks like best practice for making sure Jamf doesn’t mess with your custom config profile by Signing/Encrypting it before upload still applies: https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/articles/648/deploying-custom-configuration-profiles-using-jamf-pro
This will undoubtedly be causing a bunch of issues and confusing things to no end, summary on custom profiles:
- Custom profiles we often refer to don’t include all the keys
- When they are uploaded to Jamf as is, unencrypted, they may not end up on the computer the way they started and therefore not work
So where does this leave us for the other 2 issues? A few simple thoughts:
- macOS changes as point releases come, so the behaviour of the Skip preference keys change, and new keys have been added over the last few major releases
- If the MDM deploys DEP Enrolment Profiles with the Skip items included for High Sierra, and then machine over its life is upgraded to Catalina, that profile is never re-installed to include the latest Skip items, even if the MDM has added them into the product. ts a one off set of settings that doesn’t change until the device is wiped or intentionally un-enrolled and re-enrolled
- In the same thought, the checkboxes we see in a Jamf PreStage do not mirror the preference keys in Apple’s documentation so likely these have changed and evolved over time and the behaviour of what is linked to what has changed. Jamf may be deployed deprecated Skip keys for some items, for example, satisfying all of the requirements but not quite 100% causing the “setting up your mac” screen to display as it tidies up the loose ends, especially if the user hasn’t logged in since an OS update
With all of this considered, it looks like deploying a set of managed setup assistant preferences to all machines ON TOP of the DEP Profile is desired to you want to be 100% sure the machine experience is what you intend.
Here is where we go off documentation…
As I said before, the PayloadType for these preferences, according to Apple, needs to be different to normal preference management we perform for other apps.
Testing on macOS Catalina 10.15.4 and 10.15.5b, here is what I have found:
Create a plist with all of the preference keys, upload it into a NEW Jamf Pro file into the Custom App Settings payload, and it works!
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipAppearance -bool truedefaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipCloudSetup -bool true
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipiCloudStorageSetup -bool true
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipPrivacySetup -bool true
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipSiriSetup -bool true
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipTrueTone -bool true
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipScreenTime -bool true
Bluetooth Setup Assistant For Mac
![Airport Airport](/uploads/1/1/8/3/118357298/421012168.png)
defaults write ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist SkipTouchIDSetup -bool true
plutil -convert xml1 ~/Downloads/com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed.plist
As long as the Preference Domain is set as com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed and the uploaded property list file displays as such, were good
{SkipScreenTime=true, SkipTouchIDSetup=true, SkipAppearance=true, SkipPrivacySetup=true, SkipCloudSetup=true, SkipSiriSetup=true, SkipTrueTone=true, SkipiCloudStorageSetup=true}
Lacie Setup Assistant For Mac
What happens in the background, is we get a profile with a PayloadType of com.apple.ManagedClient.preferences with sub items of:
- Key: com.apple.SetupAssistant.managed
- Dictionary -> Key: Forced
- Dictionary -> Key: mcx_preference_settings
- All sub preference keys we expect below that
As we are now delivering this as a FORCED MCX Preference for the Machine and therefore ALL existing AND new users, rather than a “set once” config per machine that MIGHT deliver to all users, this should give a more consistent experience in theory.
Its contrary to Apple’s explicit documentation, but in line with their overall ManagedPreferences framework: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/managedpreferences
As I said, I have tested this flow and it works as expected with new users created after the profile was installed from a UIE/UAMDM Jamf configuration on 10.15.4/5 as well as a DEP configuration on 10.15.4/5.
Testing today on 10.15.5, having ONLY the DEP Profile with everything skipped resulted in the Setting Up Your Mac screen for a new user login. Applying my profile created with the attached plist from my example commands above, dismissed the Setup screen entirely on first login.
Conclusion
Rad studio for mac. Use your DEP profile to set your desired 1st user experience for Setup Screens and use the Custom Profile (type com.apple.ManagedClient.preferences via Plist upload in the case of Jamf) to manage it from a ManagedPreferences engine/framework for all subsequent users that login to the Mac, keeping in mind the timing of delivery MAY override the 1st user experience settings in the DEP Profile (more testing to be seen on that).
Hope this is as helpful for other as it was for me.
Jamf Pro Plist: https://gist.github.com/aarondavidpolley/9e41928c64203c6cd65ba0a02a37b77b
//Aaron
Windows Migration Assistant transfers your contacts, calendars, email accounts, and more from a PC. It migrates this data to the appropriate places on your Mac. After migrating data to your Mac, authorize your computer for iTunes Store purchases. It’s important to authorize before you sync or play content that you download from the iTunes Store.
If you're migrating from one Mac to another Mac, follow the steps to move your content to a new Mac.
Before you begin
To prepare for a smooth migration:
- Make sure that Windows is up to date. Migration Assistant works with Windows 7 and later.
- Make sure that you know the name and password of an administrator account on your PC.
- Connect your Mac and PC to the same network, such as your home Wi-Fi network. Or connect an Ethernet cable between the ports on your Mac and PC to create a direct network connection. Some Mac models require an Ethernet adapter, such as the Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter or Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
- If you're using Microsoft OneDrive on your PC, follow Microsoft's instructions for uninstalling OneDrive before continuing. You can reinstall OneDrive after migration is complete.
Then use the check disk (chkdsk) utility on your PC to make sure that your Windows hard drive doesn’t have any issues:
- Right-click the Start button, then click Run.
- Type
cmd
and press Enter. Command Prompt opens. - At the prompt, type
chkdsk
and press Enter. - If the utility reports that it found problems, type the following, where drive is the letter that represents your Windows startup disk, such as D:
- Press Enter.
