If Apple just released an OS patch to allow USB Target Mode, all would be well. (Which they could do via a software update, but I am not holding my breath.)Īnd a USB to Firewire cable won’t help at all. Taking FW out of the new MacBooks was not smart without giving us the ability to do the same thing via USB 2.0. You can’t do that if you boot from the drive you want to repair, and while the DVD that came with the computer is another solution, it is not the best one.
It worked REALLY well with, say, Disk Warrior, or even Disc Utilities to repair a drive. Target Mode was used to fix a problem on a Mac, not to transfer files. If OSX was corrupted in some way you could get the files off without having to crack the case and put the drive in an encolosure. The main reason target disk mode was so powerful is that you could use it even if the OS was trashed. This has been available for at least 5 years and costs nothing! In addition, you can shuttle files between two Macs or a Mac and a machine using Windows through Airport.
I do think that Apple will eventually make Target Disk Mode work with USB connections I make no predictions about when that may happen, though…įrom what you post, this is no solution to the loss of target disk mode. Not everybody needs this cable–if your computers are both on a network, you can move files between them without any additional cost–but it does what it does nicely, and might be worth the investment–especially if you’ve got multiple Macs and Windows PCs. I haven’t done any speed comparisons between this cable and Target Disk Mode–lemme know if you’re curious, and if there’s enough demand, I’ll try to do some. If you’ve been using computers as long as I have, the whole experience will remind you of using Laplink. And unlike Target Disk Mode, you don’t need to reboot one computer and put it in a mode that doesn’t let you do anything else.
WHAT IS A FIREWIRE CABLE FOR MAC INSTALL
Since the software’s in the cable, there’s no need to install anything (you just launch it directly from the cable). One end of the cable has a lump (see above), and the lump contains Mac and Windows software that shows the folders on both computers and allows you to drag and drop folders and files: It’s a $50 cable that lets you connect two Macs–or a Mac and a Windows PC, or two Windows PCs–and shuttle files between them.
WHAT IS A FIREWIRE CABLE FOR MAC FOR MAC
If what you’re sad about losing is Apple’s FireWire Target Disk Mode–which lets you copy files back and forth between two Macs via a FireWire cable–you can get a rough USB approximation in Targus’s Targus for Mac File Transfer Cable. I’m thinking this is my final post on the lack of FireWire on Apple’s new MacBook, but it might help some of the folks who are in mourning.