Specifications

Using Your Computer 53
Using FireWire Devices
Your computer has two FireWire ports. FireWire is a high-speed data transfer system that lets
you easily connect and disconnect external devices—such as digital video (DV) cameras,
printers, scanners, and hard disks. You can connect and disconnect FireWire devices without
restarting your computer.
These are some of the things you can do with FireWire:
m Connect a digital video camera and capture or transfer high-quality video directly to your
computer. Then you can use video-editing software such as Apple’s iMovie to edit the
video.
m Connect an external FireWire hard disk drive and use it to back up data or transfer
files. If you have installed software for your FireWire hard disk, the FireWire disk icon
appears on your desktop after you connect the disk drive to your Power Mac G4. Some
FireWire hard disks get their power through the FireWire cable, so you don’t need to
connect an external power supply.
m If you have a problem with your computer that prevents you from starting up or you want
to transfer files, you can use FireWire to connect your Power Mac G4 to another computer
so that your Power Mac G4 appears as an external hard disk on the other computer (a
feature known as “FireWire target disk mode”). See “FireWire Target Disk Mode” on
page 54 for more information.
To use a FireWire device with your computer, connect the device to the computer and install
any software that came with the device. Your computer automatically senses when you attach
a new device.
To start up from a FireWire hard disk that has the Mac OS on it, choose System Preferences
from the Apple (K) menu, click Startup Disk, then select the FireWire hard disk as the
startup disk.
If your FireWire hard disk doesn’t appear or can’t be selected, consult the FireWire hard disk
vendor for updated software drivers.
To disconnect your FireWire hard disk safely, drag its icon to the Trash before disconnecting
the FireWire cable.
FireWire ports (2)