# Mac OS X question - Firewire Target Disk Mode

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 2, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586 "2011-07-02T01:08:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586/1 "2011-07-02T01:08:05Z")

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I have an iBook G4 (circa 2005) with a defective DVD drive, and a current spec iMac.

I would like to do a full clean and reinstall of OS X 10.4 on the iBook using its original DVDs…am I correct in thinking that if I connect the computers with a Firewire cable and boot the iMac in Target Disk mode, its DVD drive will essentially act as an external drive the laptop will recognize, and I can proceed with the reinstall from there?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586/2 "2011-07-02T04:30:09Z")

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Pretty sure no, but the only way to be positive is to try it. Alternatively, a usb DVD drive probably isn’t very expensive.

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**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586/3 "2011-07-02T04:38:43Z")

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> [@zombywoof](#):
>
> I would like to do a full clean and reinstall of OS X 10.4 on the iBook using its original DVDs…am I correct in thinking that if I connect the computers with a Firewire cable and boot the iMac in Target Disk mode, its DVD drive will essentially act as an external drive the laptop will recognize, and I can proceed with the reinstall from there?
> 
> Thanks.

I have done just this, and it does work. I was somewhat surprised, but the DVD drive does appear, and the boot and install system is able to recognize it correctly.

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586/4 "2011-07-02T05:32:34Z")

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Yep, I was skeptical, too, but just did it last month.

And it looks like the same Target mode’ll work with Thunderbolt (the new high-speed connector that doesn’t, y’know, connect to anything yet).

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**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-os-x-question-firewire-target-disk-mode/587586/5 "2011-07-02T13:13:46Z")

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> [@digs](#):
>
> … Thunderbolt (the new high-speed connector that doesn’t, y’know, connect to anything yet).

Humor appreciated — but there is now [one device](http://www.lacie.com/us/technologies/technology.htm?id=10039) at least.