Firewire transfer without Target Disk Mode

Is there anyway to connect two Macs to files transfer without using Target Disk Mode, or rather, without having to shut either of the two machines down first? Either natively or with another program?

you can just use regular file sharing. enable file sharing on both macs in system preferences->sharing. then on mac1 you'll see mac 2 in the sidebar in finder in the Shared section. click on it, connect with your usernname and password and transfer away. the macs need to be on the same local network. for faster connection connect them directly by an ethernet or a firewire cable.

Similar Messages

No FireWire cable for Target Disk Mode

I have an original MacBook1,1 running Snow Leopard 10.6.8. It will not start up, I have tried everything on this Apple web page , Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup, besides an erase and reinstall and I don't know what to do. It won't read the Snow Leopard update disk (My other two Macs do). When I restart In Verbose Mode, it always stops right after 'Airport: RSN handshake complete on en1'. When i started my other Mac in Verbose Mode, after 'Airport: RSN handshake complete on en1', it went straight to the login window. I called Apple support and they said that I need to perform an erase and reinstall but first I need to get an install disk for Mac OS X Tiger 10.4. and get some things off using Target Disk Mode. I do not have a FireWire cable and do not want to have to go and buy one. I have an Ethernet cable and a male - male USB cord. The two other Macs that I have are an iMac7,1 running Snow Leopard 10.6.8, and a MacBook6,1 running Mavericks 10.9.4. If you have any solutions for fixing it without the erase, or just a way to get my info off of it, please help.
Thank you in advance!

The USB cable won't be useful in that situation, and the Ethernet one will only help if you have access to a computer running Mac OS X Server. Get a FireWire cable.
(111882)

Connect 2 Macs w/ Firewire. Not Target disk mode.

I have a PowerBook and an early 09 iMac 24". I used to connected them via firewire to transfer files. Suddenly... the iMac won't recognize the PowerBook... but the Powerbook will recognize the iMac. Actually, the iMac does recognize the PB, but only shows the "drop box" folder.
Is there anyway to configure a firewire connection or something else I might have overlooked? I'm not interested in target disk mode.

Sorry to take awhile to get back to you. I had no experience with connecting two Macs with FireWire, except with TDM. But today I have played around with connecting my iMac and my Mac mini with a FW cable directly.
I assume that you did two things in System Preferences that facilitate this connection; 1. you have created the FireWire network in the Network pane, and 2. you have enabled File Sharing in the Sharing pane. The only other thing to do is make sure that you have selected Bonjour computers in the Shared section of the Sidebar pane of the Finder Preferences.
Then, no matter which style of windows you use for the Finder; icons, list, columns or Cover Flow, you should be presented with a Connect button if you highlight the other computer in a Finder window's Sidebar.

Firewire Cable (for target disk mode)

Hi all,
I'm using a Late 2010 27" i5 iMac and a Late 2009 15" MacBook Pro. I'm going to reformat and reinstall the iMac this weekend but need to grab all my Music/Documents (you know the drill) from it. Last time I did this, I did it over a 100mbps network, needless to say it was absolutely horribly slow. So, today I'm going to pick up a cheap-ish firewire cable and target my laptop as a disk using target disk mode.
Which type of Firewire cable do I need to buy? It's either a 4-pin or 6-pin choice, no 9-pins available at the shop I intend to visit. I have no idea what the difference is between them - hardware is definitely not my game.
Both ports look like this (taken from Apple's docs, Firewire 800):
Any advice would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Andy

I'm using a Late 2010 27" i5 iMac and a Late 2009 15" MacBook Pro.
Just verified the specs for these two in MacTracker just to be sure. Yes, both are FW800. So you need a 9-pin to 9-pin FW cable (like these)

How do I put my MacBook in "target disk mode" without FireWire?

I bought an aluminum MacBook (13 inch) and am shocked that there is no FireWire port. WHY? I want to hook it up to my MacPro as a targeted disk to copy over some but not all of my files. Also, I'd like to connect to some external hard drives to get some backed up files. Can I do this with USB? Is there a USB to FireWire adapter?

