Impossible pram reset - iMac trapped in verbose modetg

HI - I hope this is the right place...

I am in the process of trying to save a ton of data, the only versions existing, from an old IMac (circa 2007, running 10.6.8), and I am encountering ALL the problems.

It's like the computer is against me.

In an ideal world, this is what I want to do: boot the old iMac in target disk mode, hook up the ancient 4 pin firewire to my slightly less ancient iMac's 8 pins, and save all my boyfriends data (who's real backup I destroyed), and I a hero.

I Have to do it this way, because the computer's screen starts artifacting almost immediately after startup and soon becomes unusable...I think this is beyond fixing - I'm trying to rescue the cute rats off a sinking ship.

Of course, I can't boot it into target drive, because the iMac is stuck in VERBOSE MODE, so all I get is lots of "tttttttttt" intttttttttterjected in the boot babble.

Next step tried was to reset the PRAM, which was equally unsuccessful...

safe safe mode is also failing me.

Does anyone have a clever plan?

sarah