Sharing DVD Drive with another iMac

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Sharing DVD Drive with another iMac

Hello,

I am trying to share the DVD drive on my iMac, running Snow Leopard, with another iMac whose DVD drive died. I am not trying to watch or copy movies; I am trying to do a remote install.

The two iMacs see each other on my network and can share files. On the Snow Leopard iMac, I have enabled DVD sharing and have inserted the disc as required. The second iMac sees the disk, but cannot use it. The disk will not show up under "Devices" in the finder window.

After researching the issue online, it appears that there are terminal commands that can make this happen. Is that really the only way? None of the Apple knowledge base articles indicate this.

Thanks for any help!

iMac 24", Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 8, 2011 9:13 AM

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Answer 1

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Király

Level 6

10,017 points

Mar 8, 2011 9:39 AM in response to TeamN

I don't know which Apple KB articles you have read, but have you seen this one? http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2057

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Answer 2

TeamN Author

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18 points

Mar 8, 2011 9:47 AM in response to Király

Thanks for the response.

Unfortunately, that is one that I read. I am running Snow Leopard on the host iMac, so I made sure to follow those instructions, particularly for the firewall. The DVD Sharing is set to allow incoming connections.

For some reason, the other iMac, running Leopard (10.5.8) simply will not show the disk under Devices in the Finder window.

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Answer 3

jsd2

Level 5

6,245 points

Mar 8, 2011 10:13 AM in response to TeamN

These instructions seem a little different, but might require late-model hardware:
*Using Remote Install Mac OS X*
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/21219.html

If you still can't get this going over a network, you can probably "borrow" the good Mac's DVD drive via FireWire Target Disk Mode. If you set this up "the other way", using the Mac with the good DVD drive as the FireWire target, then the two Macs don't have to be similar models.

To try it this way, first shut down the Mac with the bad DVD drive. Insert the install DVD into the Mac with the good drive and restart that Mac while holding down the T key, booting it into TDM. Connect it to the Mac with the bad drive with an appropriate FireWire cable, and then start the Mac with the bad drive while holding down the Option key. This should boot it into the startup manager, and hopefully you will see the OS X install DVD as one of the startup choices. Select that, and proceed with the installation.

Message was edited by: jsd2

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Answer 4

TeamN Author

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Mar 8, 2011 10:34 AM in response to jsd2

jsd2,

Thanks for the suggestion. Tried this, but when I re-booted the other iMac, I did not receive any option to start up with the install disk. Something is wrong with the way my old iMac sees the DVD drive on my newer iMac. Very frustrating.

I will use firewire target mode (I also have an external firewire drive and I can use that), but I would like to use the capability as advertised for installs of iLife and iWork (only have DVDs).

Appreciate your advice!

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Answer 5

jsd2

Level 5

6,245 points

Mar 8, 2011 11:03 AM in response to TeamN

I had thought you wanted to install OS X. If the iLife and iWork DVDs are stand-alone products, then they might not be directly bootable but instead might just present an install package to be run. If so, then rather than option-booting the Mac with the bad drive, just start it normally and see if the DVD on the Mac in TDM shows up that way.

If Target Disk Mode doesn't work, I would use the good Mac to clone the DVDs to partitions on the external drive.

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Answer 6

TeamN Author

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Mar 8, 2011 12:15 PM in response to jsd2

Yes, first tried to install OS X on the older iMac. Wound up using the external drive to boot with, then installed Leopard from a restored disk image on a partition of the external drive.

I still cannot see the drive on the newer iMac, whether booted from the external drive or the clean install on the older iMac. I have also tried the iLife and iWork DVDs, no luck there either.

I may try to use Express Lane at this point.

Thanks for the responses.

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Answer 7

TeamN Author

Level 1

18 points

Mar 8, 2011 1:12 PM in response to TeamN

Well, after all that I made the changes through Terminal that I found online (basically editing a pref file), re-booted and it now works! Remote Disk shows up under Devices in the Finder and I can use the DVD drive of my newer iMac.

Odd that I had to do that, but at least it now is working.

Thanks for the great suggestions!

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