Installing OS on wiped PowerMac G4 Using Target Disc Mode?

Hi,
My parents recently bought a new iMac, and I decided to wipe their old PowerMac G4 and reinstall an OS (either 9 or 10.2) with the hope of improving functionality. I wiped the PowerMac by booting it in target disc mode and using the disc utility on a Macbook Pro (intel, running 10.4) to erase the PowerMac HD.
The next step got a little tricky for me, however, because the disc drive on the PowerMac is broken. I tried booting the PowerMac in target disc mode, and running the 10.2 installer on the Macbook Pro (with the intent of choosing the PowerMac as the destination), but as I feared, this failed because the Macbook Pro is Intel-based and can't run 10.2.
Then I tried booting the Macbook in target disc mode with an install disc in it and booting the PowerMac while holding down the -option- key. The PowerMac display shows the firewire drive and I select it. Unfortunately, when using the 10.2 disc I end up with the "prohibitory sign," and when using the OS 9 disc, I dead-end at "The system software on the startup disk only functions on the original media, not if copied to another drive."
I would think that this last message would occur when using a copy of the OS disc, but I am using the original, model-specific, OS 9 disc that came with the PowerMac. The OS 10.2 disc I tried was the disc used to upgrade the PowerMac to OS X a few years after the computer was purchased.
Any help you have to give is much appreciated.

You look to have two possibilities: get an external Firewire optical (not completely cheap, it would seem) or just replace the internal drive with one like this one from OWC. Right now, they are selling a unit from LG, as opposed to the Samsung unit I bought from them a couple of months ago and dropped into my venerable B&W G3.
There are probably comparable drives out there from other sources, but that would probably be the best solution if you plan to continue using the G4 for any appreciable amount of time.

Similar Messages

Transferring Mail using Target Disc Mode

Please I am begging for someone to help me ! I have an older Macbook Pro , that is running , or was running Mavericks 10.9.2. Awhile ago it quit booting and a reinstal using recovery was unsuccessful. Using disk utility i was able to determine the drive is fine and it is in fact an OS X issue. It was time to buy a new computer anyways , so I did. Now connecting the two via fireware using Target Disc Mode I am able to find and transfer all that I have wanted , except for my previous mail folders.
when i look through the folders on the drive of the computer that wont boot , there are two library folders listed. One is all on its own , and one is a sub folder inside the system folder. The only mail folder i can find in either of those folders only carrys previous stationary information. I care not about the stationary! There is no library folder listed inside of my user folder , which makes me wonder , can i access my user library on a dead macbook using target disc mode. Or can i not get access to it this way.
any help is appreciated!

I found the answer In case anyone else is looking .....
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3686247

Installing tiger on an ibook w/o dvd, but using target disc mode?

so here is the problem. i bought tiger for my ibook (g3 500mhz 312 mb airport cd drive...) so i found out the hard way that i can not install tiger dvd on my ibook (it has a cd drive.) so i was thinking and booted it up in target disc mode on my g4 tower running 10.2.8 the hard drive came up on the g4 and i installed sucessfully tiger on to the ibook! i was really excited that it worked. (i really didn;t want to order the cd set from apple)
so i went to start and download updates and it didn't connect. so i went to configure the airport and had a ton of problems. it just won't! airport will not recgonize any networks, and i have done it all to configure it. the ibook sees the card too!
so i took the card out of the ibook and installe dit in tehg4 tower and bravo it works just fine, so the problem is not the card at all.
i then took the ibiik to firsttech (an apple store) and they booted it up in network mode and the card worked just fine! they think that because i installed tiger fro a computer that was not running an airport network that it did not install that part of the software. this i do not believe becaust all of the airport stuff is there to configure, the problem is it just won't.
so to make things more interesting the screen will freeze. and after that when i reboot the ibook the screen is dead. and it stays dead for a while so this is just a pain. i try to reboot it in target disc mode but the icon does not show up on the host computer. i can run system profiler and the g4 will see the ibook as a firewire device in target disc mode, but i just can't see it on the desktop. i can hear the hard drive running, and i get the chime so i know it is on.
so i know that the problem is probably tiger as i know that there have some problems with it. but i just don't get it. b4 i reinstall 10.2 can anyone give me any help fixing tiger?
THANKS!
SEAN
g4 tower Mac OS X (10.4.8) ibook! g3 too
g4 tower Mac OS X (10.4.8) ibook! g3 too

