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My iMac won't recognize my Mac laptop in Target Disk Mode

Hello

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COMPUTERS IN QUESTION:

- The old (bad) laptop is a 2011 MacBook Pro.

- The good computer is Mid 2011 iMac Intel 21.5". 4GB memory.

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I had a mac laptop that fried itself a few weeks ago. The graphics card is kaput, and apparently there are issues with the hard drive too. I took it to the Genius Bar, and he said they no longer can repair it.

He also said that I could still run the fried laptop in Target Disk Mode and transfer over my files to a new computer (an iMac) using a Thunderbolt cable. I bought an external hard drive at the Mac store and the guy started to do this transfer at the shop for an hour or so. So I have a few files transferred over, which is great. It was going to take too long to transfer the rest, so I said I'll do it on my own at home. (Luckily I was given a free older iMac from work recently.)

I bought a cheaper thunderbolt cable elsewhere and am trying to do this, HOWEVER, I can't get my iMac (the good computer) to recognize my laptop's hard drive (the bad computer). It doesn't appear in finder when I connect the two using the Thunderbolt cable.

It DOES recognize my external hard drive that I bought from the Mac store though - so I know it can read external inputs.

One potential issue for this could be that this iMac (the good computer) is older and I notice a few odd things. Sometimes when I transfer files to the desktop for instance, it seems as though they're not there. I have to do odd little rituals to make the icons appear... like clicking on them in a new Finder window. So I wonder if this iMac just has issues and isn't showing me the icon.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Lindsay

Answer this question I have this problem too

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It might help to know exactly which machines we are talking about here. The thunderbolt cable is going to work only with newer machines. Sounds to me like you may need a USB to SATA adapter to retrieve your data. I won't know till you give what machines you are running.

UPDATE

Check to see if both ports have the Thunderbolt insignia. The mini display port is almost identical.

I would pull the hard drive out of the nonworking machine and use the external enclosure or a SATA to USB 2.0 adapter.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...

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Hi Mayer

Thank you for your reply.

The old (bad) laptop is a 2011 MacBook Pro.

The good computer is Mid 2011 iMac Intel 21.5". 4GB memory.

Looks like both should work with a Thunderbolt because they both have the Thunderbolt ports. Also I know for sure that the laptop works with the thunderbolt since that's what they used at the Mac store to transfer files already.

Essentially I am looking to the exact same thing they did at the Mac store - the hiccup is that I can't see the laptop when I connect it to the iMac and run it in TDM.

Thanks again

Lindsay

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@lindsayu - You may need to select the Go > Computer menu choice to see it on your iMac. You only put the MacBook in Target Disk Mode. Think of it this way the MacBook Pro is seen as if it were an external drive.

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@danj Thanks - I tried that and it didn't work :(

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@mayer

I've just checked and they are indeed both Thunderbolt ports.

As for your suggestion of USB to SATA adaptor - do you know for certain that this will transfer my data? I ask because in the article below, they say you can't use USB: "You’ll need either a Firewire cable or a Thunderbolt cable for this. You can’t do this via a USB cable."

https://www.howtogeek.com/214322/how-to-...

Thanks again for your help

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@lindsayu you remove the hard drive to do this. I do it everyday. This eliminates the need for a second working Mac. The drive is powered via the USB port.

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