Blu Ray drive missing and incredibly slow boot times

I have an Ideacentre B520 i5 with Blu Ray drive. I've been having an intermittent issue that has become permanent. The Blu Ray drive is no longer detected by the machine, and it takes 4-5 minutes to boot up.
The history of the issue is:
A while ago the drive disappeared sometimes and boot up times took a while
I swapped the SATA connector inside the machine in case that was a problem - that fixed it for a while
The problem started occurring again except less occassionally
I left the system completely powered down for 5 days whilst on holiday, when I returned it was working exactly as it should - drive available and boots in about 45 seconds
The drive disappeared whilst in use one day, and does not reappear any more, even when the machine is left unplugged from the power socket
I have tried a clean boot (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135) but that does not fix it
The drive will open so there is power to it, but is not visible within the computer. It is infuriating not to be able to use it, and that the system now takes a very long time to start up.
What suggestions do you have to resolve this?

Hi
Thank You for your feedback , seems some issue with the BRD interface
You may contact support no’s
IDEA-branded and
B, C, E, G, H, K, N, Q, V, Y Series Products
English
0844 2491112
(5 pm from BT landlines)
9AM - 6PM
Monday - Friday
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/feedback/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-76613
Hope This Helps
Cheers!!!
WW Social Media
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*12/03/2010 20:14:21 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[69] ([email protected][112]) Exited with exit code: 1*
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Please help its driving me nuts!!!

The concern of which 10.5.6 disc is quite good. While 10.5.6 was available retail, using a 10.5.6 from another Mac model could cause problems with installation.
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http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/desktops-and-all-in-ones/ideacentre-b-series-all-in-ones/ideacentre-b540
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Blu Ray drive icon missing

I have a B540P Idea Centre AIO. The icon for the internal blu ray driver is missing. There is still power going to the drive as it lights up when you press the eject button but when i put a disk in nothing happens. Do i need to reinstall drivers? Can someone provide a link to the specific driver? Please help.

http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/desktops-and-all-in-ones/ideacentre-b-series-all-in-ones/ideacentre-b540
this all the drivers from lenovo
1. Close all open programs
2. Click on Start, Run, and type REGEDIT and press Enter
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
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LowerFilters.bak
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6. After deleting the keys, close the Registry Editor
7. Reboot your computer
8. Open My Computer and check to see if your CD or DVD drives have returned. You may also want to open Device Manager and verify that the yellow exclamation and error code on the CD or DVD drive is gone. Also, be sure to check under Computer to make sure the CD/DVD drive is visible.

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Hello everyone. I read a post on this forum about installing a blu ray drive in a mac and it working perfect. Now my question is, will it work if I have bootcamp and switch over to windows XP. Otherwords will the drive work on windows XP on the mac using bootcamp???? thanks

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Internal Blu-ray drive upgrade.

