Am I going bonkers - possible to network optical drives?

smids · 5 May 2006 at 16:53

Well I'm in a predicament now. I need to create a backup of my Thinkpad's Recovery Partition. The software required ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery allows you to do this and this is the only program which can do so. Well, I ran the program and it only gives the option of backing up to CD (my T41 doesn't have a DVD/CD-RW as it only has the DVD-ROM bay). Anyway, I thought, OK, I'll use the USB Hard drive option but unfortunately it doesn't recognise my NW-HD5 (HD player) as an option. IBM in their infinite wisdom didn't allow for the creation of an image either! I don't particularly want to have to oay for Recsue and Recovery CD's as this isn't very specific to each thinkpad, only a general version.

So - it is possible to share my desktop's DVD-RW drive with the laptop via my home network so that I can use it?

I tried sharing the root of the drive then mapping the drive in the Thinkpad but this did nothing but create a folder called DVD-RW.

Am I trying in vain or is this possible?

Burbleflop · 5 May 2006 at 17:10

You can share it on the host PC, but that'll only let you access the disc that happens to be in the drive at the time - you won't be able to burn to it.

smids · 5 May 2006 at 17:39

Thought as much - guess I'll just have to fork out then!

pinkegobox · 5 May 2006 at 19:11

you can burn off image to disks using the "create restore disks" option from the windows install. it will take around seven cd's, no dvd option i believe. then when you run those it will wipe whatever you have on your hdd and replace the 4gb hidden partition too.

hope that helps.

smids · 5 May 2006 at 20:43

pinkegobox said:
you can burn off image to disks using the "create restore disks" option from the windows install. it will take around seven cd's, no dvd option i believe. then when you run those it will wipe whatever you have on your hdd and replace the 4gb hidden partition too.

hope that helps.

Hmm, sounds like a plan - thanks.