The hard drive is fairly easy to remove on the aluminum Macbook. I would remove it and install it in an external Firewire enclosure temporarily to transfer your files quickly and reliably, then put the drive back in the Macbook.
Ethernet works great, IF you have two FUNCTIONAL machines. The great thing about Firewire Target Disk mode was that if the HD/OS was corrupted, or the computer was for some reason unbootable you could still get data off of it quickly, without tools or special equipment.
Ethernet works great, IF you have two FUNCTIONAL machines. The great thing about Firewire Target Disk mode was that if the HD/OS was corrupted, or the computer was for some reason unbootable you could still get data off of it quickly, without tools or special equipment.

Where do i put folder to transfer during firewire target disk mode?

just tried moving a large folder of tiff files through target disk mode ot
my desktop -
could not find folder.
where do I put this large folder to transfer
when i have it in that mode.
have the folder on my desktop but could not get to it.
thx
deb

Are you having trouble finding it before you copy it, or afterward?

Macbook in target disk mode locks up when trying to transfer files to another computer. Suggestions?

A week ago I installed snow leopard on my girlfriend's macbook without backing anything up. Dumb idea I know. The installation failed multiple times. I ran her computer in target disc mode to try to save what files I could. Now when I try to transfer files it will freeze up at different times. Sometimes I can transfer a huge amount of data like 4GB's and the other times it locks up trying to transfer 4kB's. I'm at my wits end trying to figure this out. I can see the files but can not transfer them.
Any suggestions or past similar past experiences?

Hi Anand,
Have you noticed when you plug the drive in whether its making any sounds? You can put your ear up to the drive on the Macbook. Its located on the right hand front sided of the top case.
Also, check to see if the target disk mode icon is moving after a few minutes. If the firewire icon has stopped moving it usually indicates that theres something seriously wrong (probably mechanical) with the drive.
Id definitely give Disk Warrior a try. Especially if you have a situation where you can hear the drive running or spin up but it doesn't make any sound after that. Hope this helps.

Firewire Target Disk mode confusion

Alright, so after 1.5yrs my PowerMac decides to crash...after spending time on phone with Apple support and internet, only option is complete reinstall. So I was told about Firewire Target Disk Mode and the ability to transfer all data from crashed computer to a working one, and after reading countless post on this forum as well as others, Im still a little bit in the grey on which is the Host and which is the target, so I felt that I would see if I could get a case-specific answer from my friends here...
If please could someone select correct answer.
Both computers off, start the (crashed/working) computer while holding the "T" key.
Also, is there any way I could cause any data loss to the working computer? Its my roommates and it would be terrible in if fixing mine it destroyed his!!!
PowerMac G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
Thank you very much in advance...and please flame me if I didnt make any sense, but hopefully will understand what Im trying to do and help a desperate man out. Thanks again!!!

I'm still a little bit in the grey on which is the Host
and which is the target, so I felt that I would see
if I could get a case-specific answer from my friends
here...
The "Target" in Target Disk Mode ("TDM") is the computer that is placed into TDM. The paradigm is that, by booting the TDM computer with the "T" key depressed, it becomes just a fancy Firewire disk (with the TDM icon on the screen) just like any other Firewire disk, and can be mounted on any other working Macintosh computer (the "Host") as an external drive.
In most cases (but not yours), it actually can be done with either computer as the "Host" and the other one as the TDM (Target). Because you can't boot your computer, it will have to be the Target so that the boot ROM can do the Firewire magic to make the drive be a Firewire TDM drive.
If please could someone select correct answer.
Both computers off, start the (crashed/working)
computer while holding the "T" key.
In your case (see above), it should be the "crashed" computer that is put into TDM mode by booting with the T key depressed.
Also, is there any way I could cause any data loss to
the working computer?
Oh sure, just like you could operating on any Computer. You could drag all of the files on the Host computer to the trash, and many would go there (some would need the admin password). You could erase the disk (Mac OS won't let you erase the boot disk, but you could boot from a CD/DVD on the Host computer and erase the boot drive. And you could make the mistake of copying the files from the TDM drive (the crashed computer) on top of similar but possibly different files on the Host. But connecting the TDM computer as a mounted drive, without more, won't cause data loss. It will require some mistake by the person at the keyboard (you).
Hope this helps,
Russ

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

My G4 AGP won't startup after turning on firewire target disk mode

Can any one help me on this? I have a G4 AGP Graphics Mac running 10.4.11.
I turned on firewire target disk mode in the startup utilities to transfer files to my G5. The G4 started up in Firewire just fine and I could open it up as a drive on my G5, but the problem now is that the G4 won't startup in anything but firewire mode.
So my question is: How do you shut off the firewire target disk mode? I have tried all the keyboard commands at startup and inserted the Tiger install disk and holding the C key, but nothing will let me get me passed the Firewire Icon at startup.
Any help would be appeciated, Thanks.

