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desertmac · May 17, 2007, 07:10 PM

I have two Powerbooks. I use one as a backup machine in case my primary one goes down.

First question: Is it possible to copy my user folder from my primary PB to my backup PB when the backup is in target disk mode? The primary is a PB 1.67 and the backup is a PB 1.25.

Second question: I am going to sell my 1.25 and use my 1.67 as a backup once the new MBP's come out. One I have migrated all of my files over the the new MBP, will I be able to similarly copy my User folder from the new MBP to the PB 1.67 over time?

Thanks for your help.

Big Mac · May 17, 2007, 07:14 PM

Yeah, it's possible to do it, but if you try a straight copy using the Finder you'll have to correct the permissions. It's better to use a backup utility or a cloning utility. If you want to synch the two Macs you can look into rsync.

desertmac · May 17, 2007, 07:22 PM

Thanks Big Mac. I use Synchronize! Pro and Super Duper. Any reason why one these won't work? Or any reason why rsync might be better?

Big Mac · May 17, 2007, 07:48 PM

You should be fine with those. I was just referring to the problem using the Finder to manually copy files.

desertmac · May 17, 2007, 07:53 PM

Thanks. One last question: no problem syncing the User folders between Intel and PPC machines?

Big Mac · May 17, 2007, 08:09 PM

There should not be a problem because we're talking about the user folder and not application code.

posthumanus · May 18, 2007, 10:39 PM

i copied my home folder via target disk mode every day for a year. problem was the only way out of target disk mode was to 'pull the plug' so to speak. i'm convinced this ended up frying my iBook.

posthumanus

Art Vandelay · May 18, 2007, 10:44 PM

If your account on both machines has the same name and is the same UID, then Finder copies are fine.

Art Vandelay · May 18, 2007, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by posthumanus

i copied my home folder via target disk mode every day for a year. problem was the only way out of target disk mode was to 'pull the plug' so to speak. i'm convinced this ended up frying my iBook.

posthumanus

If that was the only way out of TDM on your iBook, then you already had a problem.

posthumanus · May 18, 2007, 10:56 PM

when i said 'pull the plug' i didn't mean it literally - what i had to do was shut down the iBook using the power button without going through the menu command. something that had previously fried my old iMac with OS9.

do you have a better way of escaping target disk mode?

posthumanus

(note to self - must use specific language when on MacNN)

Art Vandelay · May 18, 2007, 11:03 PM

Well, you obviously still had a problem. However, I'm not sure what you're doing. Was the iBook the one in TDM or that you were connecting another Mac that's in TDM to the iBook? It sounds like the latter since there is no menu in TDM. There isn't an OS running, the firmware is responsible for TDM. If it's the latter, then all you would need to do is unmount the drive from the other Mac.

But what I thought you meant was that the iBook was in TDM and you had to literally pull the plug. When a Mac is in TDM, you just hit the power button and it shuts down. Of course, make sure you already have unmounted the drive from the other Mac first.

posthumanus · May 18, 2007, 11:16 PM

iBook in TDM. unmounted drive, then hit power button.

am still convinced that doing this repeatedly led to brain death.

posthumanus

Art Vandelay · May 18, 2007, 11:23 PM

That's how it's done. You just tap the power button when you're done and tap it again to reboot back into the OS. I do it all the time as a network administrator and have never had a problem as a result of it. iBooks, however, are notorious for having failed logic boards.

desertmac · May 19, 2007, 12:37 AM

FWIW, I did copy my user folder over using Target Disk mode and had no problems. Unmounted the disk, turned the computer off, then re-booted and all was well. I don't plan on doing this routinely so I can't speak to the long term implications of this. Just can say that it worked simply in this instance.

Big Mac · May 20, 2007, 03:56 AM

Originally Posted by posthumanus

when i said 'pull the plug' i didn't mean it literally - what i had to do was shut down the iBook using the power button without going through the menu command. something that had previously fried my old iMac with OS9.

do you have a better way of escaping target disk mode?

posthumanus

(note to self - must use specific language when on MacNN)

Pressing the power button is the proper way to get a Mac out of target disk mode. That's the way Apple says to do it; there is no other way to do it, and doing it should not have done any damage to any computer. You should unmount the mounted TDM drive before shutting the power off, however.