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Using Your Computer 47
FireWire Devices and Battery Power
FireWire devices, such as certain external hard disks that get power from the FireWire
connection instead of a separate power adapter can be used with your PowerBook. However,
these types of FireWire devices can cause your PowerBook battery to become depleted faster.
If a device will be connected for an extended period, it is a good idea to plug in the
power adapter.
FireWire Target Disk Mode
If you want to transfer files between your PowerBook and another FireWire-equipped
computer, or you have a problem that prevents your computer from starting up, you can use
FireWire Target Disk Mode to connect to another computer.
To connect your PowerBook in FireWire Target Disk Mode, follow these steps:
1 Make sure that your PowerBook is shut down.
2 Use a FireWire cable with a standard 6-pin connector on each end to connect your
PowerBook to another FireWire-equipped computer.
3 Start up your PowerBook and immediately hold down the T key. Your PowerBook display
shows the FireWire logo, and the PowerBook internal hard disk icon appears on the desktop
of the other computer.
4 When you are finished transferring files, drag the PowerBook hard disk icon to the Trash.
5 Press the Power button on the PowerBook to shut it down and then disconnect the
FireWire cable.
For More Information on FireWire
Additional information on FireWire is available in Mac Help (see page 42). Choose Mac Help
from the Help menu and search for “FireWire.” You can also find information on the Apple
FireWire Web site at www.apple.com/firewire
Note: The FireWire port is designed to support power for FireWire devices (up to 7 watts
maximum). You can connect multiple devices to each other and connect the “daisy-chain” of
devices to the FireWire port on your computer, but only one device should get power from
the computer. The rest of the devices in the daisy-chain should be powered by separate
power adapters. Connecting more than one FireWire device that gets power from the
computer may cause problems. If a problem occurs, shut down the computer, remove the
FireWire devices, and restart your computer.
Important The computer you connect your PowerBook to must have FireWire version 2.3.3
or later installed. Use Apple System Profiler, available in the Apple menu in Mac OS 9 and in
the Utilities folder in the Applications folder in Mac OS X, to check the version of FireWire
installed on your computer.