Using an Older DVD drive

I think the SuperDVD drive in my 1st gen Mac 8 core is having issues. Sometimes discs dont burn and I get a message about the laser. I have also had some issues copying from the DVD to a hard drive (could also be the drive I know). I have a DVD burner in an Old MDD G4. Can I take this out and use it in my MacPro? Even if just to test if things work better. My MacPro is under AppleCare so if the drive is bad, I will try to get a new one from Apple.
Thanks,
David

Hi-
2006-2008 Mac Pro optical drives are IDE, so, yes, you should be able to use a drive from your MDD.

Similar Messages

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)

Is it possible to install Tiger using an external DVD drive?

I have one the of the first iMacs and at the time I thought I didn't need a DVD Player. However, now I was thinking of buying an external DVD player/burner. Is it possible to upgrade to Tiger using the external DVD drive since I don't have an internal one?

Hi Celticart,
Welcome to the discussions.
I have an old AGP PowerMac G4 to which I have hooked an external Firewire DVD Drive. I have installed Tiger without any problems, using this drive. I see no reason why it couldn't be done on an iMac as well, (provided it has Firewire).
I don't think you could get it to work using an external drive hooked up via USB.
Cheers!
Karl

Do macs use the worst dvd drives???

this is just a question because i have noticed that a lot of DVDs that i burn on my mac play in my home DVD player, through my lacie external DVD drive and/or my friends PC work perfectly but they wont play in my iMac G5 or my MacBook Pro DVD player.
PS. the DVDs that i use are verbatim 99% of the time. and a lot of the problems are with dual layer DVDs.
PSS. please dont confuse my question with "macs DO use the worst DVD drives" as a statement. i do not mean it that way at all. thank you.

Hi,
It's a bit long story, page #39 of the following document shows you all:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01659847.pdf
Regards.
BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

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.

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?

Tips for using an older Hard Drive with an enclosure

Hello,
I have a two-parter in regards to an external hard drive. I want to be able to use an older hard drive off one of my PCs for an external hard drive through an enclosure.
Question 1:
Before I purchase the enclosure I was wondering if any USB enclosure will work with the MacBook or if there are specifics I need to have on the enclosure in order for it to work.
Question 2:
The hard drive is from a used (3-4yr old) PC. The hard drive is fine but the old computer is dead (video card). Will I be able to pull off data from it once I get an enclosure? For example, my itunes reside on this hard drive can I export those to the macbook?
Anything else I need to know to make this work?
Thanks!!

How do I know what type of hard drive it is (ATA or SATA)? If I pop out the hard drive from the PC will it say on it someplace? (sad question I know).
There drive may say on it, but if not it should be identification or a model number on the drive you can look up. SATA drives usually also only have a very small connector for both data and power whereas ATA drives have a longer connector and a much wider data cable. You can see a drawing of the ATA connector on this web page:
http://en.kioskea.net/contents/pc/ide-ata.php3
So once I pull all the data off I am interested in - can I then somehow reformate the drive so that I can use it to read/write to from the macbook?
Yep. Use Disk Utility (it's in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder in Mac OS X) to erase the drive. If you'll only be using it with a Mac, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in the formatting option. If you want to be able to use the drive with both Windows and Mac systems, choose MS-DOS.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

Can I use a shared DVD drive in DVD Player? If so, how?

Can I use a shared DVD drive in DVD Player? If so, how? I have it set up as a Shared volume on a Dell PC used as a server.

prf.kishorekumar wrote:
i came here with a hope that I would definitely get some help.
pls.. some one reply1) You got some help. No where do I see thanks or acknowledgment for the information given.
2) Please remember that people on the forum help others voluntarily, it's not their job.
3) Google can often help you here if the forum can't. Using Google I found this interesting link:
http://today.java.net/pub/a/today/2004/05/24/html-pt1.html
It discusses the Swing HTML EditorKit as well as some other free HTML renderers.
Edited by: petes1234 on Oct 24, 2007 7:29 PM

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.

Panther to Tiger using LaCie Firewire DVD drive

First, it was suggested I start a new topic, because of using an external Firewire drive. I have the proper Tiger "Retail" install disk. This is for a friends iMac that did not come with a DVD/Combo drive.
Anything anyone can suggest. I'm hoping the following will work:
1. iMac has latest firmware, and is up to date with latest Panther.
2. hook up LaCie external firewire DVD drive, and as long as it is recognized on the desktop of my friends iMac, that I will be able to then insert/load the Tiger Install Disk and double click on it to install Tiger onto the iMac.
3. I additionally have the option of taking over my Intel dual-core MacBook (Leopard installed) and using that in Target Disk Mode with the Tiger disk in the combo drive of the MacBook. Will it then install on the iMac?
4. I appreciate any and all suggestions and help. I read through numerous posts, but all the links for the Applelink article about installing using Target Disk Mode simply take me to the main page of Applelink and I can't seem to find the instructions.
5. I'm just wondering anyone's experience in using an external Firewire DVD drive to use as the install disk for the OSX Tiger installation to an older iMac.
thanks! Patrick.

