DOS Compatibility Card: How To Share a CD-ROM Drive (10/95)


This article describes how to either share a CD-ROM between the Mac OS and MS-DOS/Windows, or access the CD-ROM directly from MS-DOS/Windows on a Macintosh DOS Compatible computer.

There are two ways to use a Macintosh CD-ROM drive with the DOS Compatibility Card.

1) Install the proper CD-ROM driver in MS-DOS/Windows
2) Share the CD-ROM from the Macintosh


How to Share a CD-ROM drive
===========================

Step 1
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Load the CD-ROM disc.

Step 2
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Open the PC Setup Control Panel.

Step 3
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Under the Sharing section of the control panel, click on the pop-up menu labeled drives and select the driver letter you want to use on in MS-DOS to access the CD-ROM.

Step 4
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A dialog box appears requesting you to select a drive/folder to share.

Step 5
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Once you select the CD-ROM as the drive, close the PC Setup Control Panel.

Once you go to MS-DOS, you can access the CD-ROM Drive like any other drive.

Note: This solution frees up additional conventional memory, since you can
remove all CD-ROM drivers from the autoexec.bat and config.sys files.


Using a CD-ROM Drive without Sharing
====================================

If you are trying to access a CD-ROM drive without sharing it from the Macintosh side, you need to load the proper driver in the CONFIG.SYS file for the CD-ROM drive mechanism you are using. This driver should be supplied by the drive manufacturer. Apple ships a CD-ROM driver that supports the CD300 and CD150.

The AppleCD 600 is supported with the DOS Compatibility card in certain configurations. The TIL article titled "AppleCD 600: Compatible with DOS Compatibility Card" contains additional information on this topic.

Follow these steps to install the Apple CD-ROM drivers included with your DOS Compatibility Card installation disks:

Step 1
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Switch to the MS-DOS environment.

Step 2
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Insert the disk with the label "DOS Compatibility Card Installer Disk for DOS environment."

Step 3
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At the MS-DOS prompt, type WIN A:SETUP, then press return.

Note: If you only use MS-DOS, then you can type A:INSTALL.BAT to run the DOS batch program.

Step 4
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The installation program prompts you to install the CD-ROM driver as well as other DOS Compatibility options.

Step 5
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Restart your computer after the installation is complete.


After installing the proper drivers, the CD-ROM drive is recognized in the MS-DOS/Windows environment as drive E:.


Article Change History:
23 Oct 1995 - Clarified driver installation procedure.

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Published Date: Feb 19, 2012