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

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Will not start up in Target Disk Mode

I recently purchased a MacBook with Leopard. I'm trying to use the Migration Assistant to transfer old stuff from my G4 867 with Tiger to my new MacBook. I have connected using a firewire cable and going through the MA software. It advised to restart the old computer holding down the t key. I have tried this numerous times, old computer starts to start up, then shuts down. I even attempted to change the settings in System Pref=>Start up Disk and starting in TDM, computer attempts to restart, then shuts down. Can't seem to get the old computer to start up in Target Disk Mode. Any suggestions?

I just tried starting it up with option down and it did come up with the System icon and the two arrow icons, then let me continue with start up as per normal by pressing Enter.
When I hold down the T key, or choose Terminal Disk Mode in the System Prefs: Startup Disk, it restarts, then shuts off after about 10 seconds.
I tried disconnecting the two CD drives (ribbon cables) just to see if they were interfering somehow - no go, same problem. Now System Profiler shows only a single ATA bus containing a single Hard Drive at Unit:0, and it still won't go into TDM.
The hard drive is a Seagate Barracuda ST380021A, which has this for pin configurations:
Seagate ST380021A jumper diagram
Originally it was in the Cable Select position, but now it is in the Master/Single drive position (pins 7 & 8).

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.

How do you install Tiger using target disk mode?

Hi guys,
I have an old Powerbook G4 that seems to have a dead DVD drive, so i am now trying to install Tiger using target disk mode from my Macbook Pro.
I successfully mounted the G4 using target disk mode and the Tiger install DVD but when I double click the install icon, I get an error message saying: "Mac OS X 10.4 cannot be installed on this machine"
Okay, fine but i want to install the OS on the G4. How do I go about selecting the G4 for installation?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi Nichola,
Have you tried a search on the support site with the error messages you are receiving? (Maybe your computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements to run Tiger.)
To re-initialize your disk, go into disk utilities, select 'Erase' and follow the instructions. This will erase and format your disk. Hopefully this helps, but I'm not sure if it will solve your kernel panic problem - maybe that's a different issue all together??
Hopefully, you've already backed up your important data, but you should try to use target disk mode to do that if you are still unable to boot up the G4 using Tiger. Good luck - hope this is helpful.

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.

Migration Assistant, Target Disk Mode and Bluetooth Keyboards

Wanted to migrate my iMac setup to a new MBP last night. Kept trying to start up my iMac in target disk mode and it would only boot normally not in TD. Finally realized that my bluetooth keyboard was the culprit in that it wasn't connected once the iMac shut off for the restart. Thankfully I had a wired keyboard; plugged it in and migration went as advertised. Nowhere (that I could find) in the Migration Asst. prompts does it mention anything about needing a wired keyboard to restart as a TD. Did I miss something basic? If not, shouldn't Apple make mention of this to avoid confusion and frustration?
BTW, the new MBP rocks!

Yes, that tidbit of info is buried in a support article, as is some other Migration Assistant documentation. But it would be far better if the app had its own comprehensive, searchable Help built into it, just like most other apps from Apple. Note that when you launch Migration Assistant, there isn't even a Help menu, nor are there any question mark in purple circle icons in its windows to offer context sensitive help.
Basically, that's what I requested in my feedback to Apple.

IMac in Target Disk mode won't mount on Mac Pro via Firewire

My iMac (intel Core 2 Duo) won't start up - it has the question mark in a folder icon.
I can't find the Apple Snow Leopard disk, so I've started it in Target Disk mode, connected it to my Mac Pro, but it doesn't mount on the Mac Pro even though it appears in System Profiler on the Mac Pro.
Both running 10.6.8
Can I force it to mount? I have tried front & back firewire ports and restarted several times to no avail.
I'm hoping to repair the iMac disk using Disk Utility or Diskwarrior on the Mac Pro, but need it to mount first.
Any ideas? Thanks.

I want to copy everything off the iMac before re-installing Snow Leopard & starting again.
I do not have a backup of the computer (I've had a backup hard drive on order for 7 weeks that has been delayed due to the shortages...) I am aware that this is very stupid of me.
The disk is obviously in very bad shape as Disk Utility can't do anything with it.
Diskwarrior v4.2 on a DVD will make a 'Preview' of a directory of it, but will not 'Replace' the directory as the disk is damaged.
1. Does anyone know how to make a startup DVD of Diskwarrior v4.4 (I have the v4.4 update but can't find out how to make a new startup DVD using the old v4.2 DVD and the software v4.4 update) and I think Alsoft must now be on holiday as they're not answering... (I would like to use v4.4 as it should be more capable).
2. Assuming I can get Diskwarrior (hopefully on a new v4.4 DVD) to make a 'Preview' again of the iMac directory, how do I copy everying off the computer? My only guess is to connect my Mac Pro in target mode to the iMac. Will the Mac Pro disk show up in the 'Preview' directory & therefore allow me to copy all of it's contents across to the target mode disk?
3. Assuming all the above works, is there a best way to copy all of the iMac contents to a folder in the Mac Pro? i.e. is there a way of Carbon Copying it so that after wiping the disk I can simply copy it all back? Or is it all too late for that
THANK YOU very much for any help.

