How to get files off a working 2010 imac with black screen

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How to get files off a working 2010 imac with black screen

Our 2010 iMac (OS10.12) starts up (I can hear a chime) and sounds like it's running OK but the screen is black. I've tried all things suggested in other posts and have concluded that the screen is absolutely dead and the iMac has consequently reached the end of its days. But I need access to the disk to copy files which haven't been backed up and then wipe the disk before disposal.

I have read that I should start it in target mode (by pressing T while starting up) after connecting with another computer ideally by firewire cable or if, not, by ethernet cable. I don't have a firewire cable with the right connectors to connect to our other iMac (2011, OS10.13) so have tried with ethernet cable, connecting each end to the ethernet socket in the two computers (I presume this is right and I don't need to connect it via the modem?). Do I need to change any preferences? I restart the broken iMac holding T (for how long?). I can't see what's going on so don't know what it is doing, if anything. I read that I should see the disk image on the other computer, but nothing comes up.

Where am I going wrong? Is there another way of accessing the files on the disk? Please help. Thanks.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Aug 11, 2021 8:52 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

82,210 points

Aug 11, 2021 9:21 AM in response to Lesley Fenton1

You need a FireWire 800 to Firewire 800 cable to go between those iMac's for Target Disk Mode.

for example > https://www.amazon.com/Pasow-FireWire-MacBook-Digital-Cameras/dp/B071KSLDJ8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

also see > https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/transfer-files-mac-computers-target-disk-mode-mchlp1443/mac

Edit: an Ethernet connection might work, if you previously had File and Screen Sharing setup between the two iMac.

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

143,712 points

Aug 12, 2021 8:29 AM in response to Lesley Fenton1

Were you backing up the 2010 using Time Machine or creating a bootable clone backup? If not this is exactly why backing up is absolutely critical. Operating any computer without a backup plan is a 100% guarantee you will lose data.

Back up your Mac with Time Machine & also OWC Mercury Elite Pro.

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Answer 3

Aug 12, 2021 3:45 AM in response to den.thed

Will order the firewire cable, thanks for the precise details.

Regarding your edit: I didn't have any luck when I tried it with an ethernet connection: I'm not sure (I can't remember) if file and screen sharing were on on the 'blind' computer. Will the firewire connection work even if they're not turned on?

Many thanks for your help, den.thed

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 10

82,210 points

Aug 12, 2021 7:15 AM in response to Lesley Fenton1

Yes I use Screen and File Sharing everyday between several Mac's.

The problem is that you need to have a working display to turn on Sharing and do the initial setup.

No FireWire Target will not work if the Mac's are off. Plus it's a long shot for you, because we do not know if the iMac only has a bad display.

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Answer 5

Aug 12, 2021 7:31 AM in response to den.thed

I meant: will it work if sharing isn't turned on both computers. They're both on the same network and we use to pass files to each other via airdrop so does that mean that sharing is on?

I'm pretty sure the computer is working OK. I can hear it running and I can even hear the sound of emails coming in. It seems to be just the screen which is dead.

I've ordered a cable anyway and will give it a try next week when it arrives.

Thanks for your input.

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Answer 6

Allan Jones

Level 9

72,104 points

Aug 12, 2021 9:45 AM in response to Lesley Fenton1

It has been a while since I used Target Disk mode to recover files from Mac with a dead display but, when I did, I did not use Sharing. Normally you wait for a screen indication that the ailing computer is running in TDM. As my screen was black, all I could do was watch for the old Mac's hard drive to appear as an external drive on the dsktop of a fully working Mac. It did. Mischief managed.

That was a 2007MBP with a dead nVidea 8600GT graphics chip (may the fleas of 1000 camels invest their armpits!) and the lifeboat was the 2012 MBP13 I still own. Both had FireWire ports.

However, when my 2010 iMac 27 died with the same symptoms you descibe, I could not get it to connect o the same working laptop that I used to salvage the other dead mac's files. I concluded that the iMac was "deader" than I originally though, and I used my daily Carbon Copy Cloner backup to recover everything.

Assuming the hard drive still works, you may be left with opening the 2010 and extracting its HDD. Use a universal USB drive adapter or a drive dock to recover the files from the bare drive after it is out of the computer. It is the computer equivalent of killing the cow to extract a live calf but may be your only shot.

If the hard drive is the problem, well, I hope there is a backup....

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Answer 7

Aug 16, 2021 6:06 AM in response to Allan Jones

Thanks for giving me a laugh, Allan!

Rkaufmann87: Pretty much everything on the drive is backed up. It was more to wipe it clean that we need access so that when we take it to the dump/recycler, no-one else can get access to the disk.

Thanks, all, for suggestions.

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Answer 8

Aug 19, 2021 12:35 AM in response to Lesley Fenton1

Thank you all for your help – that worked perfectly.

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How to get files off a working 2010 imac with black screen

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