Switcher: Putting a Windows Computer in Target Disk Mode?

I have convinced my sister to switch to Mac. Yay!
She's buying an iBook. The problem is that her eMachines Windows computer has got a nasty, nasty virus and she can't access any of her data. What happens is that the computer basically turns on and then pops up with something that only allows her to shut the computer down again. I've tried helping over the phone, but she can't get it. She's got a lot of music and photos saved on the computer that she wants.
How can I transfer that stuff to the Mac without using the Windows OS? She is going to buy the computer today, so I need to tell her she's probably going to want to get a Firewire cable to go with it so that she can get the data.

This is not site recommendation, just an example of what I was talking about: Hard Drive Enclosures. She would pull the hard drive out of her old machine and put it into the new enclosure. The old internal would become an external drive.
The other benefit of this would be after getting all files off of it, she could reformat it and wipe it clean to use for backups of her new iBook.
You just have to make sure you get the correct enclosure for the type of drive: IDE, EIDE, ATA, etc. The drive will have a label on it that says what it is.
Also, you are correct about the network connection. She has to be a able to boot the PC for you to share via ethernet.
PS Firewire is called IEEE 1394 on PCs.
And... make sure you get the correct size case for the drive. the link I gave was for 3.5" drives--most likely that is what it is
1.8 SP G5/iMac G4 FP/PB G3 Pismo Mac OS X (10.4.4) XLR8 G4 Upgrade for Pismo

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Is it possible to install OSX on another computer via Target disk mode?

Hey there...
a friend of mine has an older iBook. the drive on this iBook is broken (snapped off) so there's no way of using it.
is it possible to install OS Panther from another computer (use OS X panther install running on a MacBook, or G4) targeting the iBook via Target Disk mode?
thanks!
-

Hello Again SCHPiLKAS!
As roam posted, you cannot use the Intel MacBook install discs, on the PPC iBook.
Additional info in these links.
Using OS X Install CDs/DVDs On Multiple Macs
What's A Computer Specific Mac OS X Release
Software Update, Upgrade: What's The Difference?
If the iBook meets the Panther System Requirements, and the Additional Panther System Requirements, and you have a Full Retail Version, of the Panther Install CDs, you can use Firewire Target Disk Mode, to install the system.
The Panther discs should look, exactly like the images in the above links, and not say Upgrade, CPU Drop-in DVD, or "This software is part of a hardware bundle purchase - not to be sold seperately." on them.
ali b

Power Mac G4 stuck in Target Disk Mode

The other night I put my Gigbit Ethernet into Target Disk Mode so I could migrate my files to a newer machine (a mirrored drive door G4 with dual 1.42mhz processors). After the migration was complete (which took 9 hours), I tried ejecting the target disk but got a perpetual spinning beach ball and had to force everything off. Unfortunately, either because my newer machine came with a faulty Tiger installation, or my migration messed the installation up - the finder kept crashing and things such as "Get Info" wasn't working- I had to endeavor to get a working version of Tiger on the newer machine. I wanted to clone my older drive to my newer drive.
Futzing around for over an hour to try to gain access to my old Power Mac's hard Disc, which was still, according to the bouncing Icon on the screen, in target disk mode, I could not access the drive at all from the newer machine. When I tried, such as by double clicking on its desktop icon, by right clicking on the same Icon, or if I went into the system preferences to change the startup disk with the gigabit ethernet attached, I got the perpetual spinning beach ball. Also, I could not access the drive from the disk utility app that is on the Tiger install DVD. Luckily, I had a pretty fresh bootable backup of the gigabit ethernet on a firewire drive that I cloned to my newer computer. I just have a handful of files that I want to transfer from the gigabit ethernet if I had my drothers.
Am I screwed here? Is there a way to force my Gigabit Ethernet out of Target Disk Mode without hooking it up to another computer? If it's possible to get the Gigabit Ethernet to boot again successfully, I can transfer my file over my network. Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers

I am confused...it sounds to me like what you wish to do is to make an exact copy of the hard disk in your Gigabit Ethernet and apply that copy to the drive in your MDD, correct?
From what I understand, you are saying you cannot access your GE's hard disk using target disk mode? Or am I mistaken? Also, can you not boot up normally on the GE's hard disk? Is there something wrong with it?
The easiest way to clone a disk is to just make a disk image of the hard disk you wish to keep, and then apply that disk image to the destination disk. Disk utility can perform all this very easily, and pretty quickly. Of course, if you are having trouble booting in target disk mode, this can be a problem...
I'm still kind of confused on what exactly is the problem, and what you are trying to accomplish. Could you please explain a little more and answer the questions above? Much appreciated.

How does one prevent a folder's contents from being read while running in target disk mode?

