IBook screen flickers in Target Disk Mode or in Open Firmware

When booting in Target Disk or Open Firmware the screen seems to shift to one side showing a duplicate of the displayed image. In addidtion to this on the right hand side of the screen roughly about 1" wide the image is completely distorted. I'm not sure but I think the problem only occurs when the Power Adapter is plugged in (Still testing).
Update: The problem occurs with or without the power supply connected. In addition to the above the screen distortion can sometimes be intermittent and does not always distort in the same position as described above.

When you can't boot from any method it usually signals that one of 2 things (maybe both) have failed:
Motherboard
Hard drive - Some hard drive failures lock up the ATA controller so badly that the Mac can't boot from any device.

Similar Messages

Migration Assistant adn iMac wont recognize Target Disk Mode of iBook

Friend purchased a new iMac 20in and went to use Migration Assistnat to transfer from older iBook. Will call this iBook1
Following directions, he hooked up Firewire cable, rebooted iBook1 into Targe Disk Mode (TDM). New iMac would NOT recognize existance of TDM iBook1. So we began the following sequence of tests to isolate the problem.
1) Using a second iBook2, hooked up original iBook1 in TDM to iBook2. The HD of iBook1 showed up on the desktop of iBook2 as it should, along with all the files inside of it. This verified that the cable was good and that the firewire port on the iBook1 was working as well as TDM on iBook1.
2) We rebooted the iMac, restarted the Migration assitant and placed the iBook2 into TDM and connected them. Migration assistant worked, recognizing the iBook2 as it should. This verified that the iMAc firewire port and Migration assistant was again working fine. We also rebooted the iMac and hooked up the iBook2 in TDM w/o Migration assistant, and again it worked fine.
3) We then tried to connect the iBook1 via TDM to the iMac w/o migration assistant. Again NO RESULT.
No matter what we did, we could NOT get the new iMac to recognize the older iBook1 via firewire TDM. All other connections betwen the computers worked fine. All systems were running 10.4.10. We reset the PRAM, we fixed permisions, still the new iMac would not recognize the iBook1 in TDM.
Any ideas?

I'm having the same problem connecting my iBook G3 500 in Target Disk Mode to my new iMac, the icon does not show up on the iMac. I have tested the Firewire on both computers with a FW XHD and they work fine. I took the iBook in to work and connected it to an eMac and a ProBook Intel with no problems. Back home tonight and it still fails to show the icon of the iBook in TDM on the desktop of the new iMac. Suggestions on a fix ? Thank you.

Desktop contents in the target disk mode

In previous uses of "target disk mode" the contents of the desktop of the target disk have appeared on the desktop of the master machine.
But with this new 10.4 being the master and my old ibook OS9.2.2 i don't see any of those files. And when I open the desktop folder listed in the finder of the 10.4 machine it is blank.
Is there any way I can move the contents of that folder to the 10.4 machine?
kt

HI, kt.
You wrote: "In previous uses of "target disk mode" the contents of the desktop of the target disk have appeared on the desktop of the master machine."That's how it worked when both Macs were running Mac OS 9. As you've seen, Mac OS X does not work this way.
In Mac OS X, open (double-click) the iBook's drive icon on the desktop: the iBook's drive will display a FireWire icon since the iBook is in FireWire Target Disk Mode (the iBook is the Target computer). The iBook's drive will open in a Finder window. The Desktop Folder in that Finder window is the Mac OS 9 desktop of your iBook. Open that folder, then drag and drop files from it to your the desktop on the Mac OS X (Host) computer.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

Why can't Disk Utility wipe my old iMac in Target Disk Mode?

I want to donate my old iMac G3 with all my personal data removed.
As all my old start up disks are long gone I went online and followed advice to wipe it remotely. I connected the G3 via FireWire to my 15" MacBook Pro (late 2008, running OSX Lion 10.7.5) and restarted the G3 in Target Disk Mode. I opened Disk Utility, selected the drive (not the iMac partition), selected Erase, renamed the drive and chosen the 7 pass option. And waited...
After leaving it overnight, I awoke to find it was still preparing. I then Skipped that stage (it gave me the option) and left it for 24 hours. It was still skipping, so I had to Force Quit Disk Utility. The G3 is perfectly fine, and Disk Utility works as I just erased a memory stick as a test.
What's going on?

