Can u boot from a Mac in target disk mode

I'm wanting to know if I put a Mac mini in target disk mode, can I boot from that Mac mini from my MacBook Pro. I'm wanting to set up a mini as a server but it may have to be the basic and ill install server on it but I prefer to do it without using a monitor. I'm curious to know if its possible.

You don't need a monitor with the MM, and neither boot in Target Mode. Like me, use screen sharing for remote access over the network:
On the MM, -> System Preferences -> Sharing, there check Remote Management and choose which user, if not all, may have access. If you're not the only one, you can limit access for each user under Options.
Under -> System Preferences -> Energy Saver, it makes sense to check Wake for network access.
Then you can log out from the MM, leave it sitting at the login screen and turn off or disconnect its screen.
On the remote Mac, open Finder and find the MM under Shared. Click in it, then on Share Screen. You'll need to enter the login credentials for your account on the MM, eventually save it to your Keychain. Then your MM's login screen should appear in a window on your remote Mac. You have now full access to the MM.

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Hard disk not recognised - will not boot from cd & No FW Target Disk mode

hi,
some help would be greatly appreciated.
Some time ago i was switching internal hard drives around and wound up with a kernel panic of some sort (see my previous posts).
following on from this I have tried FW target disk mode with no success, and it will not boot from a retail Tiger install disc (this machine has tiger installed (i think!). I can't force a boot from the optical drive and i also can't even force it to eject the disc inside to try another install DVD/CD (I have panther discs lying around also).
when i start up with the c key nothing happens, but when i start up with the alt/option key i get a closed padlock symbol, password entry field and a "right facing arrow" button.
anyone got any clues with this? i'm guessing it could either and/or be an internal hard drive ribbon failure (i have swapped internal HDs multiple times in this machine, which can't be good for it) or the familiar PRAM problem (although why would it not boot from an install DVD if this was the case?). I have changed the power supply unit in the past due to having a power cable snap off inside the original one - damage to PRAM caused by this?
help would be muchly appreciated!
Jesse

Hi, Jesse. Remove the hard drive and its cable, then see whether you can start up from a CD or DVD. If that works, replace your hard drive cable.

Disk startup full- can't boot normally. Now in target disk mode.

Hello all, so here's my dilemma-
My disk startup is full and now I am unable to boot my computer past the apple logo and the loading circle.
Here's what I've tried,
I am now in target disk mode attempting to transfer over my files to an external HD via a good computer and then wipe/restore the OS on my bad computer THEN transfer my files over to the bad(now good) computer however..... some of my files won't transfer, especially in my iphoto library (It's HUGE 82 gigs) & my very elaborate final cut pro projects that have taken me h o u r s to do.... For example, some video icons don't show up with a snapshot of the video as they are suppose to but instead they're shown with a a default video icon which almost makes me think they're damaged files but the thing is- I was just working with these files.. My comp passed all HD tests. I don't think it's damaged...I don't know what's going on. If I could just find a way to delete some files...especially from my trash(30 gigs in there) so I'm able to at least boot properly, that would be great
Is there anyway to retrieve these stubborn files via target disk mode or another option?
Also do you maybe have an easier way for me to go about this entire process instead of transferring 500gb of data back and forth? I tried to access my trashcan via target disk mode and delete the 30 gigs I have in there but I was unable to delete it- and I do have "read and write" switched on.
Thanks in Advance!! ANY help is appreciated. I'm at wits end here.
Details
-I have a mid 2012 macbook pro connected with the mid 2012 imac that I'm running on target disc mode via thunderbolt cable (I also tried a 2013 air- same issues)

Before you spend a lot of money with a professional recovery service, look over these links:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201583
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/trash.html
Ciao.

Can I boot an iMac from my PB in Target Disk Mode?

I'm housesitting at my parents this weekend, and would like to know if I can bootup my Powerbook G4 in Target Disk mode and then use it as the Startup volume on my parents Intel iMac. In System Preferences it doesn't give my Hard Drive as an option for a startup volume.
I think I just answered my question... OS X on my Powerbook is the PPC version... and probably can't use the PPC version as a Startup on the Intel....