Need Help Installing Snow Leopard onto a blank HD via Target Disk Mode

Hey everyone.
Recently I had the HD on my Black Macbook crash due to a mechanical failure. I have just purchased a new Hard Drive for my Macbook. It is completely blank other than the fact that I connected it to my girlfriend's White Macbook earlier today to create 2 partitions. I have a new copy of Snow Leopard that I want to install on it and was hoping someone could guide me through the process.
What I have with me as of now is:
One Black Macbook (UK bought) w/ Partitioned Blank HD and a non-functional Superdrive
One White Macbook (US bought) running Tiger w/ working Superdrive that mounts the SL DVD
FireWire Cable
New Snow Leopard DVD
My first attempt at this failed. I connected the two Macs with the FW cable and started up the Black Macbook in Target Disk mode. Both my HD partitions showed up on the White Macbook. I inserted the SL DVD into the White Macbook and when it mounted I clicked on install. Of course, now it thinks that I want to install SL on the White Macbook whereas I want to install it on the Black Macbook.
I'm a college student without a working computer and with my finals coming up, I'm in deep trouble. I want to mention that my Black Macbook's Superdrive spits out _everything except for Movie DVDs and My Leopard Startup Disk._ It spins the SL DVD for a few seconds and spits it out as well. I'm wondering whether this might be an issue with the DVD region code on the SL DVD though I don't think that's it. My region code is currently set to Region 1 (US) where I purchased the Snow Leopard DVD off Amazon. I initially thought there was a problem with the DVD and CD lens in the drive and I bought a DVD/CD Lens Cleaner CD but I can't run it because the Superdrive spits that out too. I'm out of warranty on the Black Macbook so fixing the Superdrive is pretty much out of the question. I was under the impression that I would be able to install SL via Target Disk Mode without any hassles but boy was I ever so wrong.
Is there any way that I can do this? I'm hoping someone here can help me out. Please do if you find the time to.

By other computer, do you mean the White Macbook? So I should basically put the SL DVD in the White Macbook, restart with the C key held down? Is that right?
Please pardon me if I'm being stupid.

Target disk mode "USB"

Anybody know if you can start a MacBook (13 inch - white plastic) in target disk mode without a Fire Wire port ?
My version only has USB ports and Internet port. I want to start it up in target disk mode to run DIsk Utilities on
the hard drive. Please let me know if you have an suggestions . . thanks !
BooSparx

If you're doing it from another Mac, you can connect by ethernet and use Disk Utility from there; doesn't have to be TGM unless you've got a boot problem on the target Mac.

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-To: Install Bundled Apps to another MacBook Pro using Target Disk Mode

Recently, I replaced the dead hard drive on my wife's computer. All the data was previously backed-up so all I needed to do was reinstall the original OS. Oops! Those disks disappeared over two years ago...perfect, right? No poblem, I already had the boxed install DVD for Snow Leopard and installed the core OS. But what about those bundled applications? Aha! That is the marketing coup Apple doesn't really talk much about. You see, you get the entire suite of Apple branded apps with the original install disks but not with a boxed OS install disk. It's just something that you have to find out for yourself...the hard way.
My requirement: restore all the iPhoto data to the reimaged machine running Snow Leopard. But that data has no application that can read it. Solution - Reinstall iPhoto from another source.
So I developed this workaround I hope the rest of you find amusingly simple, wildly helpful
Here's how I restored iPhoto on my wife's computer:
1) Get two Laptops side by side. In our case we both have macbook pro 2008 computers (Wife's and Mine)
2) Power both down and direct connect a firewire 400 cable (or 800 if you have it) between the two
3) Start the Wife's laptop in Target Disk Mode: Press "T" immediately after engagin the power button, hold it down until you see the "fanned" firewire symbol floating across a grey screen - it's quite large, about the size of your hand making a "stop" gesture
4) No start the Mine laptop by pressing the "option" key (two keys to the left of the space bar)
5) You will presented with a pair of hard disks to boot from, choose the Wife's laptop hard drive
5a) you'll notice now that the Mine laptop is booting the OS system files of the Wife's laptop (Her desktop, her preferences, etc...)
6) On the Mine laptop, insert the original Mac OS Install Disk (#1) that came with the Mine laptop (usually any OEM install disk will work, though)
7) Double-click on the DVD icon on the desktop when it mounts and look for a shortcut that reads, "Install Bundled Applications Only"...launch it
8) Now choose install bundled applications but make sure to press the "Customize" button in order to specifically choose which OEM software you want. In our case, just iPhoto
9) Follow the installer prompts all the through to completion and exit (you will be prompted to insert disk #2 along the way).
10) Remove the install disks, power down
11) Power down the Wife's laptop too
12) Disconnect the Firewire cables from both laptops
13) Power up the Wife's laptop normally
14) Launch the FInder and drill down to Applications. Look for iPhoto and launch it
15) iPhoto will either pickup the "iPhoto Library" that was previously restored after reimaging with Snow Leopard or you may be prompted to manually associate a library with iPhoto.
16) Once complete, you'll se all the restored pictures and data from when before the original hard drive crashed. Wife will be pleased and you'll look like a Genius
This is a really handy trick for troubleshooting a lot of install and restore related issues.
Hopefully you'll find other uses for it too.
Good Luck,
TheHighSierras