You need to do the following:
Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your 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.
3. 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.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Only use a single-pass to zero the data. Any more is overkill and will take many hours to complete.

Grey screen on Target Disk mode boot up

I have a home iMac, Late 2012, OSX 10.9.1, 32GB, and a corp MBP, Late 2011, 8GB. I would really like to use Target Disk Mode to boot the MBP on the faster iMac - it worked once or twice and was fabulous, but that was when both were on Lion.
Now after upgrading both to Mavericks, Target Disk mode bootup isn't working anymore. I get to the Login Screen on the MBP bootup, but after logging in i just get a grey screen. Nothing else.
Pretty sure i'm doing everything right. Connect both, boot target with cmd-T, boot host with "alt", select startup disk, login ..... then nothing.
Fix is probably simple - any help would be great.

Ok this is a guess.
Are you trying to use the system files etc on the iMac to run the MBP?
If so I am surprised it worked in Mountain Lion, the Video cards probably have different drivers and that could be why you cannot login but the login screen with standard resolution works.
You could try and match the resolution on the iMac with one that suits both machines but running it that way is not something I would do.
Perhaps I understand your question incorectly, if so apologies and disregard my post.

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

Unable to recognize computers via target disk mode

I am trying to transfer files from my iBook G4 to my new intel-based iMac. I have successfully engaged my iBook in target disk mode (i.e. the firewire symbol moving around the screen) but my iMac does not recognize that the iBook is in target disk mode. I have tried adjusting the timing of target disk mode and connecting the firewire cable between the computers but nothing works. I have tried reversing roles and putting the iMac in target disk mode while trying to connect from my iBook G4 but I cannot establish a connection that way either.
I know the firewire ports on both computers function because I am able to connect to other peripherals via firewire. I am going back to the Apple Store today to get a replacement firewire cable just to make sure that isn't the issue. Does anyone have any ideas about what could be causing this issue or how to resolve it?
Both my laptop and iMac are running Mac OS X (10.4.10).
Thanks.
-David

Welcome to Apple Discussions
Have a look at all the other threads on the subject in the link below!
"Target Mode Search"
As you read up on the subject, notice that it is not wise to move software App's from the old system to the new.

10.3.9 No target disk mode keyboard command??

Hi,
So I have an old PowerMac G4 and it has like 120 GB, so i will like to use as another external HDD and the problem is that i have no monitor nearby so i can't restart it from the system preference menu. i hooked up a keyboard and press at startup la letter "T" and nothings happens it doesn't appear on the desktop of my MacBook (nor in disk utility) and i know for sure the computer is fine. Any ideas?
thanks in advance,
-Victor

Is your computer in this list?
Target computers
The following models can be used as target computers:
iMac (Slot Loading) with Firmware version 2.4 or later
iMac (Summer 2000) and all models introduced after July 2000
eMac (all models)
Mac mini (all models)
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) with ATA drive
Power Mac G4 Cube
Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) and all models introduced after July 2000
Power Mac G5 (all models)
iBook (FireWire) and all models introduced after September 2000
MacBook (all models)
PowerBook G3 (FireWire)
PowerBook G4 (all models)
MacBook Pro (all models)
To boot into TDM you restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the "T" key until the TDM screen appears.
How to use FireWire target disk mode
Important: Unplug all other FireWire devices from both computers prior to using FireWire target disk mode. Do not plug in any FireWire devices until after you have disconnected the two computers from each other, or have stopped using target disk mode.

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.

