HT1661: How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
Learn about How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
Q: Install OS byTarget Disc to iMac A1145
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Feb 11, 2014 11:31 AMby Kappy,SeeTarget Disk Mode. You must boot the computer that will be the target of the installation into TDM. Then boot the source computer normally. The disk drive of the target should appear on the Desktop of the source.
If you don't get TDM on the target, then you haven't booted it properly or, given the error you described, the disk drive on the target may have died.
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Feb 11, 2014 12:29 PMby Kappy,Restart the computer. At the chime press and hold down the 'T' key until the TDM logo appears. Is that what you are doing?
The flashing folder and question mark occur when you do a normal boot and have a non-working drive. In your case a new, unformatted drive.
Also, TDM will only work on the first drive on the IDE chain - IDE disk 0, not IDE disk 1 - if you have more than one drive installed. If you have one drive, then it needs to be on the first IDE connector in the event that the system is keyed to cable position.
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Feb 11, 2014 12:42 PMby keithgvp,Restart the computer. At the chime press and hold down the 'T' key until the TDM logo appears. Is that what you are doing?
You're referring to the host computer, (the G4 Powermac) aren't you? Yes, I'm doing that. It has several drives, but only one startup disk, or boot drive that I know of. At any rate, I make sure the Mac OS 10.4.11 on Macintosh HD is highlighted in the Startup Disk panel before restarting in TDM. I'm assuming that must be the first drive on the IDE chain. (IDE disk 0)
The iMac, or target, has only one HDD. There isn't room for another in there.
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Feb 11, 2014 12:47 PMby Kappy,No. The target computer is the one on which you plan to install OS X. This is the one that has the new drive installed. You will need to boot the source computer with an OS X installer DVD or you will need to clone from the source to the target. But you do not boot the source computer into TDM.
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Feb 11, 2014 12:58 PMby keithgvp,Yes, that's what I said, the target is the iMac with the new HDD and which needs the OS install.
I am trying to clone from the source (host) G4. That's why I boot from there into TDM.
When I try it the other way around (booting the iMac into TDM) I am not seeing any indication of it on my G4.
I should reiterate that when I first tried with the G4 as host and iMac as target, the iMac successfully booted to mirror the G4's screen, with desktop folders and a yellow Mac HD icon.
I'm wondering if I should try booting from an external drive I know has a version of 10.4.11 on it.
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Feb 11, 2014 1:05 PMby Kappy,HelpfulOK. That's because the iMac has a blank disk. Let's try again:
Boot the iMac into TDM. Boot the G4 normally. On the G4 open Disk Utility. Look in the list to see if you find a disk drive listed that corresponds to the one in the iMac. The main entry for the drive will have the model identifier and drive size. There will be no sub-entry, or volume.
Select the drive's main entry then click on the Partition tab in Disk Utility's main window. In the Partition Scheme dropdown menu selet one partition. Set the Format Type to Mac OS Extended, Journaled. Click on the Options button and select Apple Partition Map (APM) then click on the OK button. Now click on the Apply button.
After the above you may now clone your G4's system to the iMac (I assume that's what you want to do):
Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Open Disk Utility in the Utilities folder.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag
it to the Destination entry field.
5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
the Source entry field.
6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the iMac volume. Source means the G4 startup volume.
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Feb 11, 2014 1:38 PMby keithgvp,Boot the iMac into TDM. Boot the G4 normally. On the G4 open Disk Utility. Look in the list to see if you find a disk drive listed that corresponds to the one in the iMac. The main entry for the drive will have the model identifier and drive size. There will be no sub-entry, or volume
Have done what you suggest, and that seems to be the problem, there's no drive in the list corresponding to the one in the iMac. All I'm seeing are the Main Mac HD, (19GB), one 80 GB drive with two volumes, and two, 1 TB SATA internal drives with their 6 volumes each as sub-entries. Looks like the iMac in TDM is not recognized. Could this be a hardware/logic board problem?
I'm also thinking it could be that the iMac prefers an actual install disc. When I tried installing my Tiger OS 10.4 retail disc I got the grey apple and the spinning gear, and then the apple became a circle with a diagonal line through it...meaning the wrong OS.
Anyway here's the current screenshot:
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Feb 11, 2014 1:28 PMby Kappy,Well, I can't see past the second 1 TB drive because Disk Utility isn't scrolled down to show what else is in the list. But if you don't see the iMac's drive then I can only surmise that:
1. The drive is not properly installed. For example, the cable isn't connected properly or there are jumpers on the drive that need to be set.
2. The drive itself is DOA.
3. There's something else wrong in the iMac.
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Feb 11, 2014 1:52 PMby keithgvp,No, there's nothing below the scroll that you see, except for some dmgs.
I'm inclined to your No. 3.
Unless the jumper is the issue. As you know, there's only 1 on the SATA drive, as opposed to 5 or so jumper pin sets on ATA/IDEs
I don't remember if it was on or off, and didn't look when installing. What does it matter? (If it does, and please explain, it means going back into the elaborate tear-down to get to the jumper on the drive. I definitely connected the power supply and the SATA cable before closing up).
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Feb 11, 2014 3:13 PMby Kappy,As I recall the older machines differentiated between Disk 0 and Disk 1 either by a jumper on the drive or position on the cable. The latter required setting the same jumper on each drive that was known as Cable Select. Two connectors were on the ribbon cables one of which was at the end of the cable - this was Disk 1 - and one in the middle of the cable - this was Disk 0. The other end of the cable connected to the motherboard or the drive board.
If there was only one drive in the machine, then it had to be jumpered as Disk 0 or connected to the middle connector on the ribbon cable if the machine used Cable Select.
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Feb 12, 2014 7:01 AMby robbo2,I hate to throw cold water on your discussion at this stage chaps, but wouldn't a more appropriate forum for this topic be Desktop Computers or Mac OSX, rather than an Accessibilty forum for the visually impaired?
No offence meant! I'm just curious how this subject ended up under Accessability > Vision.
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Feb 12, 2014 1:24 PMby keithgvp,Hi Robbo, I don't like a cold shower any more than you do, but Vision was the only choice that came up when I entered the question to the Community. Blame Apple Discussions, if you like.
As happened, I resubmitted same to the PPC/iMac forum, and if anyone wants to follow that circuitous thread you may find it
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Feb 12, 2014 8:05 PMby robbo2,Haha keithgvp! Thanks for replying at least, and not taking offence! Your reply goes some way to explaining why there are also so many other unrelated posts, eg security questions etc, in this Accessability forum.
**Please take note Apple Support Communities moderators**
Good luck keithgvp with a solution to your (real) problem!