Hi Steve, and a warm welcome to the forums!
More things to try...
Does it boot into Open Firmware with CMDOption+of ?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42642
reset-nvram (press Enter)
set-defaults (press Enter)
reset-all (press Enter)
Have you done a PRAM reset...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
Tried resetting the PMU?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449

Transfer speed in Target Disk mode

This may not be a question as I am not even interested in the "why" any more.
My MBP (2.0GHz, 2GB Ram, 7200rpm HD, Week 15) is in target disk mode, and I am copying my Aperture Library (50GB) over to my PowerMac G4 via firewire. Obviously the firewire ports on both sides are Firewire 400, but the file transfer speed appears to be noticeably slow compared to a similar transfer between my external hard drive and the PowerMac G4.
When I copy over the exact same library (50GB, about 40,000 files according to Finder) from the external HD to the PowerMac, it takes less than 40 minutes. Now between my MBP and PowerMac G4, Finder estimates more than 2 hours.
I am curious why this is the case when both the external HD and my MBP have 7200rpm drives. Has anyone noticed this too?

Disks aren't (usually) rated by read/write speed, at
least not by the manufacturers. They sell by
capacity.
You’re kidding, right? Drive manufacturers specify transfer rates, average, minimum and maximum seek times. Rotational latencies and cache buffer sizes. All these parameters are direct measures of performance, and people who design and build systems pay close attention to them. I know I do. I’ve been putting 10,000 RPM Ultra-160 and now Ultra-320 SCSI drives and dual-channel SCSI adaptors in my Linux desktops for several years, now. These parameters have a large effect on performance, obviously.
It's not a question of 'consider', it's a question of
verifiable fact - data on the inner part of the
spindle cannot be written or read as quick as data on
the outer part. …
If you cannot tolerate the minimum speeds, then you cannot use that part of the drive. If you’re going to use the full capacity of the drive, you won’t get the speed. You are forced to de-rate the drive one way or the other.
That’s what I’m saying.
In other words, if you’re going to use the whole drive, then you’re going to get the speeds you get. Avoiding filling it is not really an option, is it?
Randall Schulz

Export Safari bookmarks via FireWire target disk mode?

FYI There is NO "export bookmarks" in my Safari File, as there should be.
I need to export my Safari bookmarks via firewire from a G4 to a G5. BUT I can't find anyway to export them. Please help!

What I believe Hawaiian_Starman ment, is once you have the G4 drive mounted on the G5 you can transfer files. It's easy to do this by FireWire Target Disk Mode. The drive will show up with the FW symbol. At that point just copy the old bookmark file into your home directory:
copy "FW Hard Drive"/Users/{username}/Library/Safari/bookmarks.plist to ~/Library/Safari/
Where "FW Hard Drive" is the name of the external drive on the desktop. {username} is your old username on the external drive. ~ is you home directory on your internal hard drive.
Make sure you have Safari quit before copying the bookmark file over.
Also if you want to network the two computer together just on a temporary basis, just plug in an ethernet cable between the two. Have both computers booted up. On the G4, (the computer you want to to copy files from) open the System Preferences and turn on Personal File Sharing. On the G5, Select Network from the Go menu. You should see the G4 listed in "My Network" I believe. Just log in and start copying whatever files you need.
Personally, I use Firewire as it's easier and you don't need to worry about file permissions.
PPC G4 1.4GHz Mac OS X (10.4.5) 1GB RAM, 120GB HD x2, SuperDrive, 128MB ATI Graphics Card

How do I start-up in Target Disk mode without a keyboard ....?

