How to use cds, dvds, and blurays on a mac without an. Macbook pro retina, inch,early 2015, macos high sierra 10. I had a similiar problem where i wanted to install windows on a macbook pro early 2009 that had a broken optical drive, using a bootable windows 7 usb, but the mac wouldnt recognize the usb because it only checks in the optical drive. So you have to resort to one of the following means to get your programs installed. Macbook unibody model a1278 optical drive replacement. Macbook, macbook air, and macbook pro models with usbc ports require a.
The inch notebook had not been updated since june 2012, but. If your mac already has a builtin optical drive, or an external optical drive connected, you wont see the remote disc feature appear in the finder or other apps. Dec 15, 2014 apples macbook air, along with many other macs, no longer includes an optical drive. How to install an optical drive into the macbook inch. Remove the optical drive cable by pulling it straight away from the optical drive. Apple usb superdrive 2019 unboxing and demo how to use it. Find out which macs can use the apple usb superdrive and how to connect it. Finder app is enough, so you not needed for any extra app such as idvd, or the thirdparty app to download and installed. Before trying any other solution, you must look on cable in most case usb cable which you are using while connecting the external hard drive to the mac. Bootcamp without optical disc drive apple community.
How to add a fast new ssd to your old mac or macbook for. How to replace your macbooks optical drive with an ssd. Sharing is an option if you have a wired or wireless network with at least one of the following. A pencil or pen can be placed under the top edge of the display, parallel to the top edge and extending past the edge of the computer. It is compatible with macbook,macbook air, macbook pro, imac or mac mini via a single usb cable to help read dvdcd and write to cdr and dvdr discs. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links.
Share a cd or dvd drive for your macbook air the other option for installing software or reading a dvd on the macbook air is lions builtin cddvd sharing feature. But you can still use cds, dvds, blurays, and other optical discs on your mac. My sister had a macbook air and while she sold it, she still has the external superdrive that looks like a usbbased cdrom dvdrom drive. Jan 14, 2014 didnt work for me, its a macbook 2,1 bought in february 07, came with osx. Apple eliminated the combo drive feature all together in the imac line, as well as the lowend 17inch model. The thunderbolt 3 ports in the macbook pro and macbook air work with usbc devices, which have the same connector shape. Also note that apple restricted the remote disc option the ability to use another machines optical drive to devices that actually dont have an optical drive mac mini, macbook air, etc. For windows to install in that method surely it would restart from the windows install cd and load a windows kernel via the superdrive. It should just work, i have been doing exactly that for many years and external dvds have always worked on my macs. Here are a few items that we cant do without in our personal setups. Apple computers without a builtin optical drive can connect an external apple usb superdrive or macbook air superdrive to read optical media such. To do this, prepare the macbook air as you would usually for accepting a remote optical drive for use. When software comes on a cd or dvd and you want to install it on a macbook air, you cant just pop open the disc drive or slide a disc into a slot, like you would on a computer with an optical drive.
How to install an optical drive into the macbook inch 2010. Although every effort is made to provide the most accurate and useful information in owc videos, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made. But superdrive does not always work with windows pc right away however, and sometimes the apple superdrive either doesnt function as expected, wont accept a disc, or is not properly recognized in windows, whether running natively on pc, or a mac through boot camp, or a virtual machine either whatever the scenario, if youre trying to use an apple superdrive with windows and its. Tips to fix mac doesnt recognize external hard drive on. If you want to use a usbc device, you can just plug it into one of the. Such cases include when the optical drive has been removed or is broken.
If youve recently upgraded to a new imac or macbook pro, youre probably going to need an optical drive if you want to continue importing your movies and music to itunes, or just access the content on your discs. How to use macbook air superdrive dvd drive on windows pcs. Optical bay hard drive or ssd mounting solution for imac. The inch notebook had not been updated since june 2012, but it remained available for.
I can not get the optical drive in my imac to accept a cd or dvd. For users with plans to swap an optical drive for an ssd, keeping the ssd as a nonboot drive. Macbook air laptops can connect to the internet using a wired ethernet connection, wifi network or through an optical usb ethernet adapter. But if you really need it, the usb superdrive gives you an optical drive for your mac.
