Just bought DP7 crossgrade, my laptop has no CD drive

[geoffmutton]

Hmmmmn.
I'm currently travelling in the States and I decided to take the plunge and get hold of a copy of Performer. I regularly use Logic and ProTools, but for live performance, I can't find the chunks functionality anywhere else.

My macbook pro though, has no DVD drive, as I took the optical drive out and put another hard drive in instead.

I got my DP7 box back to the hotel and used a friends laptop to install from their DVD drive over ethernet. Of course, when I came to launch DP, it asked me to insert the CD and put my code in from the User Manual.

No problem, I have the User Manual and code and I can see the CD in finder from the other laptop. No joy though, I just got stuck in a loop of entering my name and code, then waiting and then having the window pop up again.

Does anyone know if I'll be able to use my external DVD drive (USB enclosure) to authorise DP once I get home?

Also, with the competitive cross grade, can I get started straight away with the code from the back of the user manual, or do I have to wait until I've mailed in my ProTools details and had a reply?

Apologies for the long post. I'm sat in my hotel room with a hole in my credit card, a big box of DP7 manuals and a bit of software that won't boot up!

[Michael Canavan]

Shouldn't be a problem, and it's quite possible that someone from either a computer repair store or Mac retailer would let you borrow their USB optical drive in store to do this while you're out of town. Sometimes people can be pretty cool.

I would attempt to install first, but I'm pretty certain that it's not a major hurdle to make sure your crossgrade is working. If you got it online I think they're supposed to take care of it, so I would call them and then MOTU to find out. Good thing about this is just like the rest of the phone service from retailers of any kind Sales is a no wait call. and this is a sales question.

[bayswater]

I'm pretty sure my crossgrade worked when I entered the code from the manual. But I didn't get a serial number and access to updates etc until I mailed in the registration.

Maybe call MOTU about how to get the authorization working. You can't be the first and only person that has a Mac with no optical drive. There must be people running it on MB Airs.

[stubbsonic]

There was another thread on here that was suggesting going to the System Preferences/Sharing and enabling DVD/CD sharing.

Another post in that thread suggested making a disc image using Toast Titanium. That you would mount on the desktop of your rig. It seemed to suggest that only TT would work. No harm in trying the disc image in Disc Utilities.

[Armageddon]

You should be able to use Toast (maybe even Disk Utility) to just make a copy of the DP disc as an image that will show up as a disc on mount. If you copy it in Toast, just change the suffix from ".toast" to ".dmg" before mounting.

Also, I believe you can actually set up your friend's machine as a FireWire "slave" and use his disc drive just like it was a regular external FireWire DVD drive. Don't ask me how; the last time I tried it was about 10 years ago ...

[philbrown]

Also, I believe you can actually set up your friend's machine as a FireWire "slave" and use his disc drive just like it was a regular external FireWire DVD drive. Don't ask me how; the last time I tried it was about 10 years ago ...

Target disc mode
Hold down the T key when booting the slave computer.
Not sure of the order of when to put CD/DVD in, etc.
I never tried this with a CD/DVD, just the internal HD, but it should work.

[rhythm_kitchen]

Leopard 10.5.8 had a recent CD/DVD drive sharing update (like a few weeks ago)... and since Leopard is no longer being updated means there are still problems with drive sharing.

I never compress free space when making an exact image. But I think newer Toast versions no longer allow making a boot DVD BU bootable/ however the path to the mounted images will be different than from the optical (two different SATA ports).

Second option is Airport's Computer to Computer network and in sharing prefs, check allow sharing of drive in host machine (friends) and then uncheck 'ask first'. Hope this works.

[geoffmutton]

Tried at the Apple Store and they pretty much did what I tried (second laptop with DVD share enabled). No joy.

Think I'll just wait 'til I fly home and try with my USB enclosure.
Bit dull, but there you are...

[NazRat]

If your OS is Lion it won't authorize until you download the latest DP update, apply that and then retry the auth. If not on Lion, then this doesn't apply.

[Armageddon]

Target disc mode
Hold down the T key when booting the slave computer.
Not sure of the order of when to put CD/DVD in, etc.
I never tried this with a CD/DVD, just the internal HD, but it should work.

Right. I've actually only ever done this with the actual hard drive of a slaved Mac, not the optical drive. I was turned off of this when, after taking the second Mac out of Target Mode, I discovered that whatever information I'd written to it in Target Mode didn't show up on the slaved Mac. Granted, this was back in the scary days of 10.3, so I'm sure the bugs must've been worked out by now ...

[rhythm_kitchen]

I think I know the problem but there's no easy solution other than wait for Fed X. Woa an earthquake! I hope my canoe is still on the roof, that it my exit strategy!

[rhythm_kitchen]

Duh. Just occurred to me this is an SSD stuck in the optical slot and you installed the OS (Lion or SL?) on it not internal SATA port 1?

Is your internal drive SSD also?

Curious. Where did you purchase this SSD with the SATA connector and power pins or is there an adapter between the MBP optical pin set and the SSD?

Could you clarify what OS or MBP model # please? And where you can get such an adapter? Do all SSDs fit? Sorry admins this is the wrong section to blab about ram eating cache.

[geoffmutton]

Home now and still no joy...

With the USB external connected I just get stuck in a loop of entering my name and key code in the box, hearing the CD spin up and then the dialog box coming up again asking for the CD, name and key code.

Tried a complete uninstall and re-install from the CD in the external enclosure and same result.

*sigh*

Not a great first week with DP here...

[geoffmutton]

Nazrat - you nailed it.
It's a Lion issue.

Quick call to Motu and got my cross grade registration sorted.
7.24 downloading while the kettle boils and hopefully we're off to the races...

GM.

[rhythm_kitchen]

FYI My cross grade came 7.24 and it was delayed because of snow on I-80.

GM curious if now there's an option at the Apple Store to purchase a MBP with an 2nd SSD? Or was this OWC who did the mod?