Target Disk Mode Backup

The hard drive on my 12" powerbook g4 is failing and I need to do an emergency backup. I've pulled all the important data off and now I'd like to make a disk image backup so that I don't lose my preferences, fonts, etc, etc.
I'd thought to do this by putting the powerbook into target disk mode, mounting the disk on a friend's powerbook, and then using her disk utility feature to create the new disk image on another, external drive. Her internal drive isn't large enough to hold the disk image.
But reading the apple how-to, it seems like you can't have another firewire connection active when you've got a computer hooked up in target disk mode. Is this so?
Is there any way I can create this disk image backup and get it on my external drive without booting up the failing powerbook?
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi, oligopisto. Welcome to the Discussions.
The instructions for Target Disk Mode are very specific. I've not tried using a FireWire drive while having another Mac connected in Target Disk Mode. While Apple doesn't state the reason, I'd take them at their word. If the instructions state not to do it, I'd follow their advice.
I presume you only have one FireWire drive, that it's not partitioned, and that you've used that drive to save the data you've backed up from your PowerBook?
If that's the case, then here is a suggestion for an emergency backup procedure:
1. First, using your friend's Mac, see if you can create a disk image of the data on the FireWire drive that you can save on her computer. You need to do this to save the info you've already backed-up to the FireWire drive before proceeding.
2. Open the Get Info window for the FireWire drive and see if the "Ignore ownership on this volume" checkbox is selected in the General pane. If so, uncheck that checkbox.
3. Eject the FireWire drive from your friend's Mac (drag its icon to the Trash), then power off the FireWire drive and disconnect it from her computer.
4. Connect your FireWire drive to your PowerBook and power-on the FireWire drive.
5. Startup from your Tiger Install DVD.
6. Select Language.
7. After the Installer window opens, select Utilities > Disk Utility. You should see both the FireWire drive and the PowerBook's startup disk (e.g. Macintosh HD) in the column on the left side of the Disk Utility window.
8. In Disk Utility, select Macintosh HD.
9. Select the Restore tab.
10. Drag the Macintosh HD icon from the left column to the Source field in the Restore tab.
11. Drag the icon of the FireWire drive's volume to the Destination field in the Restore tab. Your FireWire drive will show up in the left column as:<pre>FireWire Drive Device Info
FireWire drive's volume</pre>The FireWire drive's volume is below and slightly indented with respect to the FireWire Drive Device Info. It's listed with the name of your FireWire drive. That's what you want to drag to Destination.
The first a screen shot in this article will give you some idea of what things should look like.
12. Select Erase Destination. Note: This option will result in the FireWire drive being erased after the next step.
13. Click Restore. Disk Utility begins to copy your entire Macintosh HD to the FireWire drive's volume. This may take several hours depending on how much data is on your PowerBook.
14. When Disk Utility has finished, Quit (Command-Q) Disk Utility.
15. Quit (Command-Q) the Installer. When prompted, select Shutdown to shutdown your PowerBook.
16. After your PowerBook shuts down, power off and disconnect the FireWire drive.
17. Check the files on the FireWire drive using your friend's Mac. If done correctly, you may even be able to startup her Mac from the Backup using Startup Manager. However, given that your PowerBook's hard drive is dying, you'll need to be satisfied with whatever you can get off of it. For example, if the OS on your PowerBook is corrupted, you might get your data files, but the drive won't be bootable.
18. Copy the disk image from your friend's Mac, created in Step 1, to the FireWire drive.
19. Eject the FireWire drive from your friend's Mac (drag its icon to the Trash), then power off the FireWire drive and disconnect it from her computer.
Your FireWire drive should now have both a copy of whatever could be recovered fro, your Macintosh HD and the disk image you created in step 1.
After you get your PowerBook's hard drive replaced, I suggest you implement a comprehensive Backup and Recovery solution. For advice on the backup and recovery solution I employ, see my "Backup and Recovery" FAQ.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

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Cheers

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