Mac won't startup after Target Disk Mode

Hello all, i recently purchased a G5 Imac and attempted the Target Disk Mode for transferring files from my old G4 PowerPC Quicksilver. It took a very long time to get the disk to mount itself during this process but when it was there i did all my transfers and when done, ejected the disk. Without the firewire attached i have now restarted the PowerPC model and was stuck on the blue screen of death after the usual startup. After doing some CMD+V, CMD+S, CMDOPT+OF, CMDOPT+PR i have now been apparently made it even worse because now it just sits on the gray screen with the Apple. I can't seem to find my original discs for the PowerPC but have the new ones that came with the G5 readily available but doubt they work due to the intel differences but i could be wrong....any help folks? Thank you kindly in advance

i've changed out the battery to no avail. I have always had a secondary HD in my case and i was able to find my disks that originally came with my mac and installed a fresh version of the OS on the secondary. Everything seems to work fine there except now i'm running on a system 7 years old and the auto-updates aren't giving me any options to move closer to today's technology. as far as my main HD, i believe it is dead and that is the problem from the get go so i assume that i'm screwed there and will have to start fresh with this secondary HD now my main.

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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

Won't boot, recognise superdrive or startup in target disk mode

I've been trying to help a friend with his iMac G4 that crashed. Of course he hasn't backed up his hard drive in years. I've searched the forums and have tried several methods to get his machine running or at least recover his data but with no luck.
Here's what happens:
When I turn on his computer I can hear repeated clicking which eventually stops. The screen comes up grey and eventually a flashing icon appears, alternating between a folder with a Finder icon and a folder with a question mark.
Here's what I've tried:
I've tried booting in target disk mode but that doesn't work.
I've tried booting holding down the mouse button but the superdrive tray doesn't open.
I've booted into Open Firmware and typed "eject cd". The system pauses for a long time then gives me the message "can't OPEN the EJECT device".
I've manually opened the superdrive tray, loaded a disc, then booted while holding down the "c" key. I can hear the drive spin, but the computer doesn't boot from the disk. I've tried loading a Tiger DVD, a DiskWarrior CD and an OS 9 CD.
I've tried removing the Airport card and additional RAM.
I've tried resetting the PRAM.
I've tried resetting the PMU.
I've booted into Open Firmware and typed "reset-nvram" then "reset-all".
Nothing has worked. The computer always returns to the flashing Finder/question mark folder.
I'd really appreciate any suggestions on where to go from here.
Thanks!

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.

Old G5 won't start in target disk mode.

I'm trying to migrate from my old G5 (2003) to a 'new' (second-hand) G5. When I run Migration Assisstant on the new one and it asks me to start the old machine in target disk mode the old machine won't boot up. I have wireless keyboard and have tried pressing 't' on start up to no avail so I have also tried rebooting via the 'Start Up' pane of System Preferences. When I do this it boots up to the blue screen with yellow firewire logo then after less than a second it powers down.
There are no other firewire devices plugged in and as far as I can tell all the firmware etc is up to date (Software Update runs every week)
Grateful for anyone who has any ideas.
Matt.

Hi Matt-
No chime is significant.....
It would be best to reset the PRAM on the old G5. This is best done with a wired keyboard, though you can try it with the wireless (may not work). Hold the CommandOption+PR keys and startup. Hold the keys until you hear the second startup chime, then release. The machine should then continue on to boot normally.
After the PRAM reset, the Startup chime should be restored, and, hopefully, so will Firewire Target Disk mode.

Pismo with Tiger won't go into target disk mode

I recently upgraded my Pismo to Tiger and can't seem to boot into firewire target disk mode. The computer restarts and gives me a terminal screen that reads: "can't OPEN DISK" and then goes on to say "Welcome to Open Firmware. To continue booting, type "mac-boot"..."
I tried zapping the pram, but that did nothing. Does anybody have any suggestions?

MacUser,
When booted in 10.4.8, select Target Disk Mode in the System Preferences > Startup Disk and see what happens.
If no success, try resetting Open Firmware (from Apple docs):
Boot into Open Firmware by holding down the 'Command-Option-O-F' keys from a cold start while the chime is being played. You will see a command-line screen...enter these commands:
1. At the Open Firmware prompt, type: reset-nvram
2. Press Return.
3. At the Open Firmware prompt, type: reset-all
4. Press Return.
Example:
0 > reset-nvram
Press Return
0 > reset-all
Press Return
The reset-all command should cause the computer to restart. If this occurs, you have successfully reset the Open Firmware settings.

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.

Macbook Pro won't mount during target disk mode

I don't know what to do.
I was using Safari today when the whole computer froze. Nothing was responding, so I had to force shut down.
When I went to restart, I got a gray screen with the apple logo and a progress bar; the bar will take a while to fill, then the computer shut down completely. Happens every time now.
I tried booting in safemode and it didn't work; the command prompt details said "Incorrect number of thread records. (4, 29503)" and "Incorrect number of extended attributes (It should be 381007 instead of 381008)"....... What does that mean????
I tried booting the backup drive and running disk utility to diagnose the problem, and it said the disk is unable to be repaired etc.
Now I'm trying to salvage my important files by using the firewire target disk mode with another mac. My macbook pro won't even mount; disk utility said it can't be mounted and is damaged.
Please help--what do I do to save these files???

