[OS X] installing dvd games on machine w/o drive-ie starcraft2 and FM2013

madeirabhoy · Nov 1, 2012, 08:58 AM

its a specific question about these two games, but i guess it might affect other games in the future.

at the minute i've a mac mini with a busted dvd drive, but im about to replace it with a mac mini with no drive.

theres a couple of games that i want to buy that i could buy to download online, but daftly its far cheaper to pay for a disc and box and postage from uk.

football manager 2013. steam euro price €50. amazon uk, 29 pound.

starcraft 2. blizzard.com 39 euro. amazon uk, 18 pound.

any obvious way of getting both onto my new mini? since the FM 2013 has to be registered on steam anyway to play it, do i have to install it from disc first or can i just type in the retail key and download it? could i install it on another machine and match it to my steam account and then play it?

with starcraft can i install the free trial version and use the key from the retail box to register it as the full version?

labars · Nov 1, 2012, 10:31 AM

You can just register you Starcraft II key on battle.net, and then download the game client from there, no disc needed. So go right ahead and get SC2 from amazon.

As for the other games, I have no idea.

FlatlinerG · Nov 1, 2012, 10:50 AM

If you own any other Apple computers, you could use the remote disc feature to share the disc drive across your network.

Otherwise, a USB optical drive would be your best bet (after what labars stated)

SlickShoes · Nov 1, 2012, 11:27 AM

FM13 uses steam for authentication, just registers the key in the box on steam and then it will appear in your library and you can download it.

Also do what the guy above said with Starcraft, you can download it from your battle.net account once you have registered the game key.

I recently bought XCOM because it was cheaper in a box, same thing as above, entered the activation in steam and then just downloaded the game from there. Most games now will use a service like this, I think the only time there wouldnt be a download is with an obscure older title.

EDIT: If you REALLY want a DVD drive then you can get an external USB one for around £20.

madeirabhoy · Nov 1, 2012, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlatlinerG

If you own any other Apple computers, you could use the remote disc feature to share the disc drive across your network.

Otherwise, a USB optical drive would be your best bet (after what labars stated)

so i can install on my mini from the wife's macbook drive?

FlatlinerG · Nov 1, 2012, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madeirabhoy

so i can install on my mini from the wife's macbook drive?

Yup, if you follow this and meet the requirements it should work like a charm

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5287

N33t · Nov 1, 2012, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by labars

You can just register you Starcraft II key on battle.net, and then download the game client from there, no disc needed. So go right ahead and get SC2 from amazon.

This is what I did for SCII and it works perfect. Also works for other Blizzard titles (e.g. WoW, DIII and even some old stuff like Warcraft 3).

Nov 1, 2012, 08:58 AM	#1
madeirabhoy macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2012	installing dvd games on machine w/o drive-ie starcraft2 and FM2013 its a specific question about these two games, but i guess it might affect other games in the future. at the minute i've a mac mini with a busted dvd drive, but im about to replace it with a mac mini with no drive. theres a couple of games that i want to buy that i could buy to download online, but daftly its far cheaper to pay for a disc and box and postage from uk. football manager 2013. steam euro price €50. amazon uk, 29 pound. starcraft 2. blizzard.com 39 euro. amazon uk, 18 pound. any obvious way of getting both onto my new mini? since the FM 2013 has to be registered on steam anyway to play it, do i have to install it from disc first or can i just type in the retail key and download it? could i install it on another machine and match it to my steam account and then play it? with starcraft can i install the free trial version and use the key from the retail box to register it as the full version?
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Nov 1, 2012, 10:50 AM	#3
FlatlinerG macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada	If you own any other Apple computers, you could use the remote disc feature to share the disc drive across your network. Otherwise, a USB optical drive would be your best bet (after what labars stated) __________________ Late 2011 MBP 13", Early 2009 20" iMac 2TB Time Capsule, 2nd Gen AppleTV 16GB Black iPhone 5, 32GB Black iPad 2 ...and many more.
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Nov 1, 2012, 10:31 AM	#2
labars macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2011	You can just register you Starcraft II key on battle.net, and then download the game client from there, no disc needed. So go right ahead and get SC2 from amazon. As for the other games, I have no idea.
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Nov 1, 2012, 11:27 AM	#4
SlickShoes macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2011	FM13 uses steam for authentication, just registers the key in the box on steam and then it will appear in your library and you can download it. Also do what the guy above said with Starcraft, you can download it from your battle.net account once you have registered the game key. I recently bought XCOM because it was cheaper in a box, same thing as above, entered the activation in steam and then just downloaded the game from there. Most games now will use a service like this, I think the only time there wouldnt be a download is with an obscure older title. EDIT: If you REALLY want a DVD drive then you can get an external USB one for around £20.
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