Apples mac lineup consists of macbook, macbook air, macbook pro, imac, mac pro, and mac mini. Plug the usb cable correctly, or you can try to connect the external drive using another usb cable. Apple has discontinued its nonretina legacy macbook pro, the last mac it sold with a builtin cddvd drive. The macbook air forgoes the optical drive to keep it thin and small. In order to install linux on the replacement of a crashed harddisc drive in a 2006 macbook core duo, i wanted to boot linux from a usb flash drive in order to then install it. As i dove for the couch cushions in search of spare change to add to my computer upgrade fund, i considered that i. Make cd or dvd on mac either using the optical dvd drive of your mac book pro, mac book air, imac or using external dvd drive like non apple usb super drive. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question. If you think youll need an external drive mostly for bluray discs, most of them will also play dvds and cds but are not readablewritable. While this is trivial on most pcs, it turned out not to be on an old macbook. The mk550 combo from logitech gives you an ergonomic keyboard with an integrated palm rest for comfortably typing out dozens of words per minute along with the precision laser mouse. Jan 28, 2008 macbook air optical drive on a macbook. If the mac dvd hard drive not working for you, there are many other dvd drives available at cheap price. For one, its practically the same as apples superdrive in every way, and.
How to connect the apple usb superdrive apple support. I have a windows 10 pc that i want to use my super drive on, but i do not know what drivers i need to have to make it work. Tweet share post just before the latest macbook pro s aapl updates were released, rumors swirled that the new models would adopt solidstate drives ssd in addition to hard disk drives hdd and drop internal optical dvd drives across the line. If you have a cd or any other object jammed in your optical drive, we have an optical drive repair guide. Macbook 2,1 macbook pro 5,3 as the optical drive of the mbp has issues, i would like to use the optical drive from the mb. Make sure that the aluminum enclosure of the superdrive is facing up.
An optical drive andor windows installation dvd is unavailable. Modern macs do not have optical drives, which makes it difficult to play your favourite movies. Musthave accessories for new mac owners in 2020 imore. Apples mac lineup consists of macbook, macbook air. The macbook air superdrive has unique firmware which prevents it from being properly recognized as a plug and play optical usb drive by windows.
Oct 28, 2012 as you can see, im writing this using ia writer on my macbook air. Windows 10 needs to be installed to boot using the legacy bios method. Apr 24, 2019 apple usb superdrive 2019 unboxing and demo how to use it. With your new mac devices, you are not able to run cds or dvds. Just connect it via usba a usbc hub is required for usbc macs. May 08, 2020 youll need a good keyboard and mouse if you have an imac, or plan on using a display with your macbook, or even propping it up on a stand. External usb dvd rw rw super drive for apple macbook air. Macbook air, imac or mac mini with a single usb typea cable thats built into the superdrive. For this purpose, you need to rely on external cddvd drives. It is only meant to be installed on the macbook air opticaldrive remotedisc.
It only voids your warranty if you break the macbook during installation, or if the hard drive breaks the macbook. Workarounds for the macbook airs lack of optical drive dummies. Apple no longer sells a mac with a cd drive macrumors. Macbook air usb superdrive bootcamp w apple community. This connector is particularly deep, so be sure to pull away from the drive at the center of the connector.
Remote disc, remote install, and related technologies that enable the air to. I ejected the cd i was just using and now the drive wont accept anything. Workarounds for the macbook airs lack of optical drive. If you have a usb mouse connected to your computer, try to reset the optical drives eject mechanism first. How to install software from a cddvd to a macbook air. Also, when a windows iso file is available and the mac has a working optical drive, but no blank dvd can be obtained. The last apple mac to ship with an optical cd or dvd drive was a in macbook pro, originally released in june 2012, but on sale until october. First plug in the external drive to a usb port that you know works with other devices now insert a dvd movie that you know w. Now that installation isnt trivial because the size of the hard drive and the size of the optical drive are not the same. If you tried to insert a cd, you would bump up against the bracket just behind this brush.
However, one of the best uses of any cloudbased storage system is to link the storage to multiple devices for easy access to synced files with all of your devices. Find the best optical drives for imac based on what customers said. Macbook air optical drive on a macbook february 2008. Handy for using on the road with a macbook air or retina macbook pro. Use the cd or dvd drive from another computer with your. But my need for speed is itching, and i am thinking of replacing it with a more recent version. Not so long ago in 2001 apple launched an imac with the slogan rip. However, the one i have has the built in optical drive that i use quite a bit, and i like the elegance. Boot linux from a usb flash drive on a macbook astrofloyds. Oct 27, 2016 apple has discontinued its nonretina legacy macbook pro, the last mac it sold with a builtin cddvd drive. Feb 17, 2009 the thing that i find confusing is that apple recommends that windows is installed from a superdrive on a macbook air instead of using dvdcd rom sharing from another computer.