Hi, as the ongoing saga of desiring a Blu-ray Read & Write drive in a Macbook Pro 17" is still a painful bag of hurt for many people including myself, I still can't help try and track down a suitable possible solution and likely contender.
I previously had upgraded the MacBook Pro's internal 2.5" Hard Disk Drive after having learned at the time that the internal cleareance of my early 2009 unibody MBP 17" allowed a capacious maximum form-factor 'thickness' of 12.5mm instead of the usual 9.5mm for an internal HDD. This was an extremely rewarding piece of info and allowed me to grace the MBP with a 1TB HDD inside, which is absolutely fantastic especially when using space for Bootcamp and of course dealing with Hi Definition video files using FCS, in which you can 'never' have enough space for (transcoding into Apple Pro Res can turn out some seriously huge files). The now fitted internal 1TB drive has now enabled the MacBook Pro 17 to become mobile once again and not fully relying on external drives.
Except Blu-ray.
I'm personally not keen on attaching an external Blu-ray drive which is why I initially got a MBP for mobility and therefore still looking for an eventual compatible internal version. The irony is that Final Cut Studio can edit and process Hi Definition Media, albeit without proper large optical-disc storage media to store it on and FCS's Compressor will even transcode it to Blu-ray format and burn on output to Blu-ray disc (even has a Blu-ray New Batch template). Toast 10 & 11 Titanium deals with Blu-ray (via it's Blu-ray plugin). Therefore it continues to be a painful legacy that the MBP is devoid of one.
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Any thoughts on the following two likely contenders. The first drive by FastMac Reads & Writes Blu-ray, the second drive by Sony Reads Blu-ray only but both makes read & write DVD's (no doubt Sony has a writeable slot-loading version somewhere buried within one of their Web Site because I had a Sony Laptop about 4 or 5 years ago that burned Blu-ray). The FastMac drive looks promising if the company is legit:-
http://store.fastmac.com/product_info.php?products_id=338
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/-/3245/2512/-/18658441/Sony-BC-5640H-Slot-Loading-Sli m-Blu-Ray-Combo-Drive/Product.html
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tGtqxbfqWNsJ:www.sony-optia rc.eu/products/bluraydrivesnotebooks/bc5640h.html+Sony+BC-5640H&cd=1&hl=en&ct=cl nk&gl=uk&source=www.google.co.uk
It doesn't matter if for at least the immediate time being, it may not be actually possible to play Blu-ray movies within OS X lacking the kernels for it. If a compatible drive was found, then the rewards are:-
Storing massive amounts of data (up to 50GB on one disc). Fantastic fro backups and archiving.
Being able to FINNALLY output edited Hi Def video/movies from Final Cut Studio onto a Blu-ray disc and then playing that on a dedicated external Blu-ray player elsewhere.
Booting-up in Bootcamp for attempting to play-back Blu-ray movies using windows drivers, software and built-in OS kernels. (I'm not a Windows person, but can't deny it can save the day where some things are concerned)
Future-proofing; if one day soon Apple smiles on us all and releases a system OS update that enables 'full' Blu-ray support (or some other upgrade)

I have noted that on numerous wish lists for Mac enhancements has been Blue Ray capability. I looked at the Fast mac web site and the specifications were impressive. When I saw the price, I had to have the Heimlich maneuver performed. This is not to dissuade you or anyone else to purchase one. It simply is a reflection of my cheapness ex. for me SSD are overpriced for the value received but I take no issue for those who but them.
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I would suggest to contact the technical department at OWC and find out if they are familiar with this product and what opinions they may have. I have dealt with them on several occasions and they seem knowledgeable.
Ciao.

Installing a Blu-Ray Drive in my Mac Pro...

I am considering installing a Blu-Ray drive in my second drive location on my mac pro. The drive I am interested in is this one:
http://www.videoguys.com/bdr202.html
When I spoke with the gentlemen there, he advised me that he didn't believe it would fit in the Mac Pro. How could that be? Isn't there a standard size for all media drives like DVD, CD, and blu-ray drives? Anyone know for sure if this will fit?

It is a standard sized drive and WILL fit
Although you should always be mindful to be sure that you have remove ALL bezels which can interfere with the drive fitting else the drawer mechanism. The easy way to be sure is to make it look exactly like the SuperDrive. The one that is typically missed is the bezel that's right on the end of the drawer. It can be had to spot but it's there.

No eSATA, no USB 3.0, no Blu-ray drive in new MacPro's??

Did I miss something, I was going thru the specs and about to hit the Buy Now button, but I don't see any support for USB 3.0 and no option to add a Blu-ray drive?? Does anyone who plans to use a new MacPro work in something less than HD video? I can't remember the last time I burned a DVD.
For a base price of $5000 for 12 core, I kinda expected BD and USB 3.0 and eSATA. I know Intel server class motherboards (which is what Apple use) have USB 3.0. So I'm assuming the lack of BD drive and USB 3.0 is because of OS X limitation and not the hardware? But why no eSATA?
Is this the same deal as with my 2007 MacPro where the eSATA exist but I have to get a cable and backing plate to use them? As it stands right now my 2007 MacPro using eSATA BD drive is more capable than a New MacPro??
Please tell me I'm wrong? Can anyone clarify?
Thanks, Rob.