- At the prompt, type
Y
, then restart your PC. - Repeat this process until the check disk utility reports no issues. If the utility can't fix every issue that it finds, you might need to have your PC serviced. Then migrate your data to your Mac.
Move your data
This section guides you through migration, post-migration, and what to do if the steps don’t work for you.
How to move your information from a PC to your Mac
- On your PC, download and install the appropriate Windows Migration Assistant, based on the version of macOS on your Mac:
- Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Mojave or later
- Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Sierra and High Sierra
- Windows Migration Assistant for OS X El Capitan or earlier
- Quit any open Windows apps.
- Open Windows Migration Assistant, then click Continue.
- Start up your Mac. Setup Assistant automatically opens the first time you turn on your Mac. If you’ve already set up your Mac, open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- On your Mac, follow the onscreen prompts until you get to the migration pane of the assistant. Select the option to transfer your information “From a Windows PC,” then click Continue.
- When prompted, enter an administrator name and password.
- Click Continue to close any other open apps.
- In the migration window on your Mac, select your PC from the list of available computers. Then wait for the PC to show the same passcode that your Mac shows.
- When both computers display the same passcode, click Continue on your PC and Mac.
- Your Mac scans the drives on your PC to build a list of information to migrate. When the scan completes, select the information that you want to migrate to your Mac and click Continue. Learn about some of the data that you can transfer.
You can watch the progress and estimated time remaining on both the PC and your Mac. They tell you when migration is complete.
After you move your data
When migration completes, close Windows Migration Assistant on your PC. Then log in to the new user account on your Mac. The first time you log in to a user account migrated from your PC, you’re asked to set a password. You can use the same password that you used on your PC, or create a new password.
After logging in to the user account that you migrated, your computer for iTunes Store purchases. It’s important to authorize before you sync or play content downloaded from the iTunes Store.
If you have issues moving your data
- Quit all open apps on your PC, then try migrating your content again. For example, you can press Alt-Tab to choose an open application, then press Alt-F4 to quit it.
- If your PC doesn't appear in the Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant window on your Mac, make sure the computers are connected to the same network. You can create an network by connecting a single Ethernet cable between your Mac and PC. If that doesn't help, check for firewall software on your PC and turn it off. Firewall software can block network ports needed during migration. After migration completes, you can turn firewall software on again.
- If Migration Assistant doesn’t open on your PC, turn off any antivirus software on your PC. Then try to open Migration Assistant again. After migration completes. You can turn that software on again.
- If you still can't migrate your information successfully, you can use an external drive or file sharing to manually copy important data to your Mac.
What data can I transfer?
Migration Assistant lets you choose the data to move to your Mac. Here’s what moves over for specific apps and data types:
Email, contacts, and calendar information
Email messages, email-account settings, contacts, and appointments move based on which version of Windows you're using and which accounts you have.
Email messages, email-account settings, contacts, and appointments move based on which version of Windows you're using and which accounts you have.
Outlook1
Data from 32-bit versions of Outlook in Windows 7 and later move as follows:
Data from 32-bit versions of Outlook in Windows 7 and later move as follows:
- People move to Contacts2
- Appointments move to the Calendar app
- IMAP and Exchange settings and messages move to the Mail app
- POP settings and messages move to Mail2
Windows Live Mail
Data from Windows Live Mail in Windows 7 and later moves as follows:
Data from Windows Live Mail in Windows 7 and later moves as follows:
- IMAP settings and messages move to Mail
- POP settings and messages move to Mail2
Windows Mail
Data from Windows Mail in Windows 7 and later (excluding Windows 8) move as follows:
Data from Windows Mail in Windows 7 and later (excluding Windows 8) move as follows:
- IMAP settings and messages move to Mail
- POP settings and messages move to Mail2
- People move to Contacts
Bookmarks
Bookmarks from Internet Explorer, Safari for Windows, and Firefox move to Safari.
Bookmarks from Internet Explorer, Safari for Windows, and Firefox move to Safari.
System settings
Language and location settings, and custom desktop pictures move to System Preferences. Your web browser homepage moves to Safari preferences.
Language and location settings, and custom desktop pictures move to System Preferences. Your web browser homepage moves to Safari preferences.
Pictures
Photos and other images move to your home folder. You can then add them to Photos, or open Photos and let it search your Mac for photos to import.
Photos and other images move to your home folder. You can then add them to Photos, or open Photos and let it search your Mac for photos to import.
iTunes content
Migration Assistant transfers your iTunes media as follows: music to the Apple Music app, videos to the Apple TV app, podcasts to the Apple Podcasts app, and audiobooks to the Apple Books app. What happened to iTunes?
Migration Assistant transfers your iTunes media as follows: music to the Apple Music app, videos to the Apple TV app, podcasts to the Apple Podcasts app, and audiobooks to the Apple Books app. What happened to iTunes?
Other files
Migration Assistant also moves these files:
Migration Assistant also moves these files:
- Files from the top-level folder of the currently logged-in user’s home directory
- Non-system files located in the Windows or Program Files folders
- Top-level folders located on the Windows system disk and other attached disks
1. Migration Assistant doesn’t support 64-bit versions of Outlook. You can manually migrate Mail, Contacts, or Calendars from Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 by signing in and entering the content on your Mac manually.
2. Migration Assistant transfers only the Mail or Contacts data that belongs to the logged-in Windows user. To transfer data from another user account, use Migration Assistant again while you’re logged in to another Windows account. Each time you migrate, your Mac creates a new user account.