I want to prevent a folder's contents from being seen or used by a second computer that is connected to my iMac when it is running in the firewire
target disk mode. Whenever I put my iMac into the Target Disk Mode all of its disk contents, for all users on its disk, can be seen and used by the second computer without needing any passwords. Does anyone know of a simple way, short of using FileVault, for protecting folder contents when viewed while running in the target disk mode? I would like to protect the entire contents of my "Documents" folder from being viewed by anyone that connects to my iMac via the firewire target disk mode.

Many users make a password protected Disk Image using Disk Utility to keep selected files protected. I have one such image myself that I keep on my Desktop containing passwords and such. I'm not sure if you could put the entire contents of your Documents folder into a secure disk image but you could certainly make one and put your most sensitive items in it within your Documents folder.
I agree with you for not wanting to use FileVault. I've never used it myself and am very leery of it due to things I've read from other users.
Regards,
Steve M.

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.

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).

Mac shuts down in target disk mode

So I finally replaced my old iMac G4 with a shiny new MacBook Pro. But I've run into problems while attempting to copy user data over during the setup assistant process. I connect the two computers using a firewire cable. I put the old iMac into target disk mode. The PowerBook recognizes all my settings and lets me choose what to copy over. But every time the MacBook Pro starts copying data from the old iMac, the old iMac shuts down. Any ideas?

Don't quite know. Anything in Apple doc.#58583 help?
Perhaps you are using the wrong procedure?
 DALE

Installing over Target Disk Mode using Grey (OEM-type) Discs

I have a set of Tiger grey install discs labeled for use with a Power Mac G5. I would like to use them to upgrade our eMac, but they obviously don't allow this. I have some family who own a G5, and was wondering if it would be possible to connect the eMac to their computer under Target Disk Mode, then install on the eMac by running the installation on the G5. Anyone have any experience trying something smilar?
I know some will probably say doing this would be a violation of the EULA, but I have looked through the license agreement that came with the discs and haven't seen anything that would prohibit such an installation. It is my understanding that starting with version 10.4.4 of OS X, Apple added a clause to the EULA stating that the grey install discs were only permitted for use with the computer they originally shipped with, but prior to this there were no such prohibitions (these discs are labelled as version 10.4.2).
Thanks for any help

Hi sjpetrick, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Physically that would work to install, BUT whether the iMac will Boot/Run thinking it's a G5 is questionable, and even if it does boot, It won't have some needed drivers for the eMac.

Firewire Target DIsk Mode Mac partition not Boot Camp partition

Hi I'm having issues starting up my Mac and would like to Firewire mount the drive then image it. However, when I do so the Boot Camp partition mounts instead of the Mac partition. I've tried using Disk Utility on the host machine to mount the Mac partition (it does show up in Disk Utility) without success, Is there anything I can do.
(Yes I have yesterday's Time Machine backup, but would still prefer to do a full image before wiping and installing the OS).

Are you talking about starting up one computer in Target Disk Mode and then seeing it with a second computer (and if so, which model computer and which OS)?
[How to use FireWire target disk mode|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661] includes description of hardware and software requirements.
[What to do if your Mac doesn't enter FireWire Target Disk Mode|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75414], also read about [Open Firmware Password Protection|http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/openfirmwarepassword.html] which can disable Target Disk Mode.
[Technical Note TN 1189|http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1189.html#TargetMode] - driver details for TDM

OS Upgrade Using Target Disk Mode

Is this possible?
I have a 700 MHz eMac with CD-RW drive running Panther and I want to upgrade it using a Tiger DVD. If I put the eMac in Target Disk mode using my Intel iMac, is it possible to upgrade the OS on the eMac?
My concern is that once I put the DVD into the Intel iMac and launch the installer, the iMac will restart and break the Target Disk connection with the eMac. If this does occur, is there any way to put the eMac back into Target Disk mode once the installer takes control of the iMac?
TIA

Are you intending to upgrade to Tiger using the disk that came with your Intel Mac?
Not possible. It has Intel architecture and your eMac is PPC. Do not attempt it. If it starts installing it will hose your e-Mac. To upgrade the e-Mac you need a
Retail Tiger disk.
The Apple store still sells them.
DALE

Check if Someone used Target Disk Mode on my comp?

Is there any way to see if someone "hacked" into my computer using Target Disk Mode? My only thought is to check the Console but I see nothing active during the time frame I was thinking it happened. Also, can someone delete that info from the Console if they wanted?
Thanks for any info.

hawkeyext wrote:
Just tried what you suggested and no, unfortunately the Console does not log that data down. I'm surprised there is no way to find this information out. Does the hard disk have any sort of log for when it's powered on? I know the Apple Geniuses at the store have access to this because they can test out the battery. I've seen them pull up charts with Charging Times and more.
The hard disk will write changes using the date & time set on the device writing to it. In the same way as any other external disk.
You don't seem to have fully grasped that Target disk mode (TDM) is the Mac's firmware turning the Mac into a 'dumb disk drive'. The Mac OS installed on that hard drive is not in control of the OS - otherwise TDM would be useless for restoring a damaged OS. You can use TDM when the HD is blank etc because the installed OS it is not in control.
Permissions still prevent users reading & writing things they don't own, but anyone with experience will be able to disable/ work around that.
BobHarris is right about physical access. Encryption is the only way to go, combined with a lot of powering down when not in use.
Read the Hardening Tips for Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard"
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/macosx_10_6_hardeningtips.pdf to see what the NSA has to do to get some better security on Macs, it is old now but a lot still applies.