Hi sean,
first of all: WELCOME TO THE DISCUSSIONS!
You probably did the target-disk install the wrong way round. If you booted the G4 from the install DVD and from there installed Tiger to the G3 iBook you have installed the G4 hardware drivers which are not compatible with the iBook.
You have to do it this way:
Insert the install DVD into the G4. Start the G4 into target disk mode by holding down the t-key during boot. Connect the G4 to the iBook using a firewire cable. Now boot the iBook while holding down the option-key. This will bring you into the boot manager where you can select the install DVD as boot-volume.
Once the installer has started perform an Archive&Install to the iBook hard disk. This should solve your problem.
Remember: Repair permissions before and after an update!
If this answered your question please consider granting some stars: Why reward points?

Using target disc mode to access a broken laptop

I'm using a 1.33 15" PB with 10.3.9
and broken early 12" still on 10.2.8
During an attempted repair of the 12" DC in jack, also replacing the broken CD/DVD Drive with a SD using a replacement lower case and screen that still had the screen control? and dc in jack in it, broke the connection for the screen control on the 12" logic board, Thought I had it effectively soldered back on, but appears not. Screen won't light up, But appears to powering up, get the dong and hard drive spins up.
Was told to connect the two units together with firewire and use the Target disc mode to access the data on the broken machine. (which normally needs to be logged into on start up normally, but can't, not being able see the screen)
With the 12" powered up, I restarted the 15" holding the "T" key down and get a screen that has a Yellow "Y" like icon that moves around the screen, "O" with 3 extensions off it, 1 solid and other 2 dashes.
After a minute or so, shut it down, now sure if it was eventually going to work or should have waited longer. or done something else?, Was expecting the normal desktop to show up with some kind of icon for the other computer, then maybe figure out from there how to transfer the data to the new unit.
Have no idea what to do next or what the problem might be, if I'm doing something wrong, or have to change settings somewhere on the 15" before doing it?
This a used unit, with a fresh 10.3 install and upgraded to 10.3.9 Haven't even gone into the system preferences yet and don't know what most of it's for anyway, (Just did the initial set up) or if the 12" has hardware problems still, etc,
Have a USB external HD adapter and can take the HD out of the 12" instead and see If that'll work? But still not sure if I'm going to encounter something else again that's not easy to figure out in order to get the data off it. Transfer it to the 15" or be able to use it on the external drive
Thanks in advance, And hopefully simple instructions....

Thanks, That eventually worked, Oddly produced an open OS 9 Virtual PC 3 Application folder on the 15" desktop that I installed on the 12" long ago and never used before the external drive icon as I named it for the 12" showed up
Clicking on the external hard drive icon had it open the 15" system folder? Hard drive content window (the os 10.3.9 having a different format than what I'm used to seeing)
All the familiar folders from the 12" were there, but the couple times I tried to open one of them, the external hard drive icon and related entire open desktop window, (Hard drive content) disappeared and produced an error message to properly eject the item, But there nothing there to eject anymore, subsequent attempts to get it back failing, But eventually got it up again.
But can't open the 12" mail application to retrieve my old emails and can't seem to find the file to rebuild the 15" mailbox into what I had in my 12" or save/find those emails, but not sure where to look, must be files somewhere for them.
Every time I click on the mail app in the 12" file, it pops down into application bar and disappears. Tried dragging it into the 15"s icon and that not doing anything either. Also dragging it into the app tool bar and trying to open it and it doing nothing, Presume unable to in the later os.
Will this still happen if I take the HD out? and connect with my USB adapter? Need to boot from this? (have no idea how to do that)
Any suggestions on where to find my old mailbox files? Tried opening a number of odd files in the system folder and found nothing in some of them.
I'm presuming this isn't working because it's still an OS X 10.2.8 application But all the other files appear to still be there and think I found the mail before at one time.
Also got an error in iphoto, Can't open it because it needs to be opened in the later version. But found the 12" iphoto file and dragged it to the desktop and took a bit to transfer, so presume I should move it or specific files in it into the 15" iphoto 15" file to retreive the photo's. (and also moved my camera app to reinstall) Same with my itunes which only had a few cd's in it.
The 12" desktop also took a bit to find, but moved that file to the 15" desk top and those files took a little while to transfer. Some of those are MS Word files so also moved the MS Word app and expect to need to reinstall it before trying to open any of those word doc's.
Still wonder why it produced that os 9 as an open folder which was a virtual pc 3 program I never got around to using,

Burn iDVD Disc Using Target Disc Mode?

