Windows Netbook wants to use iMac's DVD drive

[petergriffin]

My DVD-less Windows XP notebook needs access to a DVD drive. Rather than buy an external drive, I believe I can network to my Mac's DVD drive (iMac, Snow Leopard) but I'm no expert on networking so any step by step help would be gratefully received.

You'd have to use a file sharing protocol that both OS's understand. My best best would be installing samba and cifs on the Mac or alternatively good old ftp.

Mac 101: File sharing

* Mac OS X leverages the CIFS Browser Protocol to enable PCs to appear in the "SHARED" section of the Finder windows sidebar and for Macs to appear in Windows workgroups. Ports 137, 138, and 139 should not be blocked on your PC firewall.
* A "Sharing Only" type of user account is one that will not have a home folder. It is not a local user account. You will not be able to use your Mac with this kind of account. It is only used to log onto your Mac for file sharing from another computer.
* See this web page Apple - Support - Bonjour for more information about Bonjour technology.
* See this Microsoft support article Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service for more information about the CIFS Browser Protocol, and this Microsoft support article for information about troubleshooting issues with CIFS Browser Protocol.

[simontax]

Okay, now I can see and access the whole of the netbook C-drive from the Mac, having set folder sharing permissions in Widnows. I can also see the Mac's printer from the netbook as a network printer, and print to it. Communications are definitely going both ways.

Still can't read the Mac's DVD from the netbook. Can't see it. Thanks for the link, petergriffin, but I'm looking at DVD sharing not file sharing. Under DVD sharing, however, Apple have instructions for the Macbook Air to use the iMac DVD drive, or the Macbook Air to use a Windows-PC DVD drive, but not a Windows PC to use the iMac drive. Looks like it's not going to work.

[petergriffin]

Damn Mac users! The Mac is Unix and in unix everything is a file so the DVD is also a file. So DVD sharing is file sharing.

Open a terminal, type df or mount, you'll see you mac dvd as /dev/<something>

Did you select the option "Share files and folders using SMB"?

RTFM:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1549

[stek]

The DVD sharing is actually remote DVD, mainly to enable Macs without DVDs to boot remotely, like any Unix or VMS system can do. It's not for puny Windows.

The only way for Windows to see the DVD is to share the mounted DVD from Mac using file sharing. Ignore DVD sharing, Windows is just too Shiite to see it...

[simontax]

petergriffin – only the first line of your reply came through yesterday. Okay, understood thanks, file sharing not DVD sharing. In the terminal I can see the DVD as /dev/disk0s2 mounted on /

So that's a “file” and I just need to find a way to navigate to it from Widnows? Hence your earlier comment about needing a common protocol. Yes, I enabled file sharing using smb.

However...

stek - yes, it looks like full-blown DVD sharing is intended to be Mac on Mac. Sharing the mounted DVD using file sharing … Ah! of course the DVD drive only appears in Finder when there's a disk in. So: blank disk in, name it (file sharing is greyed out for blank disks) add to shared files on the Mac, navigate to it from the netbook.

I think we're there. I am now reading a DVD in the Mac drive from the netbook. Not quite the same as sharing the DVD drive, as each inserted CD or DVD has to be independently shared, but probably close enough.

Writing might take a little longer. If I get stuck, I know where to come. Thanks for all assistance, it has been much appreciated.

[Sysman]

stek - yes, it looks like full-blown DVD sharing is intended to be Mac on Mac. Sharing the mounted DVD using file sharing … Ah! of course the DVD drive only appears in Finder when there's a disk in. So: blank disk in, name it (file sharing is greyed out for blank disks) add to shared files on the Mac, navigate to it from the netbook.

I think we're there. I am now reading a DVD in the Mac drive from the netbook. Not quite the same as sharing the DVD drive, as each inserted CD or DVD has to be independently shared, but probably close enough.

Writing might take a little longer. If I get stuck, I know where to come. Thanks for all assistance, it has been much appreciated.

I think you are going to have problems writing, as by definition you will be starting with a CD or DVD with no label. If you are using the standard Mac utilities to write CDs and DVDs, they are probably coming out in Mac format, which you won't be able to read on a PC.*

I use Toast on my Mac and select "Mac and PC" format when burning data files. That way I can read the discs on any system, Windows, OS X; Linux etc.

* unless someone else here has a suggestion how to burn dual format CDs with the native OS X utilities.