[X4U] Macs which support "target disk mode"

[John Baltutis]

On 01/23/08, Jim Robertson <jamesrob at sonic.net> wrote:
> On 1/22/08 6:01 PM, "Terence Cozad" <tcozad at covad.net>wrote:
>
>> Not to sound flip but it almost sounds like the computer lost power. I have
>> a mirror door G4 and have no problems with Firewire Target Disk Mode. If the
>> computer shuts down that is power related. I would plug into a good outlet,
>> make sure that the PRAM battery is good, if using a battery backup keepin
>> mind that putting too much in one will shut it down (from personal bad
>> experience) and you then need to plug into a different device or outlet.
>>
>> If it still does not work I would suspect hardware or a bad firewire port
>> perhaps. Try the other port. I know the old Blue and White G3 could notboot
>> this way from the firewire port (I had one) but all towers since then
>> should.  Just my 2 cent but hope you get it figured out.
>
> NO offer of help is ever considered flip :-)
>
> And your datapoint (that target disk mode DOES work on the mirrored doors
> without any keyboard incantations to invoke open firmware first) is
>invaluable.
>
> The G4's mirrored doors PRAM battery is depleted, but so far as I know, the
> only negative consequence of that is if, as you say, the computer loses a/c
> power it forgets what time and day it is. This is a brand new house, and
> nothing else suggests we have bad incoming power.

Then, replaxe the PRAM battery before continuing.

>
> We did fry the ethernet port on the mirrored doors G4 a few years ago,but
> solved that by putting in a PCI ethernet card. Perhaps the FW ports
> themselves ARE gone. I guess I could test that by hooking up one of my
> digital camera cardreaders that communicates over FW and see if the mirrored
> doors computer can recognize them.
>
> We don't have routine need for external drives, so I'm too cheap to spring
> for an external FW case. My son is a typical kid. He has many gigabytes of
> downloaded music and music videos, plus the movies he's made himself in
> Final Cut express on that box, but if it takes more than the time needed to
> click through the channels on the TiVo to accomplish something like this,
> for him it's "c'est la vie" and he's on to something else...

These are both under $50:
<http://www.pcmicrostore.com/PartDetail.aspx?q=p:10500933> and
<http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Firewire-Storage-Enclosure-PHR-250CC/dp/B0000B3ALD>.
If you can't spring for those, then, as you say, you're "too cheap."  :-)