I would like to use my PowerMac G4 (with 20x DVD burner) to quickly burn files from my iMac (with slow burner) using some method (was thinking target disc mode). Is there any way to easily do this?
Thanks!

I was afraid somebody would give that answer. A few problems:
1) PPC is MUCH slower than Intel iMac.
2) HD video takes eons to transfer.
3) There won't be enough hard disk space on the G4.
4) There are more reasons this isn't a good idea too...
Thanks for your attempt though!

Problem using target disc mode

I have 2 iMacs. One is a 2.1 GHz G5 running OS 10.5.8 and the other is a 2 GHz Intel core duo OS - unknown (but at least 10.4.x and most probably 10.5.x). I want to use the G5 as the TDM host and Intel as the target.
The Intel iMac appears to go into target disc mode (dancing firewire symbol on the display), but it's HD icon never appears on the G5's desktop.
I've followed the instructions from (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661)and I know the cable connecting them is good. Any ideas?
More background - the reason I need to use TDM is that the Intel iMac won't boot. After hitting the power button it gets to the Apple logo screen with the circular timer and stays there. It doesn't really "hang" - the timer keeps going around & around. Does the same thing when I try to boot from a DVD.
Thanks in advance,
Tom

It might be an idea to boot the Intel Mac from it's system disk (start up holding the "C" button and insert the system disk at the startup chime).
After selecting "English" you have a "Utility" menu - select "Disk Utility" choose your hard disk and, if you "see" your Mac's Hard Disk, run Repair Disk Permissions and Repair Disk in the First Aid tab.
If the Intel Mac's hard disk isn't showing up you may have a problem and the disk may need to be replaced.

Can't use Target Disc Mode with Imac Indigo? help

So after holding off on buying a new imac for over 5 years I decide to pick one up. I restarted the intel imac in target disc mode. After doing that. My old imac gives me a message saying it can't read the contents of the hard disc connected through the firewire.
This older imac doesn't even have an option for target disc mode. It has Panther OSX. Do both computers have to have the same operating system? Are there any other options out there. I just want to get the 7 gigs of music off my old imac and onto the new intel imac.

Depending on which indigo you have, some didn't even have FW ports. The slot loading ones did, and according to Apple, with firmware 2.4 you can use FW Target mode. (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583)
Another option is to connect the systems with FW but configure IP over FW and then enable sharing on the indigo and connect to it.

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.

Is It Safe To Use Target Disk Mode Between My Intel iMac And A G4 eMac ?

I want to use DiskWarrior 4 to rebuild my Intel-iMac's directories but a suitable startup CD has not yet been produced.
So I intend to put DW on my old G4 eMac (OSX 10.4.10) and use Target Disk Mode between the two.
As they have different processors and OS will it be possible and more importantly will it be safe to do so?
Ian.

I received the very latest CD revision from Alsoft for DiskWarrior, Rev. 42. This latest version is STILL not able to boot the newest MacBook Pros. I tried, and eventually my MacBook just restarts to its internal HDD.
So I tried to run DiskWarrior 4.1 on a PowerMac Dual G4 which I had the Macbook Pro connected via target disk mode. NOTE: Both Macs are running the latest Mac OS X 10.5.4.
About half way through the "rebuilding directory" process, the G4 had a kernel panic and the black screen came up telling me to force shutdown my Mac. I nearly soiled myself. Luckily, the freeze up happened before the vital stage when DiskWarrior is replacing the directory. So MacBook Pro luckily booted back up okay.
So, I'd say to play it safe and NOT try to run DiskWarrior 4.1 from an older pre-Intel Mac to rebuild an Intel Mac's directory via target disk mode.
Currently, I think my only option I have to rebuild my Macbook Pro's directory is to install Mac OS X on an external HDD, install DiskWarrior and run it from there.

Is it possible to store a back up on external HD by transfering files using Target Disk Mode?

