Can I use an external dvd drive to install windows?

Basically I have a licensed version of Windows Vista Business laying around, but it is on 5 CDs, and I can't seem to find a legal source to redownload it so I can burn it on a dvd to use my legal key. And I know in the bootcamp instructions it says it must be on one disk, due to newer macs not having an analog eject method, and the mac keyboard's eject button not working since this is before you can install the drivers.
One work around I have read is that you can run an eject.exe program from a flash drive via command prompt while installing, and this would eject the disk so you can put in the next one, but if it can read from a USB flash drive during the install process can it not also read from a USB dvd drive?

vLite http://www.vlite.net/about.html can merge the CDs to one DVD.
But it has to be done on a Windows PC.
Plus, be aware that with the newer 2011-released Macs Apple has abandoned XP and Vista support, so that Windows 7 is the only one supported.
Stefan

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Can I use an external hard drive to install Windows 7 on a macbook

Hi!
I currently have a 13" retina macbook pro and want to install windows 7 home premium to use on bootcamp. The problem is that my computer does not have a disk drive. So can I use a desktop to put in the windows disk and download it to an external HDD, then install it on my macbook with the external HDD? Or do I have to use a USB. Also, does anyone know of a place I can just download Windows 7 Home premium 64bit?
Thanks

Hi! If your macbook doesn't have a cd drive you need to have Windows 7 but an ISO image, you can't just copy the contents of the copy into a USB and expect it to work. There are many tutorials on internet on how to obtain an ISO image from an installation disc, for example: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/software-tools/a/create-iso-image-file.htm As for "just download Windows 7" (i suppose you mean free download) this is not the right place to ask, believe me. Try searching Windows 7 ISO on google, but be careful with what you download and form where, also you are going to download the Windows drivers from the Bootcamp program, try reading this manual to give yourself a better idea: http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1636/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_ 10.8.pdf

Can I use a external hard drive to install windows?

Is that possible? Cause my mac only has 80GB and my windows portion is low 6GB left.

They sell new hard drives with an empty/spare external case for your old drive.
You shouldn't even be running Mac OS with less than 10-15% free space, the directory and file system can "go" and be left with trouble booting, accessing files, etc. So you should be backing up now at the least, and making room.

Can I use USB external DVD Drive to boot up my G4?

My G4 (PCI Graphics) internal drive DVD-ROM is not working, its dead. I want to replace it with an External USB or Firewire Lacie DVD Drive.
According to Apple document http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58606, my computer cant boot up from Firewire devices. I think that means, I wont be able reinstall my Mac OS or install future systems or start my DiskWarrior from the CD. Using a external Firewire DVD Drive. Let me know if I am wrong?
Can I use a USB external DVD Drive to boot up?
G4 (PCI Graphics) 400 mhz, 488Mb Memory, 50GB, 9.2.2 & 10.3.9. USB 1.0 & Firewire 400 Ports
G4 (PCI Graphics) Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi, Harold -
Bad news - your G4 (PCI) model can not boot to either a firewire drive nor to a USB drive.
Although the G4 (PCI) models do have native firewire, they (and their cousins the B&W G3) are specifically exempted from firewire booting; there is no workaround for this -
Article #58606 - FireWire Booting
Relatedly, a G4 (PCI) machine can be the Host machine in a Firewire Target Disk Mode setup, but can not be the Target machine.
Article #58583 - Firewire Target Disk Mode
USB booting was introduced first on the G4 (AGP) model, and is not available on earlier Mac models -
Article #58430 - USB Info and Benefits of Dual-Channel USB
The only external drive your G4 (PCI) can be booted to is a SCSI drive - but that requires that the machine have an appropriate SCSI PCI card installed.
Replacing the internal optical drive might be the best choice, particularly for ease of maintenance and OS installing in the future.

Can I use an external hard drive to install boot camp?

What the question said also it'll be Windows 8.1 because that's the only one you can download from the M-soft store now.

normyp wrote:
What the question said also it'll be Windows 8.1 because that's the only one you can download from the M-soft store now.
The answer is simple and has been stated many times before. Boot Camp will not allow you to install to an external drive. Until now, Windows made it nearly impossible to install on an external drive, although I hear that has changed with Windows 8.1 (but I do not have personal experience with that).
If you use a different EFI boot loader, you might have much better luck installing Windows on an external drive, but Boot Camp does not support that.

