How to Boot a Mac from Firewire
To use Macintosh computers as FireWire disks themselves, hold down the “T” key during system start up.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: To use Macintosh computers as FireWire disks themselves
This forces the system into FireWire " target" mode, at which point it can be connected to another Macintosh computer via a FireWire cable and used as a remote (target) drive disk.
This is a useful technique for transferring specific data from an old computer to a newly purchased computer.
Just boot the old computer in target mode, connect it to the new computer, and transfer only the data you want to transfer, instead of transferring everything with the Migrate utility.
This technique works for almost all Mac computers, in both desktop and notebook models, with G4 or faster processors.
The one notable exception to this is the Power Mac G4 model with PCI graphics, which does not support FireWire booting. -
Step 2: hold down the “T” key during system start up.
Detailed Guide
This forces the system into FireWire " target" mode, at which point it can be connected to another Macintosh computer via a FireWire cable and used as a remote (target) drive disk.
This is a useful technique for transferring specific data from an old computer to a newly purchased computer.
Just boot the old computer in target mode, connect it to the new computer, and transfer only the data you want to transfer, instead of transferring everything with the Migrate utility.
This technique works for almost all Mac computers, in both desktop and notebook models, with G4 or faster processors.
The one notable exception to this is the Power Mac G4 model with PCI graphics, which does not support FireWire booting.
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Lisa Parker
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