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I'm using macOS Ventura 13.4.1.

Before migrating to my current Mac desktop, I changed the name of its predecessor from "MyMac" to "MyMacOLD" and then did the migration from TimeMachine.

The new Mac is named "MyMac".

Yet when I use file sharing from this new "MyMac" to a MacBook and transfer files from "MyMac" to the MacBook using a file comparison/transfer app (namely, VisualDiffer), each time I try a comparison of corresponding folders on the two machines, I get a pop-up error "There was a problem connecting to the server "MyMacOLD".

If I just dismiss that pop-up, it pops up again; dismissing it again now allows the comparison of folders, and subsequent syncing via the app, to proceed.

The Mac's SystemSettings > General > About shows the name as "MyMac"

The situation persists even after I used all the steps shown at https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Setting-the-Mac-hostname-or-computer-name-from-the-terminal.html that use the terminal command scutil to set the name to "MyMac" (without the quotes, of course), including the restart.

Question: Where is that name "MyMacOLD" being picked up from, and how can I fix it to be what my Mac is supposed to be named, "MyMac"?

murray
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    There are three names using scutil that need to be set. See this answer for more details. – Allan Jun 26 '23 at 16:57
  • On the old Mac, which name is shown in System Settings? Which name is shown in Terminal? – nohillside Jun 26 '23 at 17:50
  • @nohillside: The machine that had been named "MyMacOLD" is long gone, back to Apple in a trade-in. On the desktop Mac which I'm using as server for file sharing, the name in SystemSettings is MyMac. – murray Jun 26 '23 at 18:59
  • @Allan: Yes, as I said, I used scutil to set all three to MyMac. And that's what scutil --get .... shows for ComputerName, HostName, and LocalHostName. In System Settings > General > Sharing, at the bottom, Local hostname displays as MyMac.local. – murray Jun 26 '23 at 19:03
  • Did you restart your router since the old Mac has gone? If not, this might be worth a try. – nohillside Jun 26 '23 at 19:08
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    @nohillside: I have restarted the router (actually, both a cable gateway and a router) since the old Mac has been gone, and more than once, due to outages! – murray Jun 26 '23 at 19:22
  • What do you get when you type hostname in Terminal? – Allan Jun 26 '23 at 20:03
  • The router works by MAC (Media Access Control and not Macintosh) address so your new Mac would get a completely different IP address and hostname from your old one. It can’t be the router. Did you change the computer name in Sharing as well? – Allan Jun 26 '23 at 20:16
  • @Allan: In Ventura, the Sharing settings look different from what you linked to. Under File Sharing, there's no field to type in a name. The information icon takes me to a pop-up saying, "Other users can access shared folders on this computer, and administrators all volumes, at smb://10.0.0.8. So no name shown there! – murray Jun 26 '23 at 20:36
  • @Allan: in Ventura, at the bottom of the Sharing panel, the Local hostname is, as I said, MyMac.local. – murray Jun 26 '23 at 20:37
  • I’m on an iPad and doing this from memory, so please bear with me. In Ventura, it’s under Settings → General → About. Confirm that it’s accurate there as well. – Allan Jun 26 '23 at 20:39
  • @Allan: Yes, correct in System Settings > General > About. – murray Jun 26 '23 at 21:40

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