Connect Macbook to Mac Pro via FW Target: will see optical drive?

[Christopher11]

Hi there Macrumors friends. I switched out the optical drive on my Mac Pro for a 2nd hard drive, just to copy over data (it's an older drive with all my stuff on it), which worked great. I need to authorize some software though, that's calling for my install disc. I have the disc, and can put the optical drive back in of course. What if I connect my Macbook Pro via FW in Target mode, and load the install disc into that? Will the Mac Pro see that and recognize it?

Thanks so much for any replies.

 

[brand]

Wouldn't it be easier to just try it and find out instead of asking on an Internet forum then waiting for an answer that may never come. Then if someone does reply the validity of the response has to be considered since it was some random person on the Internet that may or may not know what they are talking about.

I am thinking that it would take 5 minutes top to test it and see.

You are welcome.

 

[OG_Macintosh]

No, you won't see the optical drive or any disc in it.

 

[Draeconis]

T

Hi there Macrumors friends. I switched out the optical drive on my Mac Pro for a 2nd hard drive, just to copy over data (it's an older drive with all my stuff on it), which worked great. I need to authorize some software though, that's calling for my install disc. I have the disc, and can put the optical drive back in of course. What if I connect my Macbook Pro via FW in Target mode, and load the install disc into that? Will the Mac Pro see that and recognize it?

Thanks so much for any replies.

Try the Remote Disk function. Start up both machines, and make sure they're both on the same network. Should get a remote disk option on the laptop if you need it.

 

[Christopher11]

T

Try the Remote Disk function. Start up both machines, and make sure they're both on the same network. Should get a remote disk option on the laptop if you need it.

Thank you! I'm going to try that.

 

[Draeconis]

Thank you! I'm going to try that.

Might need to enable it under System Preferences > Sharing on the host machine.

 

[Christopher11]

Definitely enabled it on my macbook with the optical drive, thanks for that advice. The thing is, the Mac Pro, it's a Power PC and running 10.4. I can't find any shared disc option with it. It's possible this won't work because that computer and OS is too old?

 

[Draeconis]

Definitely enabled it on my macbook with the optical drive, thanks for that advice. The thing is, the Mac Pro, it's a Power PC and running 10.4. I can't find any shared disc option with it. It's possible this won't work because that computer and OS is too old?

Ah. What you have there is a PowerMac, not a Mac Pro .

Try creating an image of the disk using disk utility on the MacBook Pro, put it in Target Disk mode, copy it onto your PowerMac, load the image, and run it.

Might like it, might not. I install Logic Pro 9 like this and it never complains.

 

[Christopher11]

Great idea. It's Arturia MMV that I need to authorize by the way. ;

 

[Gwendolini]

You could also just use the MBP to create a disk image with Disk Utility, copy that DMG or CDR to the PowerMac and then open the disk image on the PowerMac, if Target Disk Mode does not work, though I have used it several times to connect my MBP with optical disc drive to my Intel iMac and have used it successfully, even when installing Snow Leopard from disc.