I have a MacBook Pro, second MacBook in production, and a single chip G5 at 1.8 GHz. The DVD drive in the MacBook decided to crap out. I have tried Remote Install, DVD sharing, connecting via FireWire, direct ethernet, making a disc image (got desperate), installed DVD/CD sharing on a Vista computer (even more desperate since Windows won't do much anyway). Why won't DVD sharing work? Why won't remote install work? Both machines running 10.5.8.
You wont get any visual feedback, but do each of these in order (with a return after each - sorry if that sounds patronizing, but just in case terminal is new to you!) then reset the computer. Make sure you have DVD sharing switched on on the host machine, and that remote drive should appear in your clients device list in finder - then install!
it does work, although be warned, the remote install takes forever, and mine has crashed due to losing connection, but thats most likely by terrible wireless router!
You wont get any visual feedback, but do each of these in order (with a return after each - sorry if that sounds patronizing, but just in case terminal is new to you!) then reset the computer. Make sure you have DVD sharing switched on on the host machine, and that remote drive should appear in your clients device list in finder - then install!
it does work, although be warned, the remote install takes forever, and mine has crashed due to losing connection, but thats most likely by terrible wireless router!
oh, and the actual Remote Install app in the utilities folder apparantly only works with MacBook Air's and Mac Mini's - so macbook to macbook etc wont work that way, dvd sharing only it seems 😟
I think you should be able to stick the SL DVD in another Mac. Put that Mac in target disk mode and then connect the FW cable to your MacBook. Failing that, put the MacBook in Target Disk Mode and connect it to the other computer so it looks like an external HD to the other Mac (assuming Mac #2 is SL-compatible).
So they made that utility only for the MacBook Air? How could they make such a cool utility for only one model? It seems my only option right now is to hit eBay for a new DVD drive- $95 to load a $29 software package- I'm frakked!
Hi, thanks for yr Terminal scripts. Now Remote Disc has turned up in Finder window. So I am about to do (hopefully!) SL install. If successful, should I reverse these 2 Terminal scripts (presumably changing true to false) or should I leave them in there?
My situation (ignore my profile of machines below) is MacBook Core2Duo with yet another duff DVD/CD drive, so the host is a trusty iBook G4. Target mode wouldn't work, SL install wouldn't get past 'start' coz it knew the host wasn't Intel.
Fingers crossed that when I check the forum for answer, a) you'll have given it and b) I'll have SL installed!
Nevermind, i'm an idiot. I read the thread wrong. Will try @wearefuturo's solution as soon as my wife quits watching her silly online TV show on her Mini 😉
I just wanted to add that after using @wearefuturo's terminal commands i had to restart the client computer before it would see the network disk. Not sure if that will apply to everyone but it applied to me on a macbook and a mini...
In the end @Daniel's suggestion is the only one that would work for me. I started the mini in target disk mode (holding town "T" key on boot) and started the install off the CD in my macbook Pro drive. Then just selected the Mini's hard drive and installed there....
Thanks so much! These instructions from wearefuturo worked perfectly for Installing Snow Leopard on my iMac with a non-functioning DVD drive. After restarting my iMac, a new "Remote Disk" appeared in the Finder window's list of Devices. I enabled DVD sharing on the remote Mac (system preferences -> Sharing). I inserted the install DVD in the remote Mac, selected "Remote Disk" -> -> (remote Mac share name) -> "Mac OS X Install DVD", and there was just a slight delay before the DVD showed up on the iMac desktop. The install took just over an hour over with both Macs were connected via Ethernet to a Time Capsule.
This solution was such a relief. I had unsuccessfully tried using a disk image of the install DVD (copied over from another Mac) and mounting the DVD media over the network from another Mac, but to no avail. I was about to give up when a Google search turned up this posting.
The Terminal instructions... thanks. Here is what happened with me, using a Disc Image.
I did input the above Terminal commands, and restarted my Mac Mini. It's running Leopard Server 10.5. On my MacBook Pro, which is on the same Airport network, I had a 10.6 Server Disc Image Mounted. I had been trying to install it onto the Mini via Remote Disc Install, but to no avail. When I would reboot the Mini, and hold down the option key, there was no Airport selector drop down menu. I rebooted several times, no go. So I gave up on the Remote Install method. Then I tried the terminal commands above, and after the restart, the Remote Disc mount was listed in the left column in my Finder window. When I clicked it, I then saw the name of my MacBook Pro listed. Once I clicked on that, it just sat there saying, "Waiting for disc." It wouldn't work.
I suspect it's because I was trying to install from a Disc Image, and not from the optical drive. At any rate, I managed to get a hold of the Install DVD and am now in the process of installing it on the Mini via its optical drive. The optical drive is flakey, that's why I tried using the disc image. So here is hoping for the best.
At any rate, if you are trying to use a disc image to install remotely, in my experience, it won't work with the solutions posted in this thread.
