Target Disk Mode auto turn off

[itsliz89]

Hi, so I have data I’m trying to retrieve from my old MBP. It won’t start up the Mac OS but I’m able to get it into target disk mode. The files are assessable fine. However, the MBP auto shuts down after 30 minutes or so, leaving it impossible for me to finish transferring larger files that are ~50gb+. No idea what’s going on, anyone have any ideas on how I can get these larger files? Thanks!

 

[DeltaMac]

Are you doing target disk mode (TDM) while on battery? Might work better to have the power adapter plugged in while you are in TDM.
But, if that's not the issue, I don't think there is any way to change how the power works when in TDM.
If you can't get your MBPro to stay on for large files, then you would need to try a different method.
Remove the hard drive from the old MBPro, install in an external USB enclosure, then take all the time that you need.

 

[satcomer]

On the old disk Mac the disk might be dying down! Try to boot into single-user mode read to instructions at the article How To Repair Disk and File Systems on how to run the command FSCK commands to see if you repair the disk!

Also maybe something is set to sleep after 30minutes to! Did you ever setup that way?

 

[itsliz89]

Are you doing target disk mode (TDM) while on battery? Might work better to have the power adapter plugged in while you are in TDM.
But, if that's not the issue, I don't think there is any way to change how the power works when in TDM.
If you can't get your MBPro to stay on for large files, then you would need to try a different method.
Remove the hard drive from the old MBPro, install in an external USB enclosure, then take all the time that you need.

I have the charger plugged in. I didn’t know I could use the drive as an external drive. I will look into purchasing an enclosure. Thanks!

 

[itsliz89]

On the old disk Mac the disk might be dying down! Try to boot into single-user mode read to instructions at the article How To Repair Disk and File Systems on how to run the command FSCK commands to see if you repair the disk!

Also maybe something is set to sleep after 30minutes to! Did you ever setup that way?

What does it mean if the disk is dying down? I’ll have a try to run the FSCK from the page you linked before I purchase the external drive enclosure. Thanks!

 

[DeltaMac]

I will guess that "dying down", simply means that your hard drive is starting to fail.
Is this your 17-inch MBPro? Then if it is the original hard drive, it is approaching 10 years old, maybe more. And, not uncommon to last that long, or longer. But, it's a mechanical device that is active whenever you use your Mac. They don't last forever. I have seen failing hard drives that might, without any warning, shut the Mac off. Maybe that's what is happening.
Then, if you move it from the MBPRo, to an external enclosure, you might be able to use the drive continuously, until you get the files that you need. (The FSCK command may give you a result that there are problems with the drive, or other warnings about the condition of the drive, or the file system itself.)
Let us know how it goes for you...

 

[itsliz89]

I will guess that "dying down", simply means that your hard drive is starting to fail.
Is this your 17-inch MBPro? Then if it is the original hard drive, it is approaching 10 years old, maybe more. And, not uncommon to last that long, or longer. But, it's a mechanical device that is active whenever you use your Mac. They don't last forever. I have seen failing hard drives that might, without any warning, shut the Mac off. Maybe that's what is happening.
Then, if you move it from the MBPRo, to an external enclosure, you might be able to use the drive continuously, until you get the files that you need. (The FSCK command may give you a result that there are problems with the drive, or other warnings about the condition of the drive, or the file system itself.)
Let us know how it goes for you...

yes it is the 2010 MBP. I replaced the hard drive with a SSD and when it pooped out, I brought my computer to the Apple store and the couldn’t detect any hardware issues. I don’t know but I’ll let you know how it goes!

 

[itsliz89]

Are you doing target disk mode (TDM) while on battery? Might work better to have the power adapter plugged in while you are in TDM.
But, if that's not the issue, I don't think there is any way to change how the power works when in TDM.
If you can't get your MBPro to stay on for large files, then you would need to try a different method.
Remove the hard drive from the old MBPro, install in an external USB enclosure, then take all the time that you need.

Hello again! So I was able to get my data by taking out the drive and putting it into an external enclosure. I decided it was finally time to retire the 2010 MBP so I waited until I got a new one to transfer the files.

I still believe I can revive my 2010 MBP, but it can't be upgraded further than 8GB memory, so I've decided it wasn't worth my time for now. When I'm bored, I'll try tinkering with it by replacing the thermal paste (possible source of shut down after ~30 min) and doing a clean reinstall of the OS. It was able to run on the windows partition I had and no hardware issues were found when I took it into the Apple store (It's amazing they would still touch it, and for free!). Would be a fun arts and crafts project down the road