Hi Joel Jenkins;
I would say NO.
First of all since they have an Intel and you have PowerPC The code will not be compatible. Secondly there the problem that the Intel machine has to have the disk formatted differently. So I don't think this idea will work for you.
Why pray tell were you thinking of doing this any way? Exactly what did you hope to accomplish?
Allan

2008 MacBook Pro won't boot from Leopard DVD or Target Disk

Yesterday I was working on my MacBook Pro. I use FontExplorer to manage fonts. I ran the conflicts diagnostic looking for missing font files, which returned about 200 results (I was expecting this). I've moved the fonts installed by Adobe/Microsoft out of my fonts folder in my user library (user library, not system). For some reason the computer started to become very slow, to the point of beachballing. The freezing seemed to start and stop. I was able to close FontExplorer and Illustrator without force-quitting. I tried to shut it down gracefully at that point but it froze up again, so I hit the power button to force a restart. It started up but now it hangs on the gray screen right before the Apple logo. The logo doesn't come up, I can hear the drive spinning as normal but it doesn't do anything.
I've tried booting from a retail copy of the Snow Leopard, but it doesn't work. I can hear the disc spin up in the DVD drive as though the computer is about to read it, but nothing happens. It just stays on that same blue screen. I've tried booting my MBP in Target Disk mode from my iMac. The target disk icon appears, however it just sits in the middle of the screen and my drive doesn't mount on the iMac. I've noticed now that the white status light on the front of the MBP (on the latch) doesn't come on, and if I cover the speakers the backlight doesn't turn off.
What do I do now? I have an enclosure I could use to try and boot the MBP's drive from, but I'm running out of options. I'm really starting to worry about my data. I have a major school project that's already late which is on there, and I don't have a recent backup. If I don't hand it in... let's not go there. I don't understand how this could happen; I take very good care of my computer, I turn it off when it's not in use, and I run Cocktail on it once a day which does a SMART status check.
Help?

sig,
The first thing I tried was booting from the install disk. The 2008/2009 MBP's aren't able to boot from a retail DVD of Snow Leopard, which is why I ended up using the original hardware-specific install disk that shipped with my computer. That didn't boot either. I was able to view the drive in Disk Utility when it was in the enclosure, but the partition with my data on it would not mount. I attempted a repair disk on the drive but that failed. It wouldn't mount in Terminal either. I considered trying to rebuild the volume catalog using TechTool Pro but there's the possibility that could actually make things worse. So I've taken it to the repair shop. They're running it through DiskWarrior overnight, last I heard there were 60-something thread errors. Yesterday my SMART status was fine, today my drive is dead. What happened? Hoping for the best (but expecting the worst).

Installing Leopard from a PowerPC mac to an Intel mac via Target Disk mode

I've just purchased Leopard, but thanks to the common and very annoying faulty MacBook Pro disk drive, I cannot even read the DVD, much less install from it. Before, the disk drive error never affected purchased DVDs, only the ability to read and burn to empty DVDs, but now, apparently, I can't even read Apples own disks.
As the new system disk is Universal, would it be possible to start the installer form the cd on my sister's PowerPC mac (12' Powerbook), and install the system on my MacBook Pro's harddrive, mounted as a firewire drive, or would the installer automatically choose the PowerPC version, since it is launched on a PowerPC computer?
And, if so, is there any way to tell the installer to install the Intel version of Leopard if I run it on a PowerPC computer?

well, looks like I'll have to install Leopard through the Firewire Target Disk mode as my MacBook can't read the DVD. I would appreciate if someone could review the steps below to let me know if I am on the right track. The MacBook is the computer on which I want to load 10.5 and the iMac G5 (PowerPC chip) is the computer on which I will insert the DVD.
- First question: Am I correct (see above) in saying that the MacBook is the Target computer?
- Insert DVD in Host computer
- Connect Target to Host using FW cable
- Turn on Target computer press and hold T to launch in target mode
- select DVD drive from disk options
- this is where I get fuzzy, would I simply click the Install icon? And then what? Will the MacBook know to reboot in Target Mode or do I have to hold down T again?
- anything else I am missing?
Thanks.

How can i stop my mbp from starting up in target disk mode

how can i stop my mbp from starting up in target disk mode

It should only do that if you hold down the T key at startup. Otherwise the PRAM battery is probably near death, or the T key needs to be cleaned so it doesn't think it is being held down. To clean the keyboard properly, you will probably need to bring it in for service.

G5 won't boot but will go to target disk mode

Hi,
Well it started like this: suddenly a dark grey veil lowered across the screen with a notice in several languages saying "you must restart your mac" (or something to that effect). I panicked and pressed the power button, the mac shut down.
I started it again but it only got as far as the grey Apple screen and then sat there for a while until the fans started ramping up in the famous jet engine style. I shut it down again.
I have tried starting it:
In single user mode = no joy, same as above
In safe mode = some text on a black background, keyboard not functional, fans start going crazy again.
In target disk mode = everything exactly as one might expect, all files accessable, fans ticking over normally.
I have attached an ibook to it, booted the G5 in Target disk mode and run disk utility, repair, but it reported the disk "could not be unmounted". There was a lot of clicking from the G5 though so I assume something happened. I then ran "verify" and it reported that everything was fine.
The G5 still won't start, exhibiting the same symtoms as before.
Anyone got any ideas?
Cheers,
Cliff

Hi Cliff, and a warm welcome to the forums!
See if any of this gives us more clues....
How to reset the SMU on a Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) or Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436
Earlier G3, G4, G5 models...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1939
PM G5 won't start...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2173

How to identify OS on Mac in target disk mode?