Dear Apple community,
There's absolutely no way that I'm going to be able to fix my MBP without a clean install. I simply cannot log in and get to my desktop screen after upgrading to Mavericks. So I will have to erase everything and perform a clean install. However, before proceeding with this plan, I'll have to back up my files from my MPB since I cannot use my mac normally, I'll have to back up my files using the Target Disk Mode. I've connected my MPB to another MPB in the past, so I know how the process work. But this time around I won't be able to use another MBP but a MB. I have a few doubts regarding the process especially in what concernd adding an external HD to this equation. So please bear with me and see if you can answer my doubts.
So this is the equipment I'll be working with: my MPB, my friends MacBook (2008) and my 1TB external hard drive.
My basic question is: once I connect my MPB in Target Disk Mode to the MB, I'm sure I'd be able to transfer my files to this MB. But let's say that I don't want to leave my files in this MB (after all it's not my computer) and want to send my files straight to an external HD connected to this MB. Is it possible? If positive, I know that the only FireWire port in the MB is a 400 port. That means my MBP will be connect to the MB using the only FireWire port available in the MB. So I believe that my external HD would have to be connected to the MB with the help of an USB cable. I assume that this will make the transferring process a little slower than if I could count solely on FireWire ports. Slowing the process down is not a problem but could this corrupt any of my files during the transferring process or even damage anything? I assume that would never happen after all it's just digital data, but better safe than sorry, right? What do you think?
Another thought that occurred to me is: let's say I connect my MBP to the MB using the FireWire 400. I'd still have an FireWire 800 port available on my MBP. If I connect my external HD to my MBP (yeah, the one that will be in Target Disk Mode) using that FW 800 port, would my MBP allow this external HD to mount as if it was just another folder/drive in my computer? If positive, theoretically I'd be able to transfer files from my MBP to my external HD manually (by dragging files from folder to folders), right?
I really don't want to transfer my files from the MBP to the MB and then from MB to external HD. That would just take time and I really don't know how much available space I'll find on my friend's MB.
Oh, one last question: when transferring files using Target Disk Mode, do all computers involved in this process gotta have the same OS X version installed or it doesn't matter if e.g one is running Snow Leopard and the other Mavericks?
Looking forward to hear back from you, experts.

Grant Bennet-Alder West of Boston, USA
A new 1TB External drive (suitable to replace your current Internal drive if you choose to) and enclosure can be had for under US$160
Ehh, you meant $60 , not $160
CassHeger
I do need to buy an external HD to be used solely for that purpose.
Yes, quality HD are cheap as dirt.
however a likewise Toshiba Internal HD 1TB is $70   (same as used by Apple)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOSHIBA-MQ01ABD100-1TB-5400-RPM-8MB-Cache-2-5-SATA-3-0Gb -s-Internal-Notebook-/121107538930?pt=US_Internal_Hard_Disk_Drives&hash=item1c3 2 9263f2
best options for the price, and high quality HD:
Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or $65 per TB on 2.5"
Perfect 1TB for $68
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim and perfect
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
2.5" USB portable High quality BEST FOR THE COST, Toshiba "tiny giant" 2TB drive (have several of them, LOT of storage in a SMALL package)    $117
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48 /ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379182740&sr=1-4&keywords=2tb+toshiba
*This one is the BEST portable external HD available that money can buy:
HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
$88
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Mobile-Portable-External-0S03559/dp/B009GE6JI8/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383238934&sr=8-1&keywords=HGST+Touro+Mobile+Pro+1TB+USB+3.0+72 00+RPM
Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"

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.

Installing OSX WITHOUT disc in Target Disc Mode

I have multiple computers that need to be updated- my question is this, once I have one computer fully updated how do I update the other computers in Target Disc mode?
I have attempted "restoring a disc" in Disc utility using the target disc as the destination, the host as the source, with no luck. All I get is the boot-up chime and then it freezes with a big apple icon on the screen. I have also trashed the old OS and drug in the new OS in Target disc mode and had more luck with that, although it took a LONG time. That way at least gave me a flashing question mark folder icon.
FYI- I have all the install discs for each computer, everything is above board, I am just trying to save time downloading update after update after update after update...