Apples usb superdrive is the mac external hard drive designed to complement macbook proair. Apple computers without a builtin optical drive can connect an external apple usb superdrive or macbook air superdrive to read optical media such as cds and dvds. How to install windows 10 into a 2011 imac without using the. Perhaps understandably, it was panned for compromising on some features, but what the press really zeroed in on was its lack of a builtin optical drive. Apples been phasing out optical drives in its macs since it introduced the macbook air in 2008. To use your superdrive, connect it to a usba port on your mac, then insert a disc. Apple s macbook air, along with many other macs, no longer includes an optical drive. It worked just fine with her air, but when i plug it into my macbook pro, its dead. Last most powerful imac model before the optical drive was. Dec 21, 2010 the macbook air forgoes the optical drive to keep it thin and small. Jan 25, 2007 thin macbook with bottom mounted optical drive. Nov, 2018 find out which macs can use the apple usb superdrive and how to connect it. As you can see, im writing this using ia writer on my macbook air. Apr 01, 2011 there is a brush on the opening to the optical drive which is attached to the inside of the unibody enclosure.
Boot camp assistant uses this drive to store the windows 8 install media and or tested by apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. This will be different depending on what kind of computer you use as the source optical drive. Apples macbook air, along with many other macs, no longer includes an optical drive. The macbook air ships with software tools that allow users to do without the external drive option for most purposes. Macs, ipads, iphones, windows, and android platforms. Older models of the macbook, macbook pro, imac, mac pro, and mac mini. Macbook, macbook air, and macbook pro models with usbc ports require a usbc to usb adapter sold separately to use apple usb superdrive. How to get my mac to recognize an external dvd drive quora. Since there is no builtin disc drive in your mac, you can get an external dvd drive for dvd playback on mac.
Use an external macbook air superdrive on a macbook pro. You want that hard drive firmly in the right place. According to apple, the 11 inch macbook air battery can last up to 9hrs while the inch macbook air can go up to 12 hrs without a recharge. The outside of the macbook pro looks exactly the same. Interested in using these videos on your site view our video usage policy. If youre using a compatible disc and you dont see it from remote disc, make sure the sharing computer is turned on, is connected to the same network as your mac, and has a. Sep 29, 2017 for users with plans to swap an optical drive for an ssd, keeping the ssd as a nonboot drive. The apple usb superdrive has a slightly longer 340mm cable compared to the cable on the macbook air superdrive 250mm. The tricks here are similar to how youd access an optical drive on a windows ultrabook or similar pc that doesnt include an optical drive of its own. How to install windows 10 into a 2011 imac without using. This machine originally debuted in january of 2008 as an ultrathin notebook.
Replace your optical drive with a hard drive or ssd. Apple has begun to stop installing cddvd drives since the introduction of macbook air in january 2008. Install boot camp macbook air without optical drive select the usb optical drive so its highlighted in the disk utility window. Optical drive in imac not accepting cddvd powermax. Install boot camp macbook air without optical drive. The apple usb superdrive is compatible with mac models from 2008 and later that dont have a builtin optical drive. Perhaps understandably, it was panned for compromising on some features, but what the press really zeroed in on was its lack of a. It is an error, the remote disc icon is not supposed to be there. Owcs stepbystep video of how to install an optical drive in the apple macbook pro mid 2010 unibody. I replaced the optical drive in my macbook pro with a ssd and put the optical drive in a portable usb enclosure from other world computing.
The windows update package comes with an interesting perk it has outofthebox support for installing os x directly on a macbook air remotely. When you remove the optical drive, this piece is left in place. If the wire has defected, then mac wont recognize the external hard drive on mojave. The mb optical drive has an ata interface, while the. The apple usb superdrive and macbook air superdrive are. Jun 07, 2017 get help with the slotloading superdrive on your mac computer follow the steps below if you need help setting up or using your apple usb superdrive, macbook air superdrive, or builtin superdrive. The tricks here are similar to how youd access an optical drive on a windows ultrabook or. Later apple discontinued manufacturing macbook and imac with optical drives in 2016 and mid2011 respectively. This drive works just like any other optical drive but keep in mind this external usb dvd burner uses 2. After lifting the top edge of the display on one side, hold it out of the outer case while you use a hooked tool to lift the other side. The thing that i find confusing is that apple recommends that windows is installed from a superdrive on a macbook air instead of using dvdcd rom sharing from another computer.
Get help with the slotloading superdrive on your mac. Apple killed the disc drive, but its for your own good. How do i use my super drive on my windows apple community. Oct 16, 2008 it only voids your warranty if you break the macbook during installation, or if the hard drive breaks the macbook.
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