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USB ports won't work - how to get around this

I seem to have burnt out both USB ports on my old iMac (2006). I think an external CD player caused the trouble (since the CD on the iMac is also out of order). The machine boots up fine without the USB keyboard & mouse. It also connects to my laptop via an ethernet cable, so I can swap files between them.

Bit I'm trying to find a way to work on the iMac, perhaps with wireless keyboard/mouse. At some startups, the desktop starts looking for them with bluetooth, but - from what I've read - one probably needs wired keyboard/mouse as well, to click through the dialog boxes.


Is there any way round this, so I can get the old iMac chugging away again?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Apr 24, 2016 3:26 AM

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8 replies

Apr 24, 2016 8:10 AM in response to den.thed

Good idea but I think that there are a couple of problems.

  1. If the OP goes through Bluetooth pairing on the other Mac (booted from the 2006 iMac drive) the Bluetooth device will pair with the HW ID of that Mac and will still require pairing with the iMac.
  2. If the OP configures the iMac to look for a Bluetooth connection how is the OP going to click through the selection to ok the connection?

Apr 24, 2016 8:10 AM in response to Duane

Tricky, isn't it? Still, TDM (Target Disk Mode) is worth a try - I did try it once on the iMac when the keyboard/mouse still functioned, & perhaps it's still set to that mode [?]. Otherwise, there could be a problem according to the Mac Observer article -


"...power on the “target” Mac (in this that would be the iMac) and immediately press and hold the “T” key on the keyboard until you see a gray screen with a floating FireWire logo ...For the iMac, which lacks a keyboard, this means that he’ll have to at least temporarily connect a USB or Bluetooth keyboard to initiate TDM."


Catch22 - the iMac might need a keyboard to initiate TDM, which it lacks. Which is the whole of the problem.

Still, I'll try something of the kind when I've got a bluetooth keyboard (a mouse is already on its way), & will keep you posted.

Apr 24, 2016 8:52 AM in response to Duane

1. One would need to leave the Keyboard and Mouse off until the iMac restarted on it's own. Otherwise they would need to be unpaired from the host system and then paired with the iMac.


2. If all goes as planed, they should pair with the iMac just like any newly add wireless Keyboard and Mouse would.


Also noting that, one will need to use an earlier generation Keyboard and Mouse, because it will work with the latest Mystical 4.0 Keyboard, Trackpad and Mouse on that old of an iMac.

May 4, 2016 1:20 AM in response to den.thed

An update - the Mighty Mouse arrived & it paired up instantly with the iMac. I then found I could go to System Preferences > Startup Disk, & simply press a button to restart in Target Mode. (the procedure was a little different to the description in the article posted above). Once the iMac turned up on my MacBook desktop, I could go over it with Disk Utility as well as DiskWarrior, & nothing appears wrong with it.

The mouse allows me to type a little, using Keyboard Viewer. Also I've found an old G4 keyboard will work on one of the USB ports - though it's erratic & caves in if a mouse is plugged into it. An el-cheapo PC keyboard also does reasonably well. But they won't work through a restart (while holding down Option, or D, for example).


A notice often appears at startup, saying a USB device is drawing too much power, & the device has been disabled. It promises to restore power to the other USB devices, as soon as I disconnect the offending appliance. This can occur, even if there's nothing at all connected to the computer...


I'm thinking of refreshing the System software, but will have to wait for a bluetooth keyboard. Then, I can remotely install 10.6.8 from the CD drive on my laptop.

USB ports won't work - how to get around this

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