Can I install Tiger using an external DVD drive?

My PowerBook is being repaired and I have to use an older G4/733 tower (OS 9.2; CD/zip drives only) from 2001 ASAP. I purchased Tiger and now need to load it, along with the new software. Rather than purchasing an internal dvd drive, can I buy and external dvd drive to install Tiger/new software? I've seen some posts that say "no" and others that say yes, as long as its firewire, not USB. In looking at external drives, I've seen some compatibility requirements that say OS X as the minimum. Some places like CDW and the Apple store don't seem to have an answer for me. Does anybody here know? thanks!
Bob
PowerPC G4 Mac OS 9.2.x

Internal drives are much cheaper; you can get a DVD burner for under $40 online, vs. well over a $100 for an external, which may or may not boot your specific system.
The NEC ND-3550A or Pioneer DVR-110D will both boot the OS installer DVD when using the "C" Key, or from Startup Disc...
In a QS, you just have to remove the drive tray faceplate before installing the drive; This Apple Article has clear diagrams of the replacement process.

Can i use imac's internal CD/DVD drive to install windows 8.1 pro on macbook via ethernet or firewire or other than purchasing an external drive??

can i use imac's internal CD/DVD drive to install windows 8.1 pro on macbook via ethernet or firewire or any method other than purchasing an external drive??

Note: These types of discs or activities are not supported by DVD or CD sharing:
DVD movies.
Audio CDs.
Copy protected discs such as game discs.
Install discs for an operating system such as Microsoft Windows (for use with Boot Camp), or Mac OS X.
Burn a CD or DVD

Can i use HP external DVD writer on Mac Book pro with retina display?

can i use HP external DVD writer on Mac Book pro with retina display? and can i use seagate external hard disk on mac book pro with retina display?

You should have no problem using the external optical drive. As for the external HD, you'll need to format it properly, depending on whether you want to use it with a Windows machine as well as your MacBook Pro.
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS X 10.??, 16GB Crucial RAM, Crucial M500 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

Starting up an emac using an external dvd drive?

My emac has frozen. I was installing the software update to system 10.4.6 when the machine crashed (not enough HD space? don't know.)
Now, it won't get past the Starting Mac OS X screen.
I figure I need to do a clean install or something drastic, just to rebuilt the system software. I think that will work, but I have a problem:
The 10.4 disks I bought only came in DVDs. My emac only has a CD drive, so I installed the software using an external DVD burner.
I have tried to restart holding down the C key, but it's not starting off the external drive.
I have no idea where the ancient OSX disks (CDs) are that came with the computer, and don't know if it's a good idea to go backwards anyhow.
I know the actual hard drive on the emac is functional, because I was able to make it a target disk to back up the files today.
Any clue how to start up using the external DVD drive and the 10.4 DVD?

Edward Rosenstein,
Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Had you used patchburn on the external DVD drive?
Does the drive appear as an option using the option key to bring up Startup Manager?
You mention backing up the eMac's hard drive in Firewire Target Disk Mode. The host computer you used for that should show you how much free space there is on the eMac hard drive; you'll need at least 5 to 8 GB free.
If the host computer you used for the Firewire Target Disk Mode backup has a DVD drive, you can use that to install 10.4 onto the eMac while the eMac is connected in target disk mode. If the host computer doesn't have a DVD drive, try moving the external DVD drive to the host, run Patchburn if it's not recognized, and you should be able to install onto the eMac that way.

Upgrade to SL using an external DVD drive?

Hi all:
I've got an older mac mini (it's an intel machine), but the internal dvd drive has been broken for a long time. I've been using an external DVD drive when needed. I've been trying to upgrade to SL from 10.5.8, but it just won't work. It gets to the instal screen and then at "45 minutes remaining" it flashes to the end of the status bar and reboots my computer... where I am still on 10.5.8. I tried repairing permissions and all that good stuff, but no dice.
Any help? Is the weak link my external DVD burner? Thanks!

