System restore through target disc mode?

Hi,
my 12-inch, very battered powerbook has one foot in the grave and I really really need to revive it.
I can feel the hardware working but all i get is a black screen. I have started it as an external hard drive from another mac and I can access everything.
The DVD drive has long been broken and I don't have the system discs.
Is there a way I can restore or reinstall the system from another mac (15-inch) or from an online source?
Little mac and I would be extremely helpful for any piece of advice...

To use TDM you would have to boot your computer into TDM. The other computer must be started normally from an installer disc unless you were cloning. However, if you boot your computer into Target Disk Mode and the screen is black, then the screen is dead. Although, it is possible, but not likely, that there's nothing wrong with the screen and the internal PRAM battery is dead (assuming your model has one.) If it does then you can try replacing it, but no guarantee that will help.

Similar Messages

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.

PB will only start in target disc mode, please help

On normal start up, I get the "You need to restart your computer......" message with start symbol behind the writing. every time I try to restart the same thing happens. I've tried all the keys on start up tricks and the only ones that work are option/startup where I can choose Hard Drive, OS Disc, or Hardware tools. If I choose Hard Drive, it goes back to the kernal panic screen with "you need to .....". If I choose OS Disc, it goes to a light gray screen with the apple symbol in the middle and just stays there (also does this if I try to startup holding C with startup disc). If I choose Hardware Tools, it lets me test the hard drive and everything checks out fine but when I restart back to the "You need to restart.....". It will also startup in target disc mode hooked up to my iMac. All of my apps and files were there so I transfered everything, whew! I can then insert the startup disc into the PB and it comes up on my iMac in target disc mode. I then try to open and reinstall OS 10.4 but it tells me I have to restart to start the process and I can't do this in target disc mode. I just ant to be able to erase everything on my PB and reinstall OS 10.4 with the PB start discs. Is this possible? thanks....
J.R.

Seems to me you have made all the right conclusions yourself: your HDD checks out fine, you were able to retrieve all your other files in Target mode, so it must be some corrupt OS files.
You just need to startup from your 10.4 install CD#1. To do this, just put the cd ready in its slot, push the power button while pushing the C key at the same time, and gently push in the CD whenever the system is ready (hold the C key while doing this and for as long as needed to hear the PB starting up from CD). If this works, you'll be duly prompted for the rest of the install process.
Before restoring your backup, it may be a good idea to restart in target mode and recheck the hard drive in Disc Utility or preferably Techtool (run a surface analysis to make sure the disc has no bad blocks). If you find any bad blocks, discard the harddisc: it will have caused your OS to be corrupt, and is not to be trusted anymore.
Good luck!

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

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

Target Disc Mode to copy library

Can someone explain how to use the Target Disc Mode to copy a iphoto library complete from one computer to another to another computer. I plan to use fire wire 8oo. The library is 30 GB (6000 pics) It would be Great if it were step by step, I still have the Training Wheels on! Thanks

