Install Snow Leopard Using Firewire Target Disk Mode
06.08.2019
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. a FULL RETAIL INSTALL version of OS 10.6 (that’s the one with the Snow Leopard on the cover). a FireWire 800 cable. The process 1. Grab your Mini, and go to System Preferences » Startup Disk. Tell it you want to boot it into Target Disk Mode. Restoring a second Mac from hard drive image stored on another (the first) Mac. In this video I show you how. Target Disk Mode is available to all Macs with Firewire. Thunderbolt Macs may have the same capability with Firewire adapter, though this has not been tested here. When you have a malfunctioning optical drive, and an optical drive based operating system you can use Target Disk Mode as a substitute. Be very careful you obey the sequence here.
Install Snow Leopard Using Firewire Target Disk Mode Mojave
I don't know what happened, but assuming that the Snow Leopard Install DVD is a *retail version*, I would try using FireWire Target Disk mode 'the other way,' booting the new MBP into target disk mode to borrow only its DVD drive, and running the install from the old MBP as host. Doing it that way avoids potential hardware incompatibilities, since the same Mac that is to receive the installation also runs the installer.
To try this, shut down the old MBP, insert the SL retail DVD into the new MBP, and restart the new MBP while holding down the T key, booting it into TDM. Connect it to the old MBP and then start the old MBP while holding down the Option key. This should boot the old MBP into the startup manager, and hopefully you will see the SL OS X install DVD as one of the startup choices. Select it and boot from it - it may take a long time to boot. From there, proceed with the installation as usual. Be sure you pick the correct 'Macintosh HD' for the install.
To try this, shut down the old MBP, insert the SL retail DVD into the new MBP, and restart the new MBP while holding down the T key, booting it into TDM. Connect it to the old MBP and then start the old MBP while holding down the Option key. This should boot the old MBP into the startup manager, and hopefully you will see the SL OS X install DVD as one of the startup choices. Select it and boot from it - it may take a long time to boot. From there, proceed with the installation as usual. Be sure you pick the correct 'Macintosh HD' for the install.