The hard drive of the Target Mac should appear on the desktop of the Host Mac. The FW icon sort of bounces around the screen but don't worry, this is normal. It's a little scary the first time but what isn't? The screen will be a solid color - blue, green or gray - and the FireWire icon will be the only thing visible. You can release the t as soon as the FireWire icon appears. Start up the Target Mac while you hold down the "t" key. Use your FireWire (6-pin to 6-pin) cable and connect the two Macs.Ĥ. (The Host doesn't need to be turned off.)ģ. Make sure that the Target Mac is turned off. TDM works whether you do this or not but there may be a "hidden" technical reason so I advise doing as Apple says and disconnecting all FireWire devices before initiating TDM.Ģ.
Apple says that you should unplug all other FireWire devices from both computers. If you use a Powerbook in this mode be sure it's plugged in to AC.ġ. A Powerbook will also work as Target or Host. I'm working this process using a G4 as the Host and my iMac with Superdrive as the Target. The Host is the Mac to which you are bringing a drive from the Target Mac. "Host" and "Target" are Apple's terms in Target Disk Mode. Before using TDM I create a folder in my iMac into which I'll copy whatever I plan to transfer. I simply called mine "G4 HD" and "iMac HD" but you can call them Algernon and Florence if you want to. This will eliminate confusion when in TDM. All you need to spend using TDM is 25 or 30 bucks for a 6 to 6 FireWire cable and you're in business.īefore you begin this process I recommend that you rename your hard drives. You can get an external Firewire drive and use it for the transfer but they weren't giving away those handy gizmos last time I checked.
Sure, you can hook your Macs up with ethernet but do you know how long it takes to transfer a 20, 30 or 40 gig FCP movie that way? A loooong time is the answer. Using TDM to network the old G4 and the new iMac (with its Superdrive and built in iDVD) will allow me to give my clients DVDs instead of, or in addition to, tapes. The DVD question in the previous paragraph provided my rationale for buying my new iMac. But if you, like me, need a practical reason to shell out two grand, read on. With their Sci-Fi look, floating flat panel screen, Jaguar OS, Superdrive and all that good stuff they are irresistible. IMac, Superdrive and Target Disk Mode (TDM)Įvery Mac user is seduced by the new iMacs. So what do I do when my clients ask for their projects on DVD instead of Betacam, DV-Cam or VHS? Therein lies the reason for this article since I suspect there may be a lot of you in the same boat.
Nor am I spending any more cash for add-ons or upgrades to my reliable if archaic G4. One day in the near future Steve and his gang are gonna come out with a giant leap forward that will render (pun intended) the current cutting edge as dull as an old pocket knife but until that day, as long as "Old Faithful" still delivers the goods, I'm not jumping on the "fastest, biggest, latest" bandwagon. I've added 225 gigs of drive space and a bunch more memory and the old boy is still chugging along getting the job done and paying the rent. Now it's January 2003 and I'm still working with that same stable, reliable "antique", running FCP V3.0.2 in OS 9.2.2. In March 2000 I bought a 500 MHz G4 with a 28 gig hard drive and FinalCutPro 1.0. You can transfer anything between Macs using this method. But for handling large files it's the only way to go. With the technique I'm about to explain - Target Disk Mode (TDM) - you can only hook up two Macs temporarily. The title of this article says "Sort of" because this FireWire method is not networking in the usual, full-scale sense of the word.