[HOWTO] - Use Firewire "target" mode

[simX]

Originally posted by scottk
To clone a disk use Disk Copy 6.4

Under the Options Menu select Clone, and follow the prompts to select the Source and Destinations, and you will have a complete clone, that will boot OS X etc...

One caveat is that you will also erase the target disk.

Have fun.

Scott

A more obvious caveat is that you'll have to find Disk Copy 6.4 somewhere, and I don't believe it's really legal to obtain a copy of this program as it's not released. Anyway, that's all I'll say since I had a HUGE argument with GadgetLover over this (which I have to say I won, because it was NOT in the Developer Tools -- sorry GadgetLover, I just HAD to take a potshot ).

And yes, people have correctly corrected me on my statement that you do need a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire cable. Sorry about that. I just meant to say that you didn't need a cable that carries power over the cord. Maybe someone could clarify this -- are there different kinds of 6-pin to 6-pin FW cords, some that carry power and some that don't? Also, is there a 4-pin to 6-pin FW cable adapter?

[drxian]

can the cloned disk be the startup disk of the master machine you are running disktools on?

[TonyTheRed]

Firewire is plug-n-play. You do not have to restart the master computer to see the target drive on the screen. You do, however, have to put away the target drive before you unplug the cable or restart the target computer.

Tony The Red

[MacWiz]

I tried to do this with my two ibooks, one 600mhz 14" combo and one 233mhz CD.
When i hold down "t" at startup on my oldest (233mhz) it booted up in target mode, it indicated on the screen it was working, but not when i plugged in the firewire into my 600Mhz iBook, nothing happened no disc would turn up on the screen.
But it worked the other way around.
but that time the cable was in all the time, so TonyTheRed may have been wrong about the plug-and-play when it comes to target mode...

or it could bee it wont work on OS X?

(The 233mhz ibook is my sisters, thats why it´s not in my list)

[sheepguy42]

Originally posted by simX

Maybe someone could clarify this -- are there different kinds of 6-pin to 6-pin FW cords, some that carry power and some that don't? Also, is there a 4-pin to 6-pin FW cable adapter?

Here's the logic for the 6-pin to 6-pin cable:
The port on every Mac is a 6-pin port. in order to plug each end into separate Macs, you need a plug that actually fits; 4-pin ends won't fit properly in a 6-pin port on your machine. The wire[s] that carry power are probably just not used, or are somehow used for data, enabling fater data transfer. This also makes sense: even self-powered external drives use 6-pin, probably so there are more wires to communicate BOTH ways fast, while on a digital video camera only one way needs to be fast (camera->computer).
Just my 2©

[MacWiz]

Qoute:

"This also makes sense: even self-powered external drives use 6-pin, probably so there are more wires to communicate BOTH ways fast, while on a digital video camera only one way needs to be fast (camera->computer)."

On my camera i can import DV-video AND extract back to the camera using the 6 pin 4 pin cable..

[sheepguy42]

Originally posted by MacWiz

On my camera i can import DV-video AND extract back to the camera using the 6 pin 4 pin cable..

Ok, so that part of my post was wrong. It was just hapless guessing as to the reason Self-Powered HDs use 6-pin and DV Cameras use 4-pin. Here's some more: maybe the HDs are done that way for consistency, as the bus-powered HDs need 6-pin. DV cameras have their own power, and it is more space/volume efficient to use 4-pin on something that is held (perhaps it is also cheaper). thank you for responding with this detail, I actually had heard of this before, but not havng a DV camera myself I did not know whether or not some cameras use 6-pin to have this feature. That's good to know; I hope to get a DV camera in the next year .
Also:

Macintosh: How to Use FireWire Target Disk Mode

Important: Unplug all other FireWire devices from both computers prior to using FireWire target disk mode. Do not plug in any FireWire devices until after you have disconnected the two computers from each other, or have stopped using target disk mode.
…
1. Make sure that the target computer is turned off. If you are using a PowerBook computer or iBook computer as the target computer, you should also plug in its AC power adapter.

2. Use a FireWire cable (6-pin to 6-pin) to connect the target computer to a host computer. The host computer does not need to be turned off.

[jbaugh]

I have a beige G3 with a combo USB/Firewire card. I don't suppose I can use firewire target mode to transfer data from the G3 to a new G4?
John