Google is your friend
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
Summary
Learn how to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode.
Products Affected
Desktop Computers, Mac OS, Portable Computers
FireWire target disk mode allows a Macintosh computer with a FireWire port (the target computer) to be used as an external hard disk connected to another computer (the host). Once a target computer is started up as a FireWire hard disk and is available to the host computer, you can copy files to or from that volume.
Host computer requirements
Host computers must meet these requirements:
Built-in FireWire port or a FireWire port on a PC card
FireWire 2.3.3 or later
Mac OS 8.6 or later
Target computers
These 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)
Mac Pro (all models)
iBook (FireWire) and all models introduced after September 2000
PowerBook G3 (FireWire)
PowerBook G4 (all models)
MacBook Pro (all models)
MacBook models introduced before October 2008
Read more about FireWire Ports and Specifications.Note: FireWire Target Disk Mode works on internal PATA or SATA drives only. Target Disk Mode only connects to the master PATA drive on the Ultra ATA bus. It will not connect to Slave ATA, ATAPI, or SCSI drives.Before attempting FireWire target disk mode, check these items:
Make sure your software and firmware are up to date.
Disconnect all other FireWire devices from both computers before you use FireWire target disk mode. Do not connect any FireWire devices until after you have disconnected the two computers from each other or have stopped using target disk mode.
If "Open Firmware Password" has been enabled the computer will not go into Target Disk mode. More information on Open Firmware Password is available in the "What to do if your Mac doesn't enter FireWire Target Disk Mode" section of this article.
If you will be transferring FileVault-protected home directories (Mac OS X v10.3 or later only), log in as the FileVault-protected user and temporarily turn off FileVault. After transferring home directory contents to the target computer, enable FileVault protection again if you like.
To use FireWire target disk mode
Make sure that the target computer is turned off.
If you are using an Apple portable computer such as a PowerBook or MacBook as the target computer, plug in its AC power adapter.
Use a FireWire cable to connect the target computer to a host computer. The host computer can be powered on.
Start up the target computer and immediately press and hold down the T key until the FireWire icon appears. The hard disk of the target computer should become available to the host computer and will likely appear on desktop. (If the target computer is running Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, you can also open System Preferences, choose Startup Disk, and click Target Disk Mode. Restart the computer and it will start up in Target Disk Mode.)
When you are finished copying files, locate the target computer's hard disk icon on the desktop of the host computer and drag it to the Trash or choose Eject (or Put Away) from the File menu.
Press the target computer's power button to turn it off.
Unplug the FireWire cable.
Tips for using target disk mode with Intel-based Mac computers
If you attempt to mount an Intel-based Mac in target disk mode on a Macintosh running Mac OS X v10.3.9 or earlier, you'll see an alert message. For more information, see Intel-based Macs: "You have inserted a disk containing no volumes that Mac OS X can read" alert message.If your Intel-based Mac is becoming unresponsive while in Target Disk Mode, refer to Intel-based Mac may become unresponsive in target disk mode.What to do if your Mac doesn't enter FireWire target disk modeIf your computer does not enter FireWire target disk mode when you hold down the T key at startup and instead starts up into Mac OS, try these steps:
Make sure the FireWire cable is good, and check the connection.
Make sure no other FireWire devices are connected.
Make sure you are starting up the computer while pressing and holding down the T key.
Check the keyboard connection. Make sure the keyboard is connected directly to the computer and not through a display or hub. Whenever possible use an Apple wired or wireless keyboard.
Make sure that Open Firmware Password has not been enabled on this computer. Depending your OS version you may need to download the Open Firmware Password software. For more information on Open Firmware passwords, review Setting up firmware password protection in Mac OS X.
LN

Can I connect a macbook pro and an ibook g4 via ethernet with ibook in target disc mode?

Well, that's the question, really. I just bought a refurb macbook pro as an upgrade for my sister's elderly ibook - which has been a great computer, but which can't run any system newer than Tiger, and which has an extremely crowded hard drive. We began setting up the new computer last night, and got to where we were instructed to use migration assitant to transfer files from the old machine. This is where things fell apart.
1. Although both machines were on my sister's wireless network, the macbook pro did not see the ibook.
2. When we tried to connect the machines via firewire, we had a new problem - our particular macbook pro does not have a firewire 400 port. Same problem when we thought of connecting my sister's extermal verbatim drive. The macbook pro recognized the drive when we connected via USB, but, after asking if we wanted to use Verbatim for Time Machine, it didn't seem to see it when we answered "Not now".
I have ordered an adapter for our firewire cable, but, in the meantime, I have an ethernet cable at home which I used to transfer data from my older iMac G3 to an eMac. Can I use this cable while putting my sister's ibook into target disc mode, or must I wait for the connector? It is VERY frustrating having such a hard time moving information from one Mac to another. I've been a Mac fan (and evangelist) for years because Macs are generally easy and reliable. But now we're stuck.
I've been reading the boards and understand that target disc mode is the way to go, since we can't use migration assitant to move files between an Intel machine and a PPC. The new macbook pro is running Lion, while the old iBook is running Tiger 10.4.11. Neither of us has any experience with Lion, though we've both used Macs for many years.
TIA!

Thanks, Niel! As it turned out, I had a LaCie rugged drive at my place which had both Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 connections and cables. So I hooked it up to the old iBook, pulled my sister's stuff onto it as instructed in the ppc to intel thread, and then hooked it up to the Macbook Pro. Problem solved! - almost. We did have two issues:
1. My sister has a lot of music - more than 12 gigs were on the iBook's hard drive, but only about 6 made it onto the Macbook Pro. Why is that? I also got a message, when I was trying to move the music folder from the old library onto the new one, that OS X needed this folder and it couldn't be modified. Again, why is that? How, then, do you move files from a PPC to a machine running Lion? Again, a lot of her music files did make it over, but not all of them.
2. All her photos did seem to come over - in duplicate, maybe even in triplicate. That is so annoying! The same thing happened to me when I was migrating between my old eMac G4 and my iMac G5. Why on earth does iPhoto do this, and how can we make it stop?!
But we did manage to get a lot of her stuff onto the new machine. When we get the adapter, she'll be able to add the files that are on the Verbatim drive. You've been very helpful!

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?