I am trying to start-up an iMac 700 G4 flatpanel in Target Disk mode without a USB keyboard ... the machine is running Mac OS X.3 Panther & the system prefernces do not include the start-up in Target mode feature that Mac OS X.4 Tiger has ...
Actually, I do have a bluetooth keyboard which works fine once I get to the desktop - but the keyboard will not pair quick enough to register the 'T' hold-down before the system boots up ...
Q: Is there another way I can get this machine to boot in Target mode ...?
Maybe a terminal command ....?
I am not so savvy with Terminal - but if someone can step me thru it (v e r y s l o w l y) - you will have my sincerest gratitude ...;-)
Nutshell: Firewire Target startup between iMac 700 running Panther with no keyboard - to G5 PowerMac running Tiger ....

Niel ....
That's so helpful!! very happy mate - thank you ....
I have successfully booted into Target Disk mode using the command at Mac Geekery as suggested ... however, a backward step is now required without access to the machine's terminal window ...
Q1: How do I reset the PRAM without a keyboard ...?
Q2: What is the Open Firmware reset command via a 'hard-pressed' power-up using the Power button at the rear of machine ...?
... I still cannot pair my Bluetooth Keyboard early enough to register a PRAM reset (Opt Cmd P+R) at start-up (as per instructions by the authour) before the system boots back into the 'fixed Target mode ...
Any suggestions ...? ... or can anyone else assist ...?
Oh, & thanks again everyone ... & apologies this request might not be in the correct catergory ....
Best,
Macfinger

Installing in Firewire Target Disk mode

I know this is a kind of silly question, but is it advisable to install OS X on my iMac when it's booted into Firewire Target disk mode? I mean, would it get funky stuff in there that the iMac doesn't need if i install from, say, my PowerMac? I know it's quite possible to do this, as I used to do it when I had two identical iMacs. But those were, of course, identical, so the target machine had the same specs as the one that was installing.
Any thoughts?
Oh, and let me say a quick "hi" to all the regulars. I haven't really been on this baord too much the past year or so. Who's still around?

Hi, Trey.
I installed Tiger via Target Disk Mode, but my G3 has been having kernel panics in the couple weeks since the upgrade. On another post someone said that they'd heard that the Target Disc Mode can be a problem. So I'm checking the posts to find out more.
My G3 has a CD-R/W drive, so I didn't have an alternative, other than to buy an external drive, or to send Apple my commercial Tiger DVDs and pay them MORE to convert it to CDs. I just paid big bucks for the G5 a month before they came out with a cheaper upgraded version, which I am unhappy about. Of course those Tiger disks are for G5 ONLY, so I couldn't install to my G3 from them, so I coughed up the cash for the DVDs. I couldn't fathom giving them even more for a CD transfer.
Of course, if the G3 keeps crashing, and I hear from others that a direct install from CD may cure the problem, what choice will I have? As much as I've loved Apple over the years, there's starting to be a more corporate (and dare I say it, Gates-like) vibe from their method of doing business. Now the kid wants an iPod for Christmas, and I have to check those boards to see how they're performing. As helpful and fun as all this technology is, it is also quite stress-inducing...
Good luck with your upgrade! --kat
iMac G5 20" (ALS); 2G RAM | iMac G3 500MHz slot-load CD-R/W CRT; 1G RAM Mac OS X (10.4.3) Using Apple since IIe, and Macs since 1984
iMac G5 20" (ALS); 2G RAM | iMac G3 500MHz; slot-load CD-RW; 1G RAM Mac OS X (10.4.3) Using Apple since IIe, and Macs since 1984

Target Disk Mode / Firewire Only?

I have a friend who has an old iBook G4 14.1" (Model A1055) with a broken screen.
I use a 2012 MBP Retina.
I want to run the iBook in target disk mode, from my MBP. From what I understand, target disk mode only works with firewire (at least the old one does). I don't have firewire on the MBP.
Can I do this? Do I have to use a firewire cable with some kind of USB adapter?

No, you would need to have a Mac with Firewire. There are no adapters for USB to Firewire (there was one old one that worked with some Firewire-equipped camcorders, but it was iffy even for those and has long since been discontinued). Otherwise, you could connect an external monitor to the iBook and transfer files via file sharing or some removable media.
Regards.

Firewire transfer without Target Disk Mode

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