User profile for user: Suz
Suz Author
User level: Level 1
67 points

Target disk mode with external hard drive?

Hi all,

I have a very annoying problem. I've just bought a new Mac Mini, previously I had an iBook G4 600 (about 6 years old). My Mac mini works perfectly, but...

1) I don't want to copy everything over from the iBook with Migration Assistant, I'd rather pick and choose what to copy. Is buying a firewire cable and using Target Disk mode the only quick way to do this?

2) I was intending to transfer files using my external HD. But the Mini doesn't recognise my poor old external drive. However, all my iTunes music is on the external HD. It seems by far the fastest way to get the music off (as long as I can't get the mini to recognise the HD)would be to boot the iBook in Target Disk mode then somehow be able to read from the external HD as well. Is this possible? If not, what on earth can I do??

Thanks in advance,
Suz

Message was edited by: Suz

iBook 600, new Mac Mini (intel), Mac OS X (10.5.7), Freecom Classic SL external HD

Posted on Jun 17, 2009 3:08 AM

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User profile for user: bphendri
bphendri
User level: Level 1
119 points

Jun 17, 2009 3:40 AM in response to Suz

I do not believe this is possible, however have you considered

1) Copying the MP3 files to the iBook then just connecting the iBook using TDM?
2) You can share the external volume off the iBook and connect to it from the mini.

Just enable file sharing on the ibook, then click on the external volume, and select File / Get info, and check the Shared folder button. You might also want to check Ignore Ownerships & Permissions as well.

On the Mac mini. You will either see the iBook in the sidebar under SHARED, or you can click GO / Connect to server, and enter AFP://(macbooks Ip-address). (--- Place holder for the actual iBooks IP address.

Congrats on your new Mac Mini, and good luck!
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User profile for user: Suz
Suz Author
User level: Level 1
67 points

Jun 17, 2009 3:54 AM in response to bphendri

Good thoughts there. I did consider your option 1 as my last resort, as I have about 12GB of music on the external HD, so to copy all that back again would take absolutely hours, and possibly also max out my laptop's memory.

I had no idea it was possible to share external drives though, I shall definitely try that. Although it occurs to me, if the Mac Mini won't recognise the external drive when it's plugged in, it might not be able to read it as a shared drive either?

Will keep you posted. Any more useful ideas welcome!
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User profile for user: Suz
Suz Author
User level: Level 1
67 points

Jun 17, 2009 8:49 AM in response to bphendri

Hmm, another problem. It appears that in Tiger, there is no option to assign any given folder as 'shared'. Meaning, I can connect to my iBook from my Mini - thanks for that anyway - using 'Connect to Server' in Finder, but my external drive doesn't show up. I can see everything on my iBook apart from that!

Any ideas?
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User profile for user: bphendri
bphendri
User level: Level 1
119 points

Jun 17, 2009 11:32 AM in response to Suz

Suz,

Looks like you setup sharing diferent in 10.4 (But you knew that already).

In the File Sharing Preference, if you click the + icon to add shared folders, does it let you Add the external volume?

Here is a tutorial on setting up file sharing in Tiger. I do not have a Tiger box in front of me, so this is all off the top of my head.

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20090520174215872
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User profile for user: Suz
Suz Author
User level: Level 1
67 points

Jun 17, 2009 3:51 PM in response to bphendri

++In the File Sharing Preference, if you click the + icon to add shared folders, does it let you Add the external volume?++

Nope, there is no option to add shared folders

+Here is a tutorial on setting up file sharing in Tiger. I do not have a Tiger box in front of me, so this is all off the top of my head.+

That tutorial is for Leopard! I'm just about giving up now, think I'll just have to transfer HD > iBook > Mini. Extremely annoying though - there must be a way! I've tried downloading something called Sharepoints, but that doesn't seem to work. I've tried a random Unix solution I found on a messageboard, that didn't work either. I'm stuck!!

Message was edited by: Suz
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User profile for user: cornelius
cornelius
User level: Level 6
17,826 points

Jun 17, 2009 4:54 PM in response to Suz

Suz:

Have you tried this:
Start up MacMini
Connect iBook G4 to Mini
Connect external HDD to iBook G4
Boot iBook G4 into FW-TDM

When I do this with an external HDD connected to my Pismo then connecting the Pismo to my MacBook Pro then boo the Pismo into FW-TDM the external connected to Pismo the mounts on the MacBook Pro desktop along with the Pismo. Indeed, if I hook up the external to the Pismo and the Pismo to the MBP the external mounts on the MBP desktop even without turning the Pismo on.

😉 cornelius

Message was edited by: cornelius
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User profile for user: bphendri
bphendri
User level: Level 1
119 points

Jun 17, 2009 8:53 PM in response to Suz

Oh don't give up!! 🙂

After further research (Oh the joys of upgrading all your Macs to the lastest and greatest.) I didn't have a reference platform to look at.

You can only share the macs Users/Public folder over the network, UNLESS you log in as the admin user of that machine. Then you should be able to mount any connected volume..

Which account are you using to connect to the iBook?
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User profile for user: bphendri
bphendri
User level: Level 1
119 points

Jun 17, 2009 9:03 PM in response to bphendri

I'm also wondering. Regarding the original problem.

When you plug the external firewire drive into the new computer, do you know if it shows up in system profiler? If it shows up there.. Does it show up at all in Disk Utility?

Now that Cornelius says it is possible to mount and external firewire drive through TDM. I'm gonna try it (IF I can find enough FIREWIRE cables that is..)

Into the box of junk I go!!! If I'm not back in 15 minutes call a search party!
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User profile for user: bphendri
bphendri
User level: Level 1
119 points

Jun 17, 2009 9:22 PM in response to cornelius

Okay after testing, I am ready to conceded that you are correct that you can daisy chain an external drive and a TDM Mac together and have them mount both drives.

However. unless Suz proves me wrong (Which is always a possibility), I do not think that it will fix her initial problem. Since all's TDM does is allow the computer to act as a Firewire device, so it and the external hard drive, are simply 2 FW devices on a serial bus. If the new Mac Can't mount the external drive from the old computer, I doubt it would mount it with the old computer connected to it. (Unless there is just some funky thing going on that having another firewire device on the bus corrects?)

Let's see if it shows up in System profiler, and if it shows up there how does Disk Utility see it?

Have you also tried resetting the NVRAM?

Also just to be on the safe side, do you have another Firewire device that you can connect, to let us know that the port on the new mac is actually working?
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Target disk mode with external hard drive?

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