Core i3 mac not seeing power pc g4 imac in target disc mode

I'm trying to migrate my set up from a power pc g4 imac running a 10.4.11 to a core i3 imac. All the system software and firmware on the g4 imac is upto date and the mac will enter target disc mode. The macs are connected using a brand new 6 pin to 9 pin firewire cable. The iMac core i3 will not see the other mac in target disc mode. When trying the same thing using the migration assistant, migration assistant just hangs with the 'waiting for your other mac to restart'.
I'd really appreciate any help to fix the issue.

Is this the newest model with Thunderbolt? If so then see Thunderbolt 10.6 Help: Transferring files between two computers using Target Disk Mode and Intel-based Mac may become unresponsive in target disk mode.
Have you checked to be sure the drive in the G4 is configured as the Master? If it isn't, then it cannot be seen in TDM.

Target Disc Mode doesn't Work - what do I do?

So my old Apple (2004 G4 Powerbook) went out on me. It will start it up but it won't advance past the start up screen. So I bought a new Apple. I have followed the instructions on how to transfer data from the old one to the new one using the Target Disc Mode, and the Migration Assistant. I can start my old one up in Target Disc Mode (the FireWire icon shows up on the screen). However, my new computer won't recognize it. In the migration mode, all it says is "searching for disc". It doesn't show up on my desktop either (my understanding that it should when in that mode). Any ideas of what I can do? I really want to be able to transfer that data over...Thanks in advance!

Hi and Welcome to Apple Discussions ...
Sounds like the drive in the PBookG4 has failed but I never say die. If by chance you use Airport and have a wireless network set up, you might be able to access the PBook drive with the new Mac. On the new Mac, make sure Airport is turned on. Open a Finder window, select Network in the Sidebar on the left and then click Network.
On the PBookG4. You say it starts up but not past the start up screen. Have you tried using the restore disk that came with the PBook and using Disk Utility to possibly repair the drive? If not, and you have the restore disk, post back and I'll give you the instructions to do this.
Carolyn
Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

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,

Target Disc Mode + Disc Mounting issues

I hope this is a suitable forum for this topic.
Anyway, I recently posted a question concerning the connection of 2 Mac's (one disabled), in order to save the contents of the disabled MBP.
I have since obtained a 6 pin to 9 pin cable (to connect my MB's FireWire 400 to MBP's Firewire 800), and have tried to access the MBPs hdd via Firewire/Target Disc Mode.
I have no problems booting the MBP to Target D. Mode, but the disc will not mount on my Macbook.
The main problem that I have noticed is the S.M.A.R.T status on the MBP's internal drive is saying "not supported". From what I have read this is a common status message for 3rd-party installed harddrives, but my internal is the factory installed drive.
Im pretty sure I know the answer: The drive is dead, ie. get a new one. But I just thought I would ask the you guys if there is some way to "fix" the SMART status so that it will mount.
Also, (and this is what makes me 99.9% sure the drive is dead) when linking the 2 computers in Target Disc Mode, the Leopard Install disc that was in the optical drive of the MBP was read on my Macbook, so I know the Firewire cable/both ports are in working order.
Hope this makes sense, as I tend to ramble!
Thanks for any help or suggestions,
Matt

If the drive does not mount and is otherwise inaccessible then booting into Target Disk Mode isn't going to help you. A drive's SMART status is not reported over FireWire or USB. The SMART status is only reported for the internal drive, locally. SMART has nothing to do with whether the drive is working or not. It is merely an information report.
All that you can hope to accomplish might be to purchase recovery software, boot the computer from the recovery software DVD, and hope something is recoverable. Or you can send the drive to one of the many disk recovery businesses to see if anything can be recovered from the dead drive.
File Recovery Software
Data Rescue
File Salvage
TechTool Pro.
The first two have demos you can download. The demo will indicate what if anything is recoverable, but until you pay for the software and get a serial number you cannot recover anything. You would also need the bootable DVD. This will not work if the drive's motor is dead or if the drive's interface board is no longer functioning. Both of these render the drive inaccessible. In this case recovery would have to be through a data recovery service like Drive Savers.
Each of the preceding comes on bootable CD.
Message was edited by: Kappy

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.

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.

SyncTwoFolders – target disc mode USB?

Can you do a target disc mode through a usb male to male cable?
I want to Sync exactly my work files from my iMac to the MBP for when I go away. The best way I've found to do that is to use a free app called SyncTwoFolders.
It means you can copy your work between two computers go away with one and work for a few months come back and sync it with the other and vice versa.
To do this you need to connect two computers. My iMac has Firewire and USB. The MBP has USB and Thunderbolt.
USB to USB doesn't seem to work.
What cable should I buy to do this? Firewire to Thunderbolt? Firewire to USB? USB to Thunderbolt?

Thank you. I'm looking around and there doesn't seem to be a Firewire to Thunderbolt male to male cable. I guess I should get a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter and use it with a normal Firewire cable.

System restore through target disc mode?

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