I think the problem is that you can't install an older OS X version onto a system running a newer OS X version. So I would try the following:
     1. have an external disk or create another partition on an internal drive to use for the Mountain Lion install (you might have to shrink an existing partition to make room for another)
     2. Create an external bootable USB thumb drive with the Mountain Lion OS on it (do a search on the web for this - for example see http://www.macworld.com/article/1167857/how_to_make_a_bootable_mountain_lion_ins tall_drive.html
     3. Reboot Yosemite and then boot from the USB thumb drive by holding down the option key
     4. run the mountain lion installer and install on the new disk/partition you created in step 1 - it will also create another recovery partition from this same part of the disk
Now your Mac system will have both a Mountain Lion install as well as the Yosemite install. You won't be able to use Migration Assistant to move things from Yosemite to Mountain Lion because it will see that you're "going backwards" and won't allow you to.
Have a good backup of everything before starting in case there are problems.
Good luck...

How do i use my imac 21.5" 2011 as a display for my macbook pro late 2011, through thunderbolt cable ? I have tried and it doesnt seem to work, neither does target disk mode.

How do i use my imac 21.5" 2011 as a display for my macbook pro late 2011, through thunderbolt cable ? I have tried and it doesnt seem to work, neither does target disk mode.
Could it be a borked cable ? I just bought it new from the store today, i have updated both imac and macbook pro to latest thunderbolt firmware and updates. Both 10.7.3.
MacBook Pro:
Vendor Name:    Apple, Inc.
Device Name:    MacBook Pro
UID:    0x0001000A17016E60
Firmware Version:    22,1
Port:
Status:    No devices connected
Link Status:    7
Port Micro Firmware Version:    FFFF.FF.FF

You are correct, here is what Apple Says:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3775
I was able to find these instructions, however they referr to 2009-2011 27" iMacs. I think it's the same, if it's not then contact Apple directly for instructions. If either of the machines is less than 90 days old or covered by AppleCare then call AppleCare tomorrow for help, they should be able to easily answer this for you. You will find the number in your manual or you can use the AppleCare Contact Info link.
Your iMac should automatically recognize the presence of a digital video signal at the Mini DisplayPort and enter Target Display Mode.
If your iMac does not automatically enter Target Display Mode, press command + F2 to manually enter Target Display Mode.

How to remove time machine backup from a mackbook pro used in target disk mode

Many months ago I (as my backup drive failed) I used my macbook pro in target disk mode to store the time machine backup of my iMac. How do I delete the backup on the macbook pro? I am running mountain lion on both machines. When I boot the macbook pro in target mode, it's not showing up in the finder on my mac.

When I boot the macbook pro in target mode, it's not showing up in the finder on my mac.
From the Finder menu bar, select
Finder > Preferences > General
and check the box marked Hard disks.

Can you install tiger on a power mac g4 with out a DVD drive if so how, I do have have a 2011 iMac can I use that in target disk mode with a FireWire cable any help would be appreciated

Can you install tiger on a power mac g4 with out a DVD drive if so how, I do have have a 2011 iMac can I use that in target disk mode with a FireWire cable any help would be appreciated

Hello,
You need to put the Tiger Install Disc in the 2011 iMac, boot the 2011 uMac into Target mode...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
Boot the G4 holding the Option or alt key, hopefully the Install Disc in the 2011 iMac will show as a boot choice.
We just want to use the 2011 iMac as a big expensive FW Optical drive, it cannot be installed osing the 2011 iMac itself.

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?

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

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