I see.
Consider the following:
Different Macs have different limitations regarding upgrading. Some can't go higher than Panther for instance. Whether upgrading to Panther or Tiger, each have minimum system requirements for RAM and hard disk space. Some older models from last decade even need a firmware update before they can take OS X.
So are these multiple computers a mixed bag or all similar? You may need to do some research for each of them.
Second, you say you have all the install disks for each. Are these the original grey disks which incidentally are machine specific, and furthermore will only install the OS that currently exists. Or have you purchased the Black Retail (Panther or Tiger) disks, which is what you will need to upgrade to a higher OS.
Regarding cloning and User's preferences. If there are different users with different preferences and settings these will necessarily be negated if a clone is applied - as the name would suggest an identical copy of one setup would be applied to all.
Is this what you really want?
If it is, and you are satisfied with all of the above considerations, this is how I would do it.
Two points first. A. If you use an external Firewire enabled Hard Drive, there will be no need to use Firewire Target Disk Mode. So you can avoid that complexity.
B. If you have tried to drag and drop an OS onto another disk, that will not work and you will probably have too reinstall that one from scratch, as that is definitely the wrong method.
So, 1. on Computer A use the Install disks to Upgrade using the Archive and Install method. This will preserve all preferences and existing applications.
+Insert the Install Disk 1 into the drive and then select Restart; when you hear the chime hold down C key until the apple logo appears.+
+This will take you to the installation software+
2. After it is installed, connect the external Hard Drive, knowing that is it formatted to HFS+ format and clone a copy of computer A's freshly upgraded OS onto it. I recommend SuperDuper as a good backup application, simply because I use it and it works well.
3. Once the clone is completed Restart the computer, and hold down the Option key to get to *StartUp Manager:*
Startup Manager: How to select a startup volume and select the external drive to test if it successfully boots. If it does, then Restart and just allow the computer to start up normally which will take you back to computer A. Do not disconnect the firewire cable by pulling it out. Once back on Computer A's desktop eject the external drive. Only when ejected may you detach the Firewire cable.
4. Go to computer B , start it, connect the ext. HD and Restart and boot into the External and clone it back onto Computer B.
regards roam
Message was edited by: roam
Message was edited by: roam

Using thunderbolt to firewire adapter for target disc mode

I need to transfer several GB of data from a 2011 iMac running OS 10.6 to a new Mac Mini running OS 10.9. Can I connect the older iMac to the newer Mini with a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter and boot the iMac into Target Disc Mode and transfer the data to the new Mac Mini? I've used TDM with two Firewire machines, but not with a newer Thunderbolt to Firewire Machine using an adapter.
Thanks for any input.
--SL

Hi Salnews,
I've done quite a bit of research on this, as this is what I plan to do (only from a MBP on 10.9, but I don't think your situation would be any different) and everything I've read says the answer is yes.
EDIT: I see you're on 10.6.7. You should update to 10.6.8 first.

Is it possible to use Target Display Mode under Bootcamp on iMac 27?

I run Solidworks under Windows XP in Parallels 5 on my pre Unibody MBP since a couple of years. Works well but I could need more speed and screen size.
I'm thinking that the following setup would suit me well if it works:
iMac 27 running Windows in Bootcamp
New MBP running OSX
Is it possible to connect the MBP to the iMac and use Target Display Mode when the iMac runs Bootcamp? Haven't been able to find a good answer.
If not - Apple: Will you please implement this in a Bootcamp update...?

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
If I understand your question, you wish to access the MBP in TDM from the iMac booted into Windows. The iMac using Windows should see the MBP in TDM as it would any other connected external USB or FireWire HDDs. However, you should also face the limits that the version of Windows you use may have regarding reading disks formatted for Macs.
Dah•veed

Target Disc Mode

I am trying to use my G4/1GHz B&W Yosmite as the Host, to a G4/17" flat screen iMac as the Target. The iMac enters Target Disc Mode (a yellow firewire icon is moving around the screen), but its drive icon does not appear on the Host. Both computers are running 10.4.5. I have tried restarting the host and hot plugging the firewire cable. The cable is off my iSight camera, which works on both computers. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks. Tony
G4/1GHz B&W Yosmite Mac OS X (10.4.2)

My Firewire Bus has returned
I downloaded the combo 10.4.5 update from http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosxupdate1045combo.html, not Software Update, disconnected all firewire + USB devices except keyboard + mouse, Repair Permissions, re-install update, Repair Permissions again, and it worked.
Thanks to Dale Weisshaar for the information.
G4/1GHz B&W Yosmite Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Installing OS on wiped PowerMac G4 Using Target Disc Mode?

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