Q: Mac mini as external hard drive
Buying new mini, want to use 2009 mini as external. Don't necessarily want to partition as a drive, just want to be able to transfer docs between minis and use as extra storage. It's a perfectly good machine and I'd rather not just shelf it.
Mac mini (Early 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
Posted on Apr 28, 2015 4:07 AM
You can just startup the old Mac normally and connect to network and use file sharing.
or
Connect the two Macs via FireWire and boot the old Mac in Target Disk Mode. You will need to purchase a Thunderbolt to FW 800 adopter and then a FW 400 to FW 400 to 800 adopter. The gender of the FW 400/800 adopter depends upon the cable FW 800 or 400 you will use
How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode - Apple Support
Posted on Apr 28, 2015 4:17 AM