I have a mac mini early 2009 model with a 120gb hard drive but need more space for photo editing. Later apple discontinued manufacturing macbook and imac with optical drives in 2016 and mid2011 respectively. It should just work, i have been doing exactly that for many years and external dvds have always worked on my macs. Import songs from cds into itunes on mac apple support. In the itunes app on your mac, insert an audio cd into your computers cd or dvd drive, or into an external. Just because your mac doesnt have a builtin superdrive doesnt mean you cant add one both the apple usb superdrive and macbook air superdrive are. Is it something like a 2 hard drive raid set up or would i have to transfer my stuff to the mac mini internal hard drive to edit them then back to. If you want to find an external drive which is not showing up, you should note that in most cases, people tend not to plug the drive properly which leads to the connection failure. On the server mac mini which has an external dvd drive connected. Apr 12, 2017 the remote disc feature of your mac lets you use files stored on a cd or dvd hosted from another computer. Actually, it is possible to boot mac from external drive or a hard drive, but there are a few specific requirements needed for your mac to.
Owc ministack the external drive with a mac mini footprint. Ive got this model mac mini and the optical drive has a disc stuck in it. Need an optical drive for your mac or windows system so you can read audio cds, watch dvd movies or just read and write data disks. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. Just because your mac doesnt have a builtin superdrive doesnt mean you cant add one both the apple usb superdrive and macbook air superdrive are compatible with all macs made after 2008, but theres also a wide range of nonapple cd and dvd drives out there that are typically much cheaper, and will work with most macbooks just make sure you check. Apple and the incredible vanishing cd drive macworld. So, even in 2019, there are still situations when you need an external optical drive. Optical drives went the way of the dodo bird a few years ago on mac computers due to most software, movies, and music all moving online, but sometimes you still need a good old fashioned cd drive. Sep 14, 2015 bootable optical media cd or dvd on macs equipped with apples super drive or a usb thumb drive formatted with a guid partition type and containing an os x installer or a usable operating system.
If your mac doesnt have a builtin optical drive and you need to use a cd or dvd, you can connect an external drive like the apple usb superdrive. Aimed at multimedia professionals, the caldigit av pro 2 is a welldesigned, mac formatted external drive that comes in ssd and spinning disk versions, and includes both a usb hub and thunderbolt. The remote disc feature of your mac lets you use files stored on a cd or dvd hosted from another computer. Using mac mini as external hard drive apple community. Add optical drive capability to your mac mini, macbook air, or macbook pro with the apple usb superdrive. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your macs usb port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. My mac mini does not have a drive for these, this works and solves the problem, and its reasonably priced. Best external dvd drives for laptops, pcs, and macs. 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.
Mac mini model a47 optical drive replacement ifixit. How to start up your mac from a bootable cddvd, usb thumb. Whether youre at the office or on the road, you can play and burn both cds and dvds with the apple usb superdrive. With a footprint identical to the 2010 and later mac mini, the two stack together for seamless desktop integration. The owc ministack is the compact, stackable, external hard drive solution designed to complement the look and feel of the latest mac lineup. Reviewed on aug 24, 2019 3 others also recommend for mac. If your mac doesnt have a builtin optical drive and you need to. Writes cd r discs at up to 24x speed writes cd rw discs at up to 16x speed reads cds at up to 24x speed. Apr 04, 2017 need an optical drive for your mac or windows system so you can read audio cds, watch dvd movies or just read and write data disks. If your laptop does not come with a dvd drive or your pc does not have the 5. Virtual cd rw lacie dvd update tool lightscribe host software apple combo drive update fwb cd ro.
Actually, it is possible to boot mac from external drive or a hard drive, but there are a few specific requirements needed for your mac to become eligible for that process. The drive came with a double usb cable in case necessary for enough power but it also works ok on the mini with a single generic usb cable. Does anyone know if there is an emergency release mechanism anywhere. There are a plethora of dvd drives available from branded and nonbranded manufacturers but. Dec 11, 2019 it should just work, i have been doing exactly that for many years and external dvds have always worked on my macs.
