400 firewire as ext HD

[Retirado]

Is there any chance that I could install Snow Leopard onto an External HD using a 400 firewire port on a 2006 duo intel iMac?

I have been trying this with differing results. The latest install took a very long time and compulsory restart opened up to the main drive. Subsequently any attempt to StartUp on the HD by holding the "T" key down, just gives me an unrelenting Firewire symbol moving around the screen.

So I assume the slow install didn't work and Firewire 400 is not fast enough.

The external is a 1T Western Digital My Book Studio which has ability to accept 400 or 800 but my late 2006 iMac5,1 has 2, 400 Firewire ports.

Can anyone help here? I'll take on board any advice.

Regards, Retirado.

 

[mangrove]

You did not give specifics, like the speed of your external and size.

Anything for me less than FW800 is just too slow. I think that 400 is just a little faster than USB2, which is not recommended by many for what you want to do.

 

[mmomega]

try holding down the option key at boot up instead of T, the HDD should show up if the install went properly.

 

[spinnerlys]

Holding down "T" at startup is for Target Disk Mode, to boot from an external HDD hold down the OPTION/ALT key and then select the external HDD.

Firewire 400 will offer you speeds between 30 to 40 MB/s, the internal HDD most likely offers 75+ MB/s.

 

[mmomega]

try holding down the option key at boot up instead of T, the HDD should show up if the install went properly.

A FW800 cable should be the 1st accessory purchase, FW400 or USB2 can't compare.

 

[spinnerlys]

try holding down the option key at boot up instead of T, the HDD should show up if the install went properly.

A FW800 cable should be the 1st accessory purchase, FW400 or USB2 can't compare.

It seems that iMac does not have Firewire 800, thus the need for Firewire 400.

Example for a 2006 iMac

 

[Fishrrman]

"Is there any chance that I could install Snow Leopard onto an External HD using a 400 firewire port on a 2006 duo intel iMac?
I have been trying this with differing results. The latest install took a very long time and compulsory restart opened up to the main drive. Subsequently any attempt to StartUp on the HD by holding the "T" key down, just gives me an unrelenting Firewire symbol moving around the screen.
So I assume the slow install didn't work and Firewire 400 is not fast enough.
The external is a 1T Western Digital My Book Studio which has ability to accept 400 or 800 but my late 2006 iMac5,1 has 2, 400 Firewire ports.
Can anyone help here? I'll take on board any advice"

You should be able to do an install to a firewire400 external drive with no problems at all.

But let me ask you:
Why do an "install from scratch"?
Why not just use CarbonCopyCloner to "do a dupe" of your internal hard drive to the external drive?

If you do this, you will have a "bootable clone" of your internal drive on the external. Very useful as a backup and for "doing diagnostics and repair" on the internal drive.

I realize there might be other reasons as to why you might want a "completely clean install". But if there aren't any problems with the system software on the iMac now, doing a dupe to the external drive is the quickest way to have a good backup drive available.

Having said that, you DO NOT want to use the "T" (target disk mode) option when you reboot.

If you have two or more bootable volumes, and you want to "choose your boot volume" at startup, use the "option" key this way:
- press start button
- as soon as you hear the startup sound, hold down the "option" key and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN
- in a few seconds, the Startup Manager will appear
- use the mouse, tab key, or arrow keys to select the volume you want to boot from, then hit the "enter" key
NOTE: This DOES NOT change the setting in your "Startup Disk" control panel. If you reboot, the Mac will revert to the boot volume set in Startup Disk.

 

[Retirado]

Ext HD not accepting Startup status

"Is there any chance that I could install Snow Leopard onto an External HD using a 400 firewire port on a 2006 duo intel iMac?
I have been trying this with differing results. The latest install took a very long time and compulsory restart opened up to the main drive. Subsequently any attempt to StartUp on the HD by holding the "T" key down, just gives me an unrelenting Firewire symbol moving around the screen.
So I assume the slow install didn't work and Firewire 400 is not fast enough.
The external is a 1T Western Digital My Book Studio which has ability to accept 400 or 800 but my late 2006 iMac5,1 has 2, 400 Firewire ports.
Can anyone help here? I'll take on board any advice"

You should be able to do an install to a firewire400 external drive with no problems at all.

But let me ask you:
Why do an "install from scratch"?
Why not just use CarbonCopyCloner to "do a dupe" of your internal hard drive to the external drive?

If you do this, you will have a "bootable clone" of your internal drive on the external. Very useful as a backup and for "doing diagnostics and repair" on the internal drive.

I realize there might be other reasons as to why you might want a "completely clean install". But if there aren't any problems with the system software on the iMac now, doing a dupe to the external drive is the quickest way to have a good backup drive available.

Having said that, you DO NOT want to use the "T" (target disk mode) option when you reboot.

If you have two or more bootable volumes, and you want to "choose your boot volume" at startup, use the "option" key this way:
- press start button
- as soon as you hear the startup sound, hold down the "option" key and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN
- in a few seconds, the Startup Manager will appear
- use the mouse, tab key, or arrow keys to select the volume you want to boot from, then hit the "enter" key
NOTE: This DOES NOT change the setting in your "Startup Disk" control panel. If you reboot, the Mac will revert to the boot volume set in Startup Disk.

Thank you Fishrrman, and others, yours was the last and most complete.

The problem still remains after using Copy Clone. (What a well presented prog that is!) The advice within their directions was that not all HD are bootable.
So I questioned Western Digital, and they agree. (Pity they don't tell you on the box!). Though reading their web lists of those that will and those that will not; I find the same products often duplicated in both lists!

I went back to my vendor, and they could not believe it NOT possible, and I am now returning to the vendor with the unit, containing a CC copied Tiger system. Which they will attempt to awake. But am not feeling very hopeful.

Thanking you, Retirado.