Remote disc Error

Edward Malloy wrote:
When I try to connect to the Remote disc I get the error: the operation can't be completed because the original item for "Audio CD" can't be found]?

help

I am having the exact same issue, trying to share my MacBook Pro disk with my MacBook Air. Has anyone solved this yet? Someone said it may be related to trying to share an audio CD. Does anyone know if that is true?

I too am experiencing the same problem. I'm trying to transfer music from a CD from either my iMac or my MacBook Pro to my MacBook Air and I get the exact same error message.

Incredibly, Apple has crippled Remote Disc and disallowed access to audio CDs and DVD videos.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1576

This is an epic fail. There is no DRM on an audio CD. I should be able to share an audio CD from my MacBook Pro to my Mac Mini. This is outrageous. It looks like my only option is to rip the CD on my MacBook and then copy the files to my Mac Mini. Remote Disc sharing was one of the reasons why I didn't mind the Mac Mini not having a DVD drive. Now I'm finding it to be a big pain. If you can't remotely share audo CD's then really what's the point of Remote Share? To share data CD/DVDs? Yeah right. I haven't stored data on optical discs in almost 10 years. If Apple is going to pull crap like this then at least be up front about it. I am sure that the vast majority of people would assume that DVD/CD sharing includes audio CDs. Omitting that fact in your marketing is tantamount to lying.

I couldn't agree with you more. I'm surprised that this hasn't caused more of an uproar considering how popular the Air is. And it seems terribly inconsistent with other sharing policies. This restriction just makes it harder to play, i.e. listen, to an audio CD -- it doesn't make it any harder to pirate music. This is absurd, since iTunes supports streaming to other devices on a local network.

Similarly, I was expecting to be able to watch DVD movies on my Air that were in my iMac's optical drive.

Yes, epic fail!

Look at it from Apple's perspective. They have a couple of million SuperDrive's sitting in their stores and BestBuy, Amazon, WalMart, etc. This is the ONLY way to sell those drives, since, as noted above, hardly anyone uses the drives for data, but lot's of folks still have music on CD that they want to load on their MacAirs and Minis, and those same people probably have other computers they could remote to for access. I'm equally frustrated because I really don't want yet another device on my desk.

This is unmitigated absolute rubbish! Apple has $US93BN IN CASH, so I don't feel a darn bit sorry for them having all these in storage!

Besides, they tout Remote Disc as THE way to deal with MacMini NOT having an optical drive! So, it should darn well better work else they're MISLEADING THE PUBLIC!

Apple is getting more like Google, IBM, HP, Oracle, and all the other Silly-Con valley moguls before them: their attitude seems to more and more be "stuff the customers, developers, WE say THIS is good for THEM!"

gggrrrrrr

😟😠

Yet another way to look at is that Apple is one of the largest retailers of music in the industry with the iTunes store. Would it not seem eminently logical that under the guise of protection of artists that they would take steps to mitigate the sharing of music content, in order that they might either sell Superdrives or more online music?

Why do you think drag and drop loading of MP3's are not supported?

Hi everyone:

I've found what looks like it may be a great way around this issue.

Simply download Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com/) on both of your machines and bring over content that way.

I've just gone through this entire, simple process for myself and it works FABULOUSLY.

The only slight down-side is that content does not seem to download AS quickly as it would if you perhaps were using it directly from a CD-rom (and if you were downloading, say, an entire movie I imagine that could really be a hassle). Though it is one solution, nonetheless.

Well, yes, this is sort o a "solution"f: I've been using DBox for a couple of years and it's a great tool (I have 3GB as I've convinced some friends to join).

However, as a solution for this BUG, it's potentially problematic:

1. A DVD is often full at 4 GB. So, you'll need to either have a non-free account, convince a lot of friends to use DBox or spend $$$ to get more than the allotted free 2GB (or just pick and choose files of course).

2. If you live in a part of the world where your ISP data is metered per month (as is here in OZ). Placing large amounts of data in DBox could cost you a lot (in over-use charges or slowing down after your allotment is used).

Having said that, and am glad you have a (sort of) "work-around" the bottom line is: this is a BUG or a DESIGN FAULT and SHOULD be FIXED by Apple!

This is rediculous, the drive on my mini does not seem to work anymore with CDs and DVDs so I thought to use drive sharing then found it Apple has disabled it. What an earth is optical drive sharing for then?

And a misleading quote from the current Mac Mini product page…

"So you can install applications from a DVD or CD and have full access to an optical drive without having to carry one around."

This is indeed a horrible decision on Apple's part. What they're saying is that, within a local network, walking to one machine, inserting a CD into it, sharing it to use it in another computer on the same network is somehow a copyright violation compared to inserting it into a drive on the 2nd machine and using it there. In both cases, you have physical possession of the CD in question. This policy doesn't prevent anyone from doing what they are trying to do, it just makes it much more difficult.

To that end, here is an easier workaround that doesn't involve copying it across the Internet twice (in fact, it actually creates less network traffic than Remote Disk!): On the machine that has the disk drive, rip the CD into iTunes there. Make sure that machine has file sharing tuned on and can be accessed from the target machine. Go to the target machine. Open iTunes, select Add To Library… from the File menu. Find the first machine under Shared, select it, connect to it, navigate to the Music files in the iTunes folder, and select the files OR folders you want to import, and click Open. That's it, a single network transfer of the reduced-size files!

So, Apple hasn't made it impossible, they've just made it a pain. And yes, they did advertise using Remote Disk as a solution to mitigate the loss of having a built-in optical drive. They should re-enable this capability.

Great solution, KPoleyeff! But yes, what an unforgivable decision on Apple's part: EPIC FAIL indeed.