Sharing discs
If your Mac doesn't have a built-in optical drive and you need to use a CD or DVD, you can connect an external drive like the Apple USB SuperDrive. You can also share discs from the optical drive of another Mac, or from a Windows computer that has DVD or CD Sharing Setup installed. DVD or CD sharing allows you to access documents stored on these discs, and allows you to install some software.
DVD or CD sharing isn't designed for some kinds of optical media. Connect a compatible optical drive directly to your Mac if you need to use one of these discs:
- External CD Drive USB2.0, USB Mini Portable CD-RW DVD-R Combo Burner Player for Laptop, Mac, PC Desktop Computer and Play for Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / Windows 7 (Silver) Model #: SHM59-Silver Item #: 9SIAPCVBPT2442.
- External USB 3.0 CD/DVD-RW Writer Drive Burner Reader Player For Mac PC Laptop. $21.59 to $27.87. Slim External DVD RW CD Writer Drive USB 3.0 Burner Reader Player For Laptop PC. Slim External USB 3.0 CD RW DVD Writer Drive Burner Reader Player For Laptop PC. USB 2.0 External DVD-R CD±RW Combo Burner.
- Audio CDs
- Blu-ray or DVD movies
- Copy protected discs (such as some game discs)
- Recordable CDs or DVDs that you want to burn or erase
- Microsoft Windows installation discs
Jbonest External DVD CD Drive with USB 3.0 and Type-C Interface, Portable USB CD-RW/DVD-RW Writer Reader Player Burner For Windows, Win10/XP/Win 7/Win 8 Laptop, Mac, Macbook Air/Pro, Apple, iMac 825 price £ 17. Insert CDs and DVDs into Mac. If your Mac has a built-in optical drive, or if you connect an external optical drive (for example, an Apple USB SuperDrive), you can use CDs and DVDs to play music, watch movies, or access files that were backed up on a disc. USB 3.0 Type-C Portable Optical Superdrive Burner Player Writer CD DVD +/- RW, Compatible with Windows 10 8 7 XP Vista Mac OS System for Mac Pro Air iMac Laptop 4.4 out of 5 stars 205 $27.99 $ 27.
If you have a Microsoft Windows install disc that you want to use with Boot Camp, you can create a disc image of this disc and copy it to a USB flash drive for installation instead.
Setting up a Mac to share discs
To share discs from a Mac that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps:
- On the Mac that has an optical drive, choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click the Sharing icon in the System Preferences window.
- Make sure you've entered a name that you can easily recognize in the Computer Name field.
- Enable the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing.
- You can also restrict who has access to your optical drive by selecting 'Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.'
Setting up a Windows PC to share discs
To share discs from a Windows PC that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps:
- Download and install DVD or CD Sharing Update 1.0 for Windows.
- From Control Panel, open 'Hardware and Sound'
- Click 'DVD or CD Sharing Options.'
- Select the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing.
- You can also restrict who has access to your optical drive by selecting 'Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.'
If you're sharing discs from a Windows computer and your PC has firewall software enabled, be sure to allow access to the following programs from your firewall:
- ODSAgent
- RemoteInstallMacOSX
Use a shared DVD or CD
After you've enabled DVD or CD Sharing, you can use that computer's optical drive at any time. Insert a disc in the optical drive of the computer that's being shared. The disc should then be available on any Mac that's connected to the same network.
- On the Mac that doesn't have an optical drive, open a Finder window.
- Select Remote Disc in the Devices section of the sidebar. You should see the computer that has DVD or CD Sharing enabled.
- Double-click the computer's icon, then click Connect to see the contents of the CD or DVD available from that computer.
If you can't use a shared disc
Usb Cd Player For Macbook
If your Mac already has a built-in optical drive, or an external optical drive connected, you won't see the Remote Disc feature appear in the Finder or other apps.
If you're using a compatible disc and you don't 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 compatible CD or DVD in its optical drive. If you've enabled the option to ask for permission before using the drive, click Accept on the computer that is sharing its optical drive.
Symptoms
Symptoms such as these could mean that a device connected to the USB-A , USB-C , or Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port on your Mac isn't getting enough power:
Apple Cd Player For Macbook
- A message says that the device needs more power, the operation can't be completed, or USB devices are disabled until you unplug the device using too much power.
- An operation that requires more power doesn't work. For example, writing to disk requires more power than reading from it.
- The device doesn't turn on or isn't recognized by your Mac.
Solutions
- Use your device as a self-powered device or connect it to a powered USB or Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) hub if possible.
Self-powered devices get power from an electrical outlet or their own battery. Bus-powered devices get power from the device they're plugged into, such as your Mac. - Reduce the total amount of power needed from your Mac by reducing the number of bus-powered devices connected to your Mac, or using more of them as self-powered devices.
- If your device is plugged into another device (such as a display or multiport adapter) as part of a chain of devices, the other device might not be providing enough power or passing through enough power from your Mac. Plug your device directly into your Mac instead.
- Make sure that the port on your Mac and the cable you're using to connect it to your device both support the same or later USB specification as your device. For example, a device designed to support the USB 3 specification might not get enough power when plugged into a USB 2 port or cable.
- Try a different cable, in case the cable that you're using is damaged or defective. If you're using an adapter with your cable, the adapter could also be damaged or defective.
- If your Mac has multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports, connect your device to a Thunderbolt 3 port farthest away from the current port. For example, if your device is connected to the ports on the left side of MacBook Pro, connect to the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the right side.
- If your device has software (such as drivers or firmware) that can be updated, make sure that it's using the latest software from the manufacturer. To get firmware updates for Apple accessories, update your Apple software.
- Make sure that your Mac is awake and started up from the Mac operating system. Some Apple devices can request extra power only when your Mac is awake or started up from macOS.
Learn more about USB power on your Mac
System Information provides additional detail about USB power on your Mac. Connect the USB device directly to your Mac, then select USB from the sidebar in System Information. For each USB device, System Information shows:
- Current Available: The default power provided by the port to which your device is connected.
- Current Required: The power needed by your device.
- Extra Operating Current: Mac computers and Apple displays introduced after 2006, when directly connected to certain Apple devices such as iPhone or iPad, can provide extra power over one or more ports. The Mac or display must be powered on and awake to provide this extra power. A Mac started from the Windows operating system doesn't provide extra power.
Mac Cd Drive
Learn more about the power available under each USB specification, such as USB 2 and USB 3.