My workflow was like this:
Partitioned fresh hard drive into 2 partitions: 1 for OS clone, 1 for data recovery
Used Carbon Copy Cloner (an excellent tool) to clone working OS to 1st partition
Attached harddrive to malfunctioning MBA
Held Option on malfunctioning MBA and booted to cloned drive
Once booted, I used old-school Data Rescue II to salvage data from MBA internal drive to my data recovery partition. (Probably need a newer / better data recovery program, as this one changed file names, moved things around, was generally not that awesome...)
Used Disk Util from booted clone to format MBA internal drive.
Used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone to formatted MBA internal drive.
Shut down, disconnected external drive, MBA booted normally.
Think that's everything. I've been touting the excellence of Carbon Copy Cloner for a while now for backups. In my opinion it's much more thorough than Time Machine backups, as you don't need a functioning OS. You can boot to a clone -- time / life saving!

Won't go into Target Disk Mode

Help,
I have an iMac that is several years old, OS X v. 10.3.9, has never had any trouble. I recently bought a new MacBook Pro and have been trying to move files over from the iMac, but I cannot get the iMac to boot up in Target Disk Mode.
I reboot, hold the "T" key, etc., and the FireWire symbol comes up, but then it just slowly bounces around the screen while the machine whirs away, and I don't get any further.
Open Firmware Password is not activated; I've run software updates.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Hi,
A while back I tried what you have and also, the Panther OS G4 would not show up on the Tiger OS G4, although the Panther OS was in Target Disk Mode with the floating icon.
The connection was per instructions, both on line and step-by-step per the Tiger OS, but no disk showed up even after a few hours of wait.
What I found is that my Panther OS G4 Firewire socket was 'mushy' (it moved fairly easy from slight finger pressure on the plug-in end... it was not 'firm' like my USB socket was. So I tried a Firewire external drive I have, that did work before, and it too, did not show-up (although it did start it by being plugged in). Everything I tried with that Firewire socket on the Panther Computer was not there... although these did work on the Tiger Computer.
Since the Firewire is soldered onto the motherboard I have come to the conclusion that one or more of the connections are disconnected... perhaps not the power one, as the external items react to the plug-in, but there is no 'communication' after the fact.
Perhaps this is what has happened on the iMac end for you. And yes, I have used that Firewire plug many many times and not always with TLC in the past, as it is a laptop.
Now I use a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 (either direction works, depending on what plug works on which item) for what I have and do... as to repair it would be more then a new computer and the Panther computer is an '05 model (but still used daily for what it does).
Maybe you can check how 'solid' your iMac feels when it is plugged in with the Firewire, compare it to other connections... do it gently though, but if it is loose you will know by the 'mushy give' it has.

HELP! Macbook won't load into Target Disk Mode

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

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

Clean install of OS Lion after Target disk mode transfer

Not sure if this is the right community to ask this in but if you could help me I'd appreciate it.
I have a iMac 5 1, duo core 2 duo with 3 1/2 gigs of RAM. I recently did a targe disk mode transfer of files and folders from my mac book laptop. Mostly because I wanted the software (Creative suite, capture one, etc ...) My computer has slowed down noticeably since then. But what worries me more is the possibility that as a result of the target disk mode I copied a lot of "junk", like .plists scripts that either don't work or don't need to be running, or junk on my local storage. I tried my best to clean off a lot of this stuff, and even did a repair disk permisions (there were a lot of permissions that needed to be repaired quite naturally). Well anyway I bought the 10.7.4 Lion upgrade from the app store. I'm wondering, would it benefit me to do a "clean" install either by partitioning my disk or using a bootable USB. Or an erase and install. Will doing either erase my software and will doing it clean out my HD at all.
Thanks.

Please note that your 3 GB of RAM is not going to result in a good experience with Lion as it is a bit of a memory hog and 4 GB is a realistic minimum.
As for copying your applications from one Mac to another: have you made sure that they are compatible? And, do they require more RAM than what you have? Using something like Creative Suite, I would suggest more than 4 GB RAM.
I don't know which version you have, but here are the requirements for v. 6:
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/mastercollection/tech-specs.html
(Note: 8 GB RAM recommended)

Mac mini won't boot into target disk mode

Hi
I just bought a Mac mini on eBay. I'm not sure of the spec but I think its a G4.
When it arrived I plugged it in and switched on to find the question mark folder appear.
I put in a 10.5 disk but it would not boot from it. [this was a disk I got with another s/h machine though so may not be bootable]
As I could not install from the disk I figured my best bet would be to target disk in and install osx from a powerbook I have here.
However I can't get target disk to work.
The keyboard is definitely working as it allows me to boot into OF and zap the PRAM
I've also tried pressing what I believe to be the SMU button just behind the connector board to the HD and DVD drive but no luck.
Anybody got any ideas as to whats going on?
Cheers

Ok, I can probably get a copy of OSX
The problem is I think the DVD drive is faulty as it wouldn't give me my disk back I tried "eject cd" in OF but it didn't work and I had to open it up with a screw driver and take it out.
If the disk is corrupted is there a way to erase it without putting it in another machine. ie can it be done from OF?
Thanks for your help btw

Why won'tiMac won't go into target disk mode?

starting in 'T' doen't help, it plows on to loading up.

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)
If your model is not in the above list then it will not support TDM.

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?

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

Mac do not startup after reset of pram

My mac won't startup after I reset the pram. I had to reset my pram because I was trying to fix my probem. I cannot connect to the wifi because it said no airport card installed. Help!

Do an SMC reset, then report back if that doesn't get it going:
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.

Mac won't startup after Target Disk Mode

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