Target Disk Mode - Firewire Symbol not bouncing

My G4 iBook has stopped booting up (all I get is blue screen). I am attempting Target Disk Mode to grab a few files that aren't in my last backup. When I boot up in TDM, I get the firewire symbol on screen, but it doesn't move around like usual. More importantly, the other Mac (MacBook2,1 running 10.4.11) doesn't recognize the other drive. Even Disk Utilities can't find it.
Now I would assume that the drive failed so catastrophically that it can't be read, EXCEPT that it is a new drive! I installed this drive less than 5 weeks ago.
Anybody know what it means when the firewire symbol doesn't dance in TDM? I'm guessing that if I get past this problem, then the other Book will be able to see and mount the drive.
Thanks very much!

Larry:
The issue may not be the Hard Disk Drive at all, although I am not ruling that out. I know what is involved in getting into the iBook G4 to either install or remove a HDD. However, if all else fails I suggest that you might want to go back in there, pull the drive, install it in a firewire enclosure and connect it to the iBook G4 or another firewire Mac and see if it shows up. Indeed, I would try to Option boot the computer from the HDD in the enclosure to see if the installation works.
cornelius

Target disk mode and my QT movie

Hi Everybody.
I tried to transfer a QT from my Imac and my Ibook. Both are quite powerful and recently new. When I transfered, powered off both and turned the Ibook on, it would not play a 30min QT with the warning that
"The movie file "Rough Assembl-FIN-000000e8" cannot be found. Without this file, the movie cannot play properly."
To transfer, I powered up the Laptop (holding the T)and then with symbol on the screen, firewired and powered up the Imac. I then grabbed the QT from my movie file and dropped it at the yellow coloured hard drive symbol on the Imac which is I presume the Ibook.
What am I doing wrong?
Hope to hear from you.

I think your problem has nothing to do with the way you transferred the QT movie file (using Target Disk mode or others). The problem is that the QT movie is a reference movie (not self-contained) and it references to a render file that is now missing.
If the movie works on its original Mac and not on the second one, then you should make the movie self-contained in the original Mac, and only then move it to the second Mac. You can do it by exporting again from FCE with Export/Quicktime Movie and make sure Make Movie Self-Contained is checked. Or you can use QT Pro, open the movie (always on the original Mac) and Save As and select the right option.
If the movie doesn't work on the original Mac either, it means that in the meanwhile you made some changes in FCE that removed the old render file. So you have first to render again, and then export as above.
In any case you cannot open the movie in QT Player until it has been fixed.
Piero

Flashing Question Mark Folder after Clean Install in Target Disk Mode

I have an old iBook G4 with a failing optical drive and the need to reformat the hard drive and re-install OS 10.5.4. Since the optical drive is failing and unpredictable, I figured I'd do everything in target disk mode.
So I mounted the hard drive of the iBook to my Mac Pro via Firewire in target disk mode. I was able to successfully format the hard drive of the iBook, zeroing out all the data with 7 passes, and I was also able to successfully install OS 10.5.4 from my original Install DVD, again in target disk mode.
After the install was complete, I went through all the registration process and User Account setup and the iBook booted fine albeit still in target disk mode. So I shut down the Mac Pro, turned off the iBook and unplugged the Firewire cable. My Mac Pro booted up just fine afterward. But the iBook now gives me the flashing question mark/finder folder.
I know this means that the iBook is having trouble located a startup volume, or that the startup volume is corrupt or missing data. How can this be, though, after a reformat and clean install? Did I do something wrong in target disk mode? Or did I neglect to do something necessary?
Thanks for anyone's help on this.

Thanks, Niel.
I don't see APM as an option in Disk Utility when booting from my Mac Pro. I only have Mac OS Extended (Journaled), Mac OS Extended, Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled), Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive), MS-DOS (FAT) and ExFAT.
How do I get my Mac Pro to repartition the iBook properly in target disk mode?

Mac Mini won't Boot after Target Disk Mode

We just bought a new iMac and used target disk mode via firewire from our older Mac Mini running OSX 10.4 to transfer data. Now when we go to restart the mini, the grey screen appears with apple logo and it seems to try to boot up but after a long time alway just ends up with a blue screen. I don't think I "ejected" the mini properly from the imac after the target disk mode transfer. Could the mini be stuck in target disk mode? I've tried to restart in different modes eg. safe mode, pram by holding down keys on start up but doesnt make a difference at all almost as if the keyboard isn't registering (and its a wired keyboard). Any ideas???
Thanks

Try starting up from the Recovery Partition holding the Option (Alt) key and see if you can Repair your Macintosh HD, as per > OS X: About OS X Recovery

Target disk mode with external hard drive?

