Q: iMac as hdd

ejerry,

You have several options.

1) Dissassemble the old iMac and remove the HDD.  Then purchase an external HD drive adapter and turn it into a USB external hard drive.  You can then get your files off of the drive, and then use the old drive as a backup device.

2) Your old iMac had a Mini-DVI connector.  Therefore, you can use a mini-DVI to DVI or HDMI cable to connect it to nearly any modern monitor (or even an LCD TV).  Then boot up the old Mac.  If it doesn't display on the secondary display at first, try hitting [F7] key.  If that doesn't do it, then try [command]+[F1] keys together.

3) Another way to get your files off is with a FireWire cable.  Turn on your new mac and keep the old one turned off.  Then directly connect your new mac to the old one using a FireWire 800 cable.  Once connected, turn on the old mac and immediately hold down the [T] key during the boot process until a large orange firewire symbol comes on the screen, then release the key.  You old Mac is then in "target disk mode" and should behave as if it is an external hard drive.  It should mount in the new Mac's Finder and you can simply drag your files off.

4) Lastly, if filesharing was enabled on the old mac, just connect the two together with an Ethernet cable, turn them on, and wait a minute or two.  The old mac should then show up in Finder and you can simply connect to it over the two computer network and get your files off.

Hope those help.

1. Yes, but we would need to know exactly which year iMac you have.

see > How to identify iMac models

The 2008 model has a Mini-DVI port for output to an external display.

The 2009 model has a MiniDisplay Port for output to an external display.

You can use most any VGA or DVI monitor with either setup above, if you get the appropriate adapter and cable.

2. Yes

see > How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode

and > Target Disk Mode vs. FireWire networking

ejerry wrote:

 

Also the new Mac Pro doesn't have a FireWire port (thunderbolt ports) so I guess I need to use the Ethernet ports. I presume that's a standard network cable?

Might work, if the Internet Sharing Preferences are setup correctly on the iMac.

Otherwise you will need a > Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter

Yes, a standard Ethernet cable is all that's needed if file sharing was enabled on the old Mac at the time the display stopped working.

If not, then you will either need to remove the drive from the old Mac, or purchase one of the Apple cables for Thunderbolt to Firewire, or possibly a Mini DisplayPort to DVI cable like this (http://www.startech.com/AV/Displayport-Converters/Mini-DisplayPort-to-DVI-Video- Adapter~MDP2DVIMM3B

Great!  Glad it helped.

Target Disk Mode is certainly one of the most useful IT support features ever.  I hope they keep supporting it through Thunderbolt far after FireWire is gone.