HELP! Macbook won't load into Target Disk Mode

basically long story short i had about 100 mb of memory left on my 200gb macbook pro. i was trying to save a word document when everything froze, i manually restarted the computer and thats when all **** broke loose
heres what happened
-weird sounds coming from computer
-the computer takes about 5-10 min to get to the login prompt
-takes another 5-10 min after login to load desktop wallpaper
-takes about 40 min for it to load anything on the dock and then nothing will load after that none of my desktop icons u cant access any programs..the computer will continue to make weird noises during this time.
heres what ive done so far.
-reset pram (didnt work)
-harddrive test (Did both standard and extended ...test results came back fine nothing seemed to be wrong)
-i tried to use disk utility to repair disk and it said:
+"checking extents overflow file+
+checking catalog file+
+invalid node structure+
+rebuilding catalog b-tree+
+the volume macintosh HD could not be repaired+
+error: the underlying task reported failure on exit+
+1 hfs volum checked+
+-1 volume could not be repaired because of an error+
+repair attempted on 1 volume+
+-1 volume could not be repaired"+
-tried the fsck option and it told me basically the same thing
-tried booting in safe mode ...computer wont boot into safe mode it will just shut itself off
so my last option is trying to get info off of my computer using target disk mode...i have a spare macbook that im using as a host for the macbook pro...
i bought a firewire cable today from the apple store
i followed the directions step by step on the apple website
-i connected the firewire cable, both computers were off.
-i turned the host computer on (target computer remianed off)
- held the T button right as the computer started
- then i got a grey screen with a big firewire logo floating around from left to right
[img]http://www.didntyouhear.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/firewire_logo.jpg[/img]
what am i doing wrong!? ??
someone PLEASE HELP!

ok i figured it out however...
everytime i try to click on my harddrive or folders in the harddrive the host computer freezes as does the target computer...
im using a macbook as the host computer to my macbook pro target...
after performing target disk mode on the target computer and connecting the two computers via firewire...
i can see my target drive on my host desktop....
omg and when i clicc on my targe drive i see all my old folders!!! yay!! that means my old files arent lost forever!
the only problem is when i try to access the folders i get the colored pinwheel
and its very slow..... nothin will load and then my host computer freezes and i have to forcequit...i didnt even get to begin transferring the files before the host computer would freeze....as this would happen the fans on the target computer would be whirring up and the floating firewire logo screensaver on the target computer would also stop floating from left to right..
what gives?

Instal OS 10.4 trough target disk mode

Hello, this is my first question here.
I am trying to install os 10.4 on a computer with no DVD player using the target disk mode as described in de apple website. I have connected a computer with DVD player in target mode to the computer with only te cd player, but only the hard disk of the computer in target disk mode appears on the desktop, not the DVD
Is the any way to get this to appear?
Thanks

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Make sure you are using the Tiger retail disc which looks like this picture
It doesn't always work right, and if you have trouble, I strongly recommend getting an external DVD drive that can boot Mac OS X such as those sold by http://www.macsales.com/ or http://www.lacie.com/ or get the Tiger Media Exchange program that gives you CD version on http://www.apple.com/befr/macosx/mediaexchange/

Start in Target disk mode and is dead

I put my macbook pro in target disk mode for boot another power book from firewire, he asked me for restart, and now dosent start. Is dead. Nothing respond. What to do? HELP

Strange. It's one of the graphite colored boxes. I bought it as a G4. Maybe they used G3 motherboards for the early G4s. I tried using my iBook in target disk mode and mounting it on the old G4 desktop, then selecting the installation DVD as the startup disk. The machine booted into OS 9, but the iBook's drives mounted. I guess this model has no support for target disk mode and it can't even boot from a target disk.

Target Disk Mode with Set Up Assistant?

I am receiving a new Mac Pro on Monday and want to transfer all my apps and data and settings from my old Mac Pro (running 10.6.8), via Set Up Asst using firewire target disk mode. My question is, do I connect and turn on the old Mac before I start up the new Mac for the first time? Thanks in advance.

Thansk very much, Barney-15E. Here's what I did, which worked perfectly: in system prefs on old computer, selected Restart machine in Targe Disk Mode. It restarted as advertised. Connected old to new computer via firewire. Then hit power button on new computer, for first time. Set Up assistant ran right away, and I chose the option to import settings, users, data, apps from disk (old computer in target disk mode), which was mounted. Worked perfectly. I am impressed by how smooth this transition was, inherited my old time machine backups, everything is great.

Switcher: Putting a Windows Computer in Target Disk Mode?

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