![boot in target disk mode boot in target disk mode](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/319167.image0.jpg)
After the disk is no longer visible in Finder, you can press the power button on the host Mac to turn it off. First, eject the disk in Finder, just as you would with any other external drive. When you are ready to disconnect your host Mac, don’t just unplug the machine or turn it off. Remember to properly disconnect your host computer to avoid any data corruption. This is a pretty straightforward process and the assistant will guide you through completing it.
Boot in target disk mode full#
If you will be using the recipient computer full time, you can use Migration Assistant (located in the Utilities folder on the recipient computer) to transfer over all of the necessary files and user accounts from the host computer. To access files in your Home directory, you will need to navigate from the root of the drive to /Users/YourUserName. Transferring Your FilesĪfter the host computer appears in the Finder, click on it to begin transferring files.Īfter your host computer appears as an external drive, you will be able to navigate through the drive, and retrieve your important files. After a few seconds, the recipient computer will mount the host computer as an external drive and will appear in the Finder while sharing, the host computer will display a FireWire or Thunderbolt logo on the screen. When you see the FireWire logo, it means that your host machine is acting as an external FireWire hard drive.Īfter connecting your computers through the FireWire crossover cable, shutdown the host computer and restart it while holding down the “T” key. If you are using newer Macs with Thunderbolt ports, you can also use a Thunderbolt crossover cable to conduct the file transfer. Cables like this can be readily found online or at your local electronics retail store. On Apple computers, Target Disk Mode is a special boot option that allows the systems hard drives to be accessed with a FireWire cable (also with a Thunderbolt connection for newer systems). If one computer has FireWire 400 and the other has 800, you will need a FireWire 400-to-800 crossover cable. This crossover cable has two male FireWire connectors available in the flavor your machines accept (either FireWire 400 or 800). You may have a FireWire crossover cable lying around if you have an external FireWire hard drive or other FireWire peripheral.Ĭonnect the computer you will be transferring files from (the host) to another Mac (the recipient) using a FireWire crossover cable. > FireWire or Thunderbolt Crossover Cables 1. > Two Macs with FireWire or Thunderbolt Ports When a Mac is booted in target disk mode, the typical boot sequence is bypassed and the operating system is not loaded.
![boot in target disk mode boot in target disk mode](https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MATransferChoice1280.jpg)
Using this mode, you can connect your misbehaving Mac to another Mac and use it as an external hard drive, allowing you to retrieve your files and stow them at an alternative location. Target disk mode is a way of booting a Macintosh computer so that it acts as an external hard drive on another computer. To do this, we’ll use a little-known boot utility called Target Disk Mode. Occasionally your Mac may refuse to boot due to any number of problems however, you can still get to your important files so long as your hard drive is still intact.