If I have a Mac that won't boot, but I can mount the disk in target disk mode, how can I tell what OS is installed on it? Is there some aspect of the directory structure (or just a file somewhere) that identifies Tiger vs. Leopard vs....?

(I think I answered my own question)
If there's a /System/Library/PreferencePanes/TimeMachine.prefPane I guess it's Leopard, huh?

Can a MacBook Pro with Leopard be Target Disk mode to take my Snow Leopard iMac data?

I might be going about this wrong, but I wonder if it can be done: I have an older MacBook Pro that has a clean fresh install of Leopard on it. I would like to get my current account and data from my iMac (running Snow Leopard) on to the MBP by using Target Disk Mode. I tried to take saId data off the iMac by target disking it ( FROM iMac TO macbook ) but that gave me a warning about going from a newer operating system down to an older one. Soooo... can I go in the other direction and target disk the laptop? Somehow, I don't think that is really the best way to do it. I do not have the Snow Leopard install disk anymore, so I can't upgrade the laptop. But is that what I am really going to have to do, to do this right? Thanks!

You can't migrate a user account from a later OS to an earlier one.
You can use TDM to move your data by drag & drop, but you won't be able to retain all preferences.
Easiest way would be to put the MBP in TDM and use Disk Utility from the iMac to erase the Macintosh HD on the MBP and then use the Restore function to clone the whole system from the iMac to the MBP.
But there are caveats - If the OS on the iMac was installed originally from a retail SL disc (white with white cat on it) this should work fine.
But - if the OS on the iMac is the one it shipped with (installed from a grey disc), it won't have the battery management software required by the MBP.
In that case your choices are limited to manually moving your data from your home folder to the new account on the MBP, or buy a retail SL disc and upgrade the MBP then use setup assistant to transfer the user and applications.
As always, I would recommend backing up your data from the iMac to an external drive before starting any of this.

Can iMac Retina mount external HD in Target Disk Mode?

I'm trying to mount an ailing HD in a 24" iMac to my iMac Retina in Target Disk Mode. It will not mount. I'm using a Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter. When I plug the Thunderbolt adapter into a MacBook Air, the Target Disk HD mounts....
Is this the way it is with iMac Retina?

I'm not sure what you are trying to confirm here. If I boot from the install disk, why would I get a different driver than what I would get by installing the OS (from that same disk)? Or if it is a firmware problem then the disk doesn't matter at all.
If I boot from the install disk the sytem still doesn't recognize the G4 iBook in TDM. I don't know if this is relavent, but I have to boot the G4 iBook, connect the firewire cable, then boot the Intel iMac in TDM mode for it to mount on the iBook. Booting the iMac first, or connecting the firewire cable after the iMac has booted does not work. If I hold down the option key while booting the Intel iMac it will let me select the startup disk. If I insert the install disk it will add the install disk to the menu. If I connect a firewire cable and boot the G4 iBook in TDM it does not add the firewire disk. If I boot the iBook in TDM mode then boot the iMac from the install disk it does not see the iBook either. In all cases the Intel machine ignores the PowerPC machine.
The system profiler does not say who made the FW chip. I too am suspicious that it some kind of driver/firmware problem. I have an old firewire iPod , and I have an old firewire iSight camera, and they both work fine with the Intel iMac. There is another discusion were someone was having trouble with a firewire drive on an Intel iMac. Firewire is pretty symmetric (unlike USB which is master/slave). It is odd that one direction should work and not the other. It seem like some obscure bug that only effects block devices on the Intel side.

No security for intel macs in target disk mode?

By putting an intel MacBook in target disk mode, all the files are accessable by another computer which can mount the disk. If my machine is stolen, apparently I have no security. I found one post that says intel macs actually have some firmware password protection, but I have not been able to find how to turn it on. The Open Firmware Password feature does not work on intel macs. This seems to be a really big loophole. Having a login password is worthless if your machine is stolen. If anyone can help, please point out where there is more information on this issue.

If your computer is stolen firmware password will not protect your data. Even if the thief can't turn off the password, the disk drive can be removed and connected to another computer. Passwords, and other information, stored in keychains are still safe, however. The only way to protect other data is to use Filevault, Be sure to have good backups, because any error can make all your data inaccessible (as would the theft of the computer, of course).