Hi Patrick, and a warm welcome to the forums!
1. Good.
2. Should work if it's Mac compatable, you'll find out soon enough.
3. Very likely.
4. The iMac should see the MacBook's DVD as bootable when the MB is in Target Mode.
5. It works with many FW Opticals, but a few do not support Mac Booting.
6. Another option possibly, you can clone an image of the DVDs to a FW drive and boot from that for an install too... I've used Toast to do it, but it can be done with Disk Utility.
PS. I doubt you'll have problems with 2 ways to go there, good luck!

Boot Windows AND FreeBSD from my MacBook Pro 8,3 using an external DVD drive. I'm considering to remove my DVD-ROM and replace it with an SSD drive. That doesn't seem to work. Why not?

As the title says, I'm attempting to boot off my favorite operating systems, Mac OS X, Windows 7 and FreeBSD from an external DVD drive. However, for some odd reasons, booting the Windows DVD and FreeBSD 9.1 install DVD from the external drive does not seem to work. I was able to create a bootable USB with the Windows installer, but whenever I attempt to do the same with FreeBSD, I only get an error message that says "No bootable device -- press any key to restart." Is this a limitation that Apple deliborately created? If so, why won't Apple let its customers do whatever they please with their computers, considering that customers who want to change the hardware and/or operating systems knows what he is doing, without having to worry about some silly Apple limitations?
If I sound rude, I apologize for that, as no impoliteness is intended from my side.
In advance, thanks. Have a wonderful day, everyone.

That is only partially correct at best.
When you are booting off Windows or any other operating systems that usually don't support EFI (including Windows), your Mac uses something called CSM-BIOS. And as long as that CSM-BIOS implementation on EFI-based Mac do not support booting off from USB (note that Mac OS X Installer works fine when booting from USB), not even a USB Apple SuperDrive which once was an internal drive, there mot definately is something for Apple to fix.
When attempting to install Windows via BootCamp, a somewhat hybrid GTP/MBR table is created. When you boot off the installer disc of the OS you intend to install (i.e. Windows 7, FreeBSD, etc), your Mac might not support the EFI boot option (at least my 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro doesn't support that), so the only way of booting that second OS installer is via the regular BIOS, which Apple's EFI based systems implement as CSM-BIOS.

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.

Satellite L310-D4010: OS has become dead slow while using the CD/DVD drive

Dear all,
I has bought Toshiba Satellite L310-D4010 at chennai, India.
It has 2GB RAM and 1.83 GHz Intel Core2 Duo Processor.
But my system has become *dead slow* while i am using the optical drive i.e., when i am writing a disk and copying the content form the disk.
I was not able to open any application while i am using the DVD drive.
Please guide me to resolve this problem.
Thanking you.

For me it is also logic that notebook performance goes down when I copy a lot of data. To be honest when I use some burning application to save data on CD or DVD I leave it running till the end and avoid usage of other applications while burning procedure is active. All I do at the same time is surfing in Internet.
I cannot imagine you are not able to start some applications. Maybe notebook needs some more time to start application but it must work.
At the end I must say that 2 GB RAM for Vista notebook is for me really the minimum and if possible I recommend you to upgrade RAM if possible. This notebook model is not known to me and max RAM for this model is not known to me but I presume the 4 GB should not be the problem.

Using Old PC DVD Drive as external on Macbook Pro?

Does anyone know if you can use an old internal DVD-Drive from an HP Notebook as an external DVD-Drive on a new MacBook Pro Retina?
I recently switched from PC to Mac. I sometimes, though rarely, use CDs/DVDs; and I certainly don't use them enough to invest in an full external drive for the Mac. Yet, I will on occassion need to copy from a CD/DVD. I have already pulled spare parts from a fairly new HP notebook (its premature death is the reason for my switch to Mac) and successfully used them as a 500gb external hard drive, etc. I am wondering (a) can I do the same with the DVD-Drive, and would it work with my MacBook Pro running OS X 10.8.3; and (b) what cables/enclosures would I need to obtain to make it work? Thanks for any advice.

They do make external chassis for a Desktop-sized DVD Reader. Most available today will have a SATA interface inside. USB is fast enough for most uses.
The trouble with using a laptop DVD reader is a) Physical size and b) what the heck is that interface on the laptop DVD drive, and how to convert to something recognizable?

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

Using an Older DVD drive

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for