How To REALLY Enable Remote Disc (DVD Drive Sharing): Non-Air Macbook
Posted by jason in Geek Out on Nov 2nd, 2008 | 51 comments
Hopefully lost geek souls like me will stumble onto this post in the future and smile. I’m posting this because it took me two hours of Googling to find the answer, with very limited results. And Apple’s official support pages are worthless on this topic.
Here was my situation: I have a MacBook Pro with a busted SuperDrive, and needed to install Windows via Boot Camp. As you may or may not know, this is not possible using an image file (like it IS with Parallels), so I set off in search of a way to share my Dell Desktop DVD Drive with my trusty MacBook.
(At the time of this writing, you needed a superdrive – internal or external – to install Windows to a Bootcamp partition. But I’m writing a tutorial to get around that!)
Since the release of the MacBook Air, this has been made possible by an installable Control Panel applet in Windows, and by simply checking the CD/DVD Sharing box in your OS X System Preferences. Well, halfway possible.
One would assume that this would work automagically as most Apple software does, even if you own a regular MacBook or MacBook Pro, and not an AIR. After all, it’s an option in my System Preferences, right? So much for assumptions.
It simply DOES NOT work on the MacBook side. Yes, believe it or not, the Windows client is working just fine this time around :-)
So, here’s how to do this from start to finish, step by step.
NOTE: If you’ve already got the software installed on both machines, and are baffled like I was, skip down past the steps and look for the Terminal code….
- The software to make this all work is on the Macbook Air OS X disc. But if you’re like me and want to make this work with a regular ole “my superdrive took a dump” MacBook, download the separate Windows installer here: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/dvdorcdsharingupdate10forwindows.html
- Once installed, go to your Windows Control panel and click the “CD DVD Sharing” button and activate the checkbox.
- Enabling this feature on your MacBook is as simple as running Software Update. But you can also go here: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/dvdorcdsharingsetupupdateformac.html and grab it directly.
- Go into your Mac System Prefs, click the Sharing button, and check “CD/DVD Sharing.”
Now, you’re all setup, right? The software works alongside Windows’ firewall, and even promises to work as long as both machines are connected to the same Wireless network. Soooo, why can’t you see that disc you just inserted into your Windows machine, via your Finder?
The missing link comes courtesy of this Macrumors Forum post.
- Open Terminal (it’s in Utilities, or just type ‘Terminal’ into Spotlight)
- Type this code:
defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser EnableODiskBrowsing -bool true
defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser ODSSupported -bool true
Reboot, and you’re done. Now, any disc you insert into your Windows machine will show up in your Finder under “Remote Disc.”
Now, I’m not the tutorial type, so if this post is missing information, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments. Cheers gang!
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If you enjoyed these words, buy Jason a coffee.51 Responses to “ “How To REALLY Enable Remote Disc (DVD Drive Sharing): Non-Air Macbook”
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Who’s Jason?
Nice… :)
I’ve just bought a Macbook Pro and are waiting on it to arrive.
And this is one reason to convince the others in the family to get a Mac too. :)
Thanks for the top.
Cheers from Denmark,
- Johan “Josso”
thanks for the tip
you don’t have to reboot actually – just restart Finder by typing “killall Finder” of via Force Quit
[...] The CD/ROM in my computer busted, so I decided to try to remotely mount the CD from another computer on mine. I know the MacBook Air can do this, so I reasoned that any Mac could. It turns out it is possible, but the solution is far from obvious — after much searching, I found the solution here. [...]
Do you know what the Windows Control Panel does specifically? My situation is a busted superdrive on the Macbook and a working Linux machine with DVD drive.
Hey, thanks for the tip. I just got a refurbished, discontinued 15.4″ MacBook Pro from Apple Online and am aware of the remote DVD sharing feature in Leopard. But I had no idea that this also might work with my old G4 iBook and G5 iMac, both running Tiger. The iBook only has a Combo Drive and and the G5 iMac’s SuperDrive has been very shaky lately, so this could be useful if true. Will this work with Tiger and on a PPC processor model Mac? Thanks again for your help.Lawrence
Thank you thank you thank you! My DVD drive on my iMac died and I wondered if remote sharing would be possible. Thanks to your tips, it is! Now I don’t have to spring for an external drive that I won’t use that much!
Good job.
[...] click here for the original how-to webpage [...]
Thanks so much for posting this!
Does using this disable your DVD drive? I have a working DVD drive but thought network mounting would be fun. I just don’t want to screw up my computer.
Why the hell does one have to do this? Can you explain why those Terminal Commands are necessary and what they do? I can’t understand why Apple made this so difficult and I am using to Macs directly connected to each other via ethernet cable. Ridiculous! But it seems to be working now! Thanks!
Exactly what i was looking for! I spent hours looking for this.. you’re my hero.
You’re too kind, Nathan. I never thought this how-to would blow up like it has, but I’m grateful it helped so many people who were as frustrated as I was!
actually, on the mac you don’t need to enable cd/dvd sharing in sharing preferences. in fact, the macbook air doesn’t even have this checkbox (there is no cd/dvd drive to share.) other than that, spot on!
Regarding your intro, you cannot boot a Windows disc from an external drive. You can boot OS X. The workaround is to install Refit in OS X. It’s a free app that makes the external drive; optical, hard disk, or flash, visible as a bootup disk. When Mac starts, you get your optional boot drives without pressing the “option” key. That’s another plus. The screen icons are cute too. If you dont choose any boot drive, it boots whatever startup disk you have chosen in OS X. During Windows installation, make sure to select the external drive when it restarts.
What about doing this the other way around? Meaning: sharing a MacBook drive with a Windows netbook? Can we get a WinXP machine to use another computer’s optical drive over the network?