PowerBook G4 With New Hard Drive - Can't boot from 10.2 OS Install Disk

My sister's hard drive died so I bought and installed a new Seagate 160GB drive. She has OS 10.2 OS disks but is not sure if they were for this computer. The fact that the computer is copyright 2004, and the disks 2002 makes me wonder. When I try to boot with the 10.2 disk, I never see the drive icon when I'm booting up. Holding keys results in:
Option - Return Arrow and Next Arrow, no drive icons
T - With attached USB DVD drive - only get the strange floating Y with the circle in the middle
None - just the folder and ?
I've also reset the PRAM.
Are these the right disks? If so, is there something else I need to do to have the computer recognize the CD when booting up?
The disks are white with the Jaguar(?) spotted X. The only text on them say Mac OS X v10.2/Install disk 1; Not for Resale; Version 10.2/2Z691-3706-A; the Mac and Apple logos and the copyright 2002 notice.
PowerBook G4
Model a1095; copyright 2004
1.3GHz/256MB/60G/Combo/BT/APX
W84200GUQHX

Hi, kjfrey55 -
Typically the OS version that a machine originally shipped with is the minimum OS version it can use.
Based on info from the s/n you gave, your machine is a PowerBook G4 (15 inch) model, with an estimated ship date of Aug '04.
That model originally shipped with OSX 10.3.3. It can not use OSX 10.2.
It can use a retail OSX Panther disk set provided that the version on it is OSX 10.3.4 or higher (if those exist).
It can also use a retail OSX 10.4 (Tiger) disk set.
You may be able to get a replacement original disk set for it from Apple's Customer Service -
http://www.apple.com/contact/phone_contacts.html

Can't get Target Disk Mode to work with host computer

Here's the problem. My Powerbook G4 went down a week ago (it's 7 years old) and I suspect the problem is either the hard drive or the portion of the logic board controlling the drive. I also have a Power Mac G4 400 that's running OS 10.4 Tiger. I've been trying to extract some files (that I failed to back up) from the Powerbook via Target Disk Mode using the older Power Mac as the host, however the target disk doesn't show up on the host screen. When I boot up the Powerbook holding the T key, it chimes and the FireWire symbol shows up like it's suppose to, but that's as far as goes. I plan on upgrading to a newer Mac, which would probably work better as a host, but money is a bit tight right now. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If the trouble with the Powerbook is either a failed hard drive or a failed hard drive controller, FireWire Target Disk Mode isn't likely to work with any host computer. What you may want to try is installing data recovery software on the desktop G4 and seeing whether it can see the Powerbook's drive (connected in FWTDM) even though it won't mount. Data recovery software is often able to salvage data from drives that won't mount normally; it may be able to do the same thing via FWTDM.
These three DR utilities are all available in free downloadable demo versions that will show you what the full version would be able to recover before you have to pay for anything:
Data Rescue
FileSalvage
VirtualLab
Good luck.

Can I Erase/Install In Target Disk Mode?

I need to reinstall my Mac OS on my 13" MacBook Pro (Early 2011) but I'm having some issues. This began after a restart and I got the grey Apple Hardware Test Screen. The tests ran, and my hardware "appears to be OK". I haven't been able to start successfully in any of the ways that I normally would.
When I try to start from my hard drive, I get the Apple Logo and a progress bar. The progress bar goes about a third of the way and then my machine turns itself off. Doesn't matter if I hold down the shift key to start in safe mode.
When I try to start from my Mac OS X Snow Leopard CD I get the Apple Logo screen then a black box stating "You need to restart your computer" etc.
When I boot the hard drive in Target Disk Mode, I'm told Disk Utilities can't repair my disk, and I'll have to format my Hard Drive. (Hardly a surprise given the above)
I have the original disks that came with my computer and Mac OS Snow Leopard. I was going to install the OS using the original disks then update to Mac OS Snow Leopard. This leads me to three questions:
Can I erase/install the OS while in Target Disk Mode by inserting the Mac OS CDs into my desktop then selecting my laptop as the disk to install on.
Because I can still access all of the contents of my hard drive in Target Disk Mode, should I just drag and drop everything into the external hard drive I just bought or is there some sort of disk image-y something or other I should be creating. If so, how do I create the Disk Image?
In all likely hood is my internal hard drive just dead?

Easy solution is this: Computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery. Update your firmware if needed. Then:
Install OS X Using Internet Recovery
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
Partition and Format the hard drive:
Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
To answer the question about Target Disk Mode, the answer is if you can connect two Macs that both have Firewire ports, then you can treat your MBP to TDM so its drive will mount on the other Mac's Desktop. If you can boot the other drive from your Leopard disc, then you can do a clean install of Leopard on your MBP from the other computer.

Can u boot from a Mac in target disk mode

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