Can't mount DVD for guest install

[moonpup]

On my iMac running 10.5.6, when I put in the DVD for CentOS 5.3 the mac mounts it and shows up on the desktop. I can double click it and browse the files. After creating my virtual machine, I select the mount CD/DVD option and then try to start the install. At this point the VM will start, but the DVD becomes unmounted (no longer shown on the desktop) and Virtualbox gives and error saying no bootable medium found.

I've installed many other servers from the disc so I know it works. Any ideas why the install keeps saying no bootable medium found?

[vbox4me2]

Enable writethru for the cd/dvd inside VBox GUI for the VM.

[moonpup]

Thanks, the enable pass through worked. Is this a hardware thing in the imac, because I don't need to do this on my macbook?

[wfolta]

Nope, not specific to the iMac. It happened on my (first-generation Intel) MacBook Pro as well. It was very puzzling until I just clicked to see if it would work. (Sounds rather spooky and not sure why it would not default to that setting, but...)

[pjbeee]

I had this issue on OS X host, trying to get VBox to see the external USB DVD drive - optical disk in drive shows on Mac desktop OK (this view was not necessary, but had been enabled in Finder preferences).

Using "passthrough" was mentioned above, but I could not see that selection.

The solution was not immediately intuitive, but I clicked on the image of the optical disk to the right of "CD/DVD drive" under "Attributes" in the Storage section, and selected the disk from there.
To me, that icon looks like something cosmetic, not like a "button".

Then click "passthrough"

The drive was then available in VBox to install the guest OS (in this case Windows 7 x64)

[Jeecee]

Same here but I try to follow your advice but… when I have the window open, the "passthrough" is greyed.

I was able to install a Win 8 vm on my iMac but I do need to install another Mac OS (Leopard) so my old scanners work.

Thanks

[Jeecee]

Correction

Now, I could access the "passthrough" box but after starting the vm (the DVD is on my desktop and the chosen reader is the host DVD), the icon of the DVD disappear, the DVD is turning a bit, I get a black screen, going a bit bigger and… nothing more!

Impossible to continue. If I click just once in that black screen I lose my pointer and nothing works even on the Mac side. I have to force-quit the VM to regain my mouse.

[jwhitnell]

Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you PJBEE!

PJBEE answered my question "how do I get a CD to show up on a guest operating system (WIN XP) on a Mac."
I agree with PJBEE that the little icon beside the Storage icon on the list of Optical drives is not evident and that you have to click it!
I must admit that I had in fact noticed it before, but didn't realize that my CD drive was listed, simply because I didn't know the name of my CD drive!

PS I wish I had seen PJBEE' s post BEFORE I trolled through 170 posts before I spotted this, oh well my bad!
PPS I also wish I had seen VirtualBox BEFORE I had spent money on Parallels, I much prefer VirtualBox!