Yes, there is a reason. That's what I was trying to figure out. I don't think it would have to do with using an external DVD. Did you try starting up from the DVD. You might try that. If you want to erase and install, then you'll have to start up from the DVD. If you can, once the installation begins choose your language; open Disk Utility from the top of the next page; highlight your drive and choose Partition; assuming you want one partition select 1 (you must select a number here even if you don't want to change the number); and select GUID under the options (which also will format/erase your drive). Shut down Disk Utility and continue your installation.
Next, if you have access to another properly equipped Mac (see link), then you may be able to install using [firewire target disk mode.|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661] Finally, [here is another interesting install possibility mentioned above.|http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051227162152292] You should be able create your image file like this:
a. Insert the DVD/CD;
b. Open Disk Utility, and select the DVD/CD from the left side list (select the DVD/CD icon on top);
c. from the Disk Utility File menu select New Disk Image from Disk 1;
d. Choose to format the disk image as DVD/CD Master, name the disk image, click Save; and
e. Upon completion, Get Info on the .cdr file and lock the file.
Message was edited by: donv (The Ghost)

Upgrading to Tiger using an external DVD Drive

Our computers at work don't have internal DVD drives. When we try to install Tiger using an external DVD we can't get past the restart process. We insert the DVD into the external DVD drive and restart our computers. Once the computer restarts, we double-click the Tiger DVD and it once again tells us to restart. My questions is....Can you upgrade to Tiger using an external DVD drive or should I request the CDs from Apple for the upgrade?
Thanks,
Devra
Power PC G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi Devra,
first of all: WELCOME TO THE DISCUSSIONS!
Be aware that you CANNOT boot from an external USB-drive: Don't start up from an external USB device. You have to use an external firewire drive. Then insert the DVD and reboot while holding down the Option-key. Select the DVD in the external firewire drive as boot volume.
You also might want to follow this procedure: 10.4 Tiger Upgrade: Decision tree+Checklist . It also covers potential install errors due to outdated firewire-drive firmware.
If this answered your question please consider granting some stars: Why reward points?

I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

I would like to know if you have to back up a macbook hard drive, can I use a external hard drive that has been previously used to back up several pc 's, or is it best to have a separate external drive for the Mac?

In the Mac side of things, backups usually come in two flavors: clones or incrementals.
A bootable clone is a bit-for-bit copy of all essential files in the startup volume. If using the Lions, clones can be made using CarbonCopyCloner or just plain old Disk Utility. These backups represent the safest protection of your info, but take the longest to do. Recovery is an inverse process: you copy the clone back into the internal drive.
Incremental backups start with a complete backup of the startup volume and only copy whatever changed from the previous run. OS X includes the fully integrated Time Machine backup utility to do this. It is extremely easy to do and takes the least amount of time. Recovery is another matter altogether since you have to start with a freshly installed instance of the OS and have to apply all intervening backups to bring the result to the latest saved version.
As for where the backup takes place, the recommended media is an external dedicated drive or drives connected via the fastest interface available on your Mac: Thunderbolt, USB3, Firewire, or USB2. Network-based backups, wired or wireless, are attractive but may not offer the same performance and hence take longer. Also important to note that the entire drive need not be completely dedicated to a single backup. The Mac's EFI firmware infrastructure allows for an unlimited number of partitions on a hard drive and each can be used for either type of backups.
Holler if you need specifics on how to do each. This was just an executive summary.

Can i use an external hard drive in windows to add additional storage after my initial partition is set up. i want to add a 500 GB hard drive to use with my windows. I set windows up in boot camp with a 50 GB partition?

can i use an external hard drive in windows to add additional storage after my initial partition is set up. i want to add a 500 GB external hard drive to use with my windows. I set windows up in boot camp with a 50 GB partition? I now want to add another 500 GB?

Yes. Windows supports external USB drives.

Can I use one external hard drive for 3 of my Macs?

I have a 2007 white MacBook, a 2011 MacBook Pro, and a 2013 MacBook Air.
I want to be able to transfer all of my precious family photos off of my MacBook and Macbook Pro onto an external hard drive and then wipe those computers clean, and then I want to be able to backup and wipe clean my Macbook Air so that I can update it to Mavericks.
Can I use one external hard drive to do this for three of my Macs? Will it be compatible with all of them? And will I still be able to use the hard drive with my Air once it is updated to Mavericks?
Which hard drive do you recommend?

1. Yes. Note that anything you want to keep should be on at least two drives in case one of them fails.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
(110959)

How can I use my external hard drive for my iphoto instead of my mac book pro memory?

i don't know if this question has been asked before: how can I use my external hard drive for my iphoto instead of my mac book pro memory? just like itunes all my song are save on my external hard drive. make sense?

Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
LN

Can I use an external dvd drive to install windows?

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