Optical drives went the way of the dodo bird a few years ago on mac computers due to most software, movies, and music all moving. Verbatim 98938 external dvd burner wmdisc for pc and mac. The mac, unlike most windows pcs, doesnt have an external eject button on its cd dvd drive. Its portable design is great for mobile workstation. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your macs usb port, you soon see it mount on the. External drives are perfect tools to store information and protect from various cyber threats. One more representative of the best cd and dvd drives is apple usb superdrive. Use the cd or dvd drive from another computer with your mac. The mac, unlike most windows pcs, doesnt have an external eject button on its cddvd drive. The mini can be used as an external hard drive by connecting it via a firewire cable and starting it up in firewire target disk mode. How to find an external drive that is not showing up on mac. If you dont see info for the cd, click the cd button near the top left of the itunes window. Have read or played cd, cd r, dvd, dvdr, and burned a data cd r, but have not yet ripped or written a dvd.
How to get my mac to recognize an external dvd drive quora. Im trying to determine whether i will need to remove the entire optical drive or not. Jan 02, 2020 best cd drives for mac mini imore 2020. How to use mini or other nonstandard optical discs on your mac.
You can also share discs from the optical drive of another mac, or from a windows computer. Share external dvd drive from mac mini apple community. Instead, apple made use of the ability of optical drives to respond to an open or close. Shop for external cd dvd drive for mac at best buy. Mac pro late 20 macbook, macbook air with retina display, and macbook pro models with. In the itunes app on your mac, insert an audio cd into your computers cd or dvd drive, or into an external drive thats connected to your computer. I have a mac pro and happened to have an extra internal cddvd drive that i know works. Also included is the shipping safe box, shipping to other world computing, and return delivery of the upgraded mini to you. If youve recently upgraded to a new imac or macbook pro, youre probably going to need an optical drive if you want to continue. If you think youll need an external drive mostly for bluray discs, most of them will also.
Only slightly bigger than a cd case, the apple usb superdrive slips easily into your travel. Apple advises against booting from external storage containing a version of mac os x earlier than the one your mac shipped with. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. I searched in the usual obvious places but was unable to find it. How to play dvds and cds on a mac that doesnt have a. The external drive uses the format which is not recognized by mac. Bootable optical media cd or dvd on macs equipped with apples super drive or a usb thumb drive formatted with a guid partition type and containing an os x installer or a. Macbook air with retina display macbook pro with retina display imac late 2012 and later. Instead, apple made use of the ability of optical drives to respond to an open or close command sent over the drive s electrical interface. 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. An alternative to cddvd sharing is to use another computer to duplicate the mini dvd to a larger disc format some office services like fedexkinkos or other printing and office. Nov 14, 2019 get a free addition to setapp the ultimate mac user book. Main results wd my passport wireless 250gb external usb 3.
For this purpose, you need to rely on external cd dvd drives. Memory, hard drive and an optical drive any or all. Sep, 2010 an alternative to cd dvd sharing is to use another computer to duplicate the mini dvd to a larger disc format some office services like fedexkinkos or other printing and office centers may do this. How to play dvds and cds on a mac that doesnt have a built. With your new mac devices, you are not able to run cds or dvds. First plug in the external drive to a usb port that you. Apple usb superdrive with attached usb typea connector cable. Having this external drive you will be able to play and burn cds as well as dvds, create backup discs and install program software. Have read or played cd, cdr, dvd, dvdr, and burned a data cdr, but have not. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the finder in the lefthand column under devices, since macs treat them the same way as. Apple has begun to stop installing cd dvd drives since the introduction of macbook air in january 2008.
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 2016, when apple discontinued that model. Virtual cd rw lacie dvd update tool lightscribe host software apple combo drive update fwb cdro. Jan 24, 2020 best external dvd drives for laptops, pcs, and macs. 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. Get a free addition to setapp the ultimate mac user book. On the client macbook which i want to have access to the dvd drive on the server mac mini.
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