Well done. I spent ages, did not need the stuff at the end so much as the link to the apple website to bring up the CD sharing icon!! Thanks
Awesome! Gonna try to get DVD-DL burning going from my PC desktop since my 1st generation MBP does not support DL burns.
It looks like the Windows client is now available on the Snow Leopard Disc, although it is having trouble working on my x64 bit Windows :(
This works when I am logged in but I don’t see the drive when I boot up while holding the option key. I have the Remote Install Mac OS X running on my PC.
it seems that the software won’t install on my macbook 10.6. Tell’s me that the disk is not suitable. Anyone else?
Has anyone had this trick work with Snow Leopard yet? I can’t seem to see the shared disk.
It works nicely, I just tried it.
You just need to run the command line in Terminal and reboot, that’s all. You don’t need to install the software because it is already installed.
defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser EnableODiskBrowsing -bool true
defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser ODSSupported -bool true
I just did the above in Terminal under 10.6.1 on my MacBook Pro and it is working fine to share my other drives.
Thanks, you just solved my problem.
Can you share with me your way to install Windows to a Bootcamp partition, using remote DVD sharing?
Thanks Joe
Joe, there’s a complicated workaround to get this done but it doesn’t involv DVD sharing. I need to wrap my head around the process, then I’ll try to get a tutorial posted.
ALMOST works. Finder can see the disk, but keeps connecting to the Windows machine as Guest and, when trying to open it asking me for the password. Which I type in, only to see it still connected as Guest. The drive doesn’t show up when booting (as when I hold down Alt/Option). What’s wrong?
Followed this and worked but when snow leopard asked me to reboot (it says it needs to do disk repairs blahblahblah) and I pressed the option key to boot from the remote installer I don’t get the dropdown to choose my network… Any ideas how I can solve this?
Still no dice. While the drive mounts fine in Finder, Snow Leo installer poops itself shortly after launch. And I have the same issue as Tyler above has – no volume in Startup Manager.
Thank you for this tip! it allowed me to install Snow Leopard remotely on my MacBookPro :D
@GuileX
Dude any instructions how you did that? I can’t boot into the SL disc remotely. I don’t get the dropdown on the bootscreen. But I see the disc on the finder – only SL wants to reboot to do a disk check
Same deal for me. Shows on finder, installation runs a bit and says disc needs to be “repaired”.
What it this? I just did the repair thing on DiskUtility manually, but the installer keeps complaining.
Seems like the installer avoids doing what it is supposed to do at all costs… I can upgrade my linux systems far more easily.
This is infuriating.
3 month old MacBook would not read Snow Leopard DVD – just ejected it. Aggravating! Used this very cool workaround to remote-install SL from a Dell laptop on my home network… You just saved me a trip back to the Apple store and an argument… A big thanks to you (and bstreiff).
I’m having the same problem… it just don’t work anymore when i have to boot :( and it tells the disk need to be repair :-S
Thanks for this useful tip!
Here is what I was to able to do:
Mounted the Snow Leopard ISO on a Windows PC using Daemon Tools as a virtual DVD drive,
installed CD and DVD Sharing from the Leopard DVD (Do NOT install Remote X Installation, it won’t work, deinstall it if you installed this one), switched on DVD Sharing in windows system settings.
The trick here is not to try to boot from the installation DVD remotely. Just access it using the instructions in the blog and double-click Install Mac OS X in the finder. Worked fine!
are those capitol o’s in the code or zeros ?
@Michael: Those are capital O’s
Brilliant! I’m been mucking around with this all night. Snow Leopard on a Macbook Pro with a busted SuperDrive (3rd busted superdrive), from a Macbook. Couldn’t find the drive until I entered the terminal code. Then worked on the first try.
For those who wonder like me; don’t issue the “default write ” .. etc as root. Instead just use the account under which credentials Finder runs.
Amigo, sorry but i have an iMac 10.4.11 and it didn’t work. Or maybe it did and i just can’t find the remote disc icon. Could you help me?
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Thanks Dude!!! Awsome! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
[...] in the sharing pref pane after installing the OS 10.5.8 upgrade, but I found a fix at this link. How To REALLY Enable Remote Disc (DVD Drive Sharing): Non-Air Macbook | Jason Evangelho (dot) com CD sharing still does not show up in the Mini 9 sharing prefpane, but remote disc pops into the [...]
[...] Fortunately, Jason Evangelho posted a simple workaround that allows all non-MacBook-Air machines to access other DVD drives on their network as long as the Windows software (from Apple) is installed on the host machine. This simple hack allows for OS X to be easily installed over a wireless network. For detailed instructions on enabling this feature, recommend reading the source itself: How to really enable remote disc dvd drive sharing non-air macbook. [...]
My SuperDrive still works on my MacBook Pro, I just want to use remote disc for DVD region reasons, so will this mess up my existing drive, or can I use them both?
Thank you so flipping much for this! My POS Superdrive doesn’t work whatsoever and was trying for so long to figure this out!
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Ok, so heres a question, is the reverse (mac to Windows) true? I am getting a netbook and would rather not buy an Optical drive if i have to.
This worked great using a Mac Mini as host and I was able to install Zoo Tycoon 2 for my daughter on an old iBook with a broken CD-ROM.
Unfortunately, Zoo Tycoon requires the CD to be present at launch and won’t recognize the remote CD.
Any ideas?
Thank you, thank you, a thousand times: thank you! How is this not more common, I’ve been googling and searching the boards for two nights. Four seconds of terminal pasting and i’m golden.
Anyway, thanks.
Hello, just tried this on my Intel iMac 10.4.11
Commands accepted in the Terminal, but a relaunch of the Finder does not show the Remote Disc icon.
Any thoughts?
Cheers
Melvin