Hi. My external SuperDrive works well with my Mac mini. It will not accept discs when attached to windows laptops--I have one running 7 and one with 8. Both laptops see the SuperDrive, confirm that the drive is fine and the drivers up to date. I turned security off, and that didn't work. Any one know a solution? Thanks!
While it may seem odd, Apple has designed the external Superdrive to work with only Apple computers. Even with that, they have designed it to work only with Macs that do not have built in optical drives (so it will not even work on all Macs). The only systems that you can use the external Superdrive on are:
You can do a search online and find lots of posts explaining (and/or theorizing) what Apple has done to limit compatibility to specific hardware.
While it may seem odd, Apple has designed the external Superdrive to work with only Apple computers. Even with that, they have designed it to work only with Macs that do not have built in optical drives (so it will not even work on all Macs). The only systems that you can use the external Superdrive on are:
You can do a search online and find lots of posts explaining (and/or theorizing) what Apple has done to limit compatibility to specific hardware.
Thank you JoeyR. I would have not assumed that from the documentation--the troubleshooting page says if it is not working with a windows machine, to restart the laptop with the SuperDrive plugged in (which doesn't work). I would have preferred a clear declaration of compatibility issues. Thanks again!
Basically, they say:
The SuperDrive is designed exclusively for use with MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini's that do not have a built-in optical drive. The SuperDrive must be directly plugged into the computer's USB port, and cannot be used if connected to a USB hub.
And then go on to say:
If you are experiencing an issue using the SuperDrive with Microsoft Windows, try starting the computer with the SuperDrive already plugged in.
So they are not specifically saying a Windows "machine", but rather just Windows. Since you can install Windows on a Mac, that is what they are referring to. I've never really understood why they intentionally designed the external SuperDrive to be compatible not only with just Macs, but only Macs that do not have a built in optical drive. They're pretty nice drives and I'm sure they would sell well. They're also nice options for people who may have failed internal SuperDrives, but their not compatible with those machines either.
Ahhh, I forgot about the option of running windows on a Mac. Thanks for the translation of their instructions.
I have been exclusively a Mac person until needing a windows laptop this year--had the original Mac, the purple iMac, the dome with a screen, iMacs, MacBooks, etc and in every machine, the disc drive broke before any other problems. So personally, I like the idea of an external drive. I think I will pick up a non mac version next time, though. Thanks again for your help!
SuperDrive not injecting with windows 7 or 8