Hi all,
I have a very annoying problem. I've just bought a new Mac Mini, previously I had an iBook G4 600 (about 6 years old). My Mac mini works perfectly, but...
1) I don't want to copy everything over from the iBook with Migration Assistant, I'd rather pick and choose what to copy. Is buying a firewire cable and using Target Disk mode the only quick way to do this?
2) I was intending to transfer files using my external HD. But the Mini doesn't recognise my poor old external drive. However, all my iTunes music is on the external HD. It seems by far the fastest way to get the music off (as long as I can't get the mini to recognise the HD)would be to boot the iBook in Target Disk mode then somehow be able to read from the external HD as well. Is this possible? If not, what on earth can I do??
Thanks in advance,
Suz
Message was edited by: Suz

Okay after testing, I am ready to conceded that you are correct that you can daisy chain an external drive and a TDM Mac together and have them mount both drives.
However. unless Suz proves me wrong (Which is always a possibility), I do not think that it will fix her initial problem. Since all's TDM does is allow the computer to act as a Firewire device, so it and the external hard drive, are simply 2 FW devices on a serial bus. If the new Mac Can't mount the external drive from the old computer, I doubt it would mount it with the old computer connected to it. (Unless there is just some funky thing going on that having another firewire device on the bus corrects?)
Let's see if it shows up in System profiler, and if it shows up there how does Disk Utility see it?
Have you also tried resetting the NVRAM?
Also just to be on the safe side, do you have another Firewire device that you can connect, to let us know that the port on the new mac is actually working?

Data recovery options if drive not accessible through Target Disk Mode

I have the classic data recovery question: my computer seems to have failed, and I'd like to save some data. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Details:
- Most recent backup was about a month ago to Time Machine (unfortunately, this laptop went off on a long trip and didn't have access to the destination disk, and then when it came home was running very slowly and my wife halted the TM backup thinking it was slowing the computer down). Some documents have been backed up more recently via Dropbox and/or Mozy, but not a couple important ones
- When booted in Target Disk Mode, no drive shows up on the computer to which I connect it
- When I boot from an OS X CD, a drive appears in Disk Utility with no volumes on it, and the options to 'repair disk' and 'verify disk' are greyed out.
- When I try to just start the computer up, it gets to the grey screen with the apple and just spins.
Questions:
- Should I attempt anything else myself? I've never learned about Lion's Recovery Mode; can it be used to copy some data off, in the unlikely case that this computer would boot into that Mode? Would any further attempts to boot, etc. potentially reduce the chances of a professional company recovering data?
- I'm planning to take this to an Apple Store today to confirm that this is indeed a hard drive problem and not a failed mother board or something; is there a way for me to do this myself? In the past I've used Hardware Test CDs from Apple and stuff; I don't know if those still work on modern computers.
Thanks again for any help!

I know I used to have a copy of Disk Warrior, but can't find it and it's probably out of date. I downloaded the Data Rescue demo, but it only got partway through scanning the disk and then failed. It told me to 'clone' the disk, but after about three days of trying still wasn't making much progress on it, so I gave up.
However, I was able to recover the few important files I needed simply by removing the drive, putting it in an enclosure, and connecting it via USB. After 10 or 20 minutes, Finder gave me a message that said something like, "this disk cannot be repaired, and is probably damaged. You can still access the disk, but copy everything off ASAP because it will probably fail soon." Some files indeed couldn't be copied, but I could copy the things I needed.
I assume that this is a hardware problem. To confirm, I assume that I can check it without having DiskWarrior simply by trying to reformat it? If it can't be reformatted, I assume there's no chance that it is a functioning drive. Is that right?

IBook screen flickers in Target Disk Mode or in Open Firmware

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