Tom,
Interesting -- I can see why BD was left out in OS (no secret Mr. Jobs hates Sony royalties), but not necessarily why it was left out as an optional drive (we have other software that can deal with BD authoring/burning). Like it or not, BD is here to stay and can't be ignored forever, it's a matter of fullfilling a consumer choice (regardless of Mr Job's feelings towards it).
Makes sense now that you've said the motherboard didn't get updated ... in motherboard terms staying with a 1+ year older motherboard in a new 2010 MacPro is definitely not ideal. Motherboard changes come out almost every 3 months to accomodate new onboard components.
I'm a fan of onboard hard wired components vs. plug-in card connections when it comes to data transfer specifications (like eSATA, USB 3.0, etc.) just because hard wire provides a better electrical connection.
May have to sit this update out until the motherboard gets updated. True, I could get USB 3.0, and eSATA with expansion cards ... but I've got plans for those slots and can't really spare them just for data transfer use ... onboard solution would have been much better for me.
Maybe all the Apple engineers were working on the iPhone 4 --- doooh!! Lets hope NOT!
Glad they offer ATI 5870, I have two of these in a Windows PC and they are very nice cards -- but noisey when pushed hard. Lets see how they work with Cinema 4D and Motion 4.
Apple's memory out to lunch but their SSD 512GB are actually pretty close to industry prices -- I always start with stripped base unit and get components from NewEgg for 1/3 of the price (in most cases).

What is the best blue-ray drive for my Mac Pro????

What is the best blue-ray drive for my Mac Pro????
I wanted a BWU-200S but it says windows only i called apple
and all they could tell me was logitech....wouldn't tell me a model
or anything.
I would really like one that does all the formats and feature that the
Sony BWU-200S does.
I read that the BWU-200S might work in the mac pro it just only comes with
windows software. If anyone has tried this let me know please i need this soon.

This site makes Mac compatible Blueray drives:
http://store.fastmac.com/index.php?cPath=10252
The questions to ask them is:
1. Which applications can be used to burn bluray movies from it?
2. Which applications can be used to playback commercial bluray from it?
3. Does it let you burn DVDs from iDVD, iTunes and the Finder as well as CDs and CD-RWs?
4. Does it support both DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL for burning and playback?
5. Does it allow for booting from the system installer that shipped with the machine and running the hardware test that shipped with the machine?
6. Do you get to keep the original optical drive in case you want to troubleshoot if system issues are due to their drive?
Some of these may already be on the website, I just haven't taken the time to look it completely over.
Message was edited by: a brody

External Blu-Ray drive for HP Envy Lightscribe Issues

My HP Envy 13-1100ea came with an HP external Blu-Ray drive (HP Part No: 538333-001) which identifies itself as an Optiarc BD ROM BC-5600S. In the HP Envy 13 service manual it mentions this drive as having Lightscribe functionality but I cannot seem to get the drive to be detected by the Lightscribe Control Panel or any Lightscribe labelling software. I have tried installing the Lightscribe software (older version) from the HP product support page as well as the latest software and diagnostic utilities direct from the Lightscribe site but nothing has seemed to work so far. Has anyone had any success burning Lightscribe labels with this drive or have any advice that might get things working?

The drive has the following logo on the bottom plate:
Which looks quite similar to the lightscribe logo, although it's not exactly the same. The HP Envy 13 support page does not contain drivers for the optical drive and I can't seem to find a dedicated support page for the drive itself. I have tried uninstalling the default windows driver which it reinstalls when the drive is plugged in again. As I said before it has been communicated in various place that the drive features lightscribe functionality and I'd be pretty upset if it turns out it doesn't!

Can I put Blu-ray drive on Qosmio G30?

Hi all,
I have a Qosmio G30-163 with an HD DVD Drive (MATSU****A G8CC00031720) and I am currently in the process of upgrading it.
I recently bought a 4GB RAM upgrade kit from Crucial (CT2KIT25664AC667) and am looking into further upgrades.
Does anyone know if it is possible to replace the HD DVD Drive with a Blu-ray drive?
My research has led me to the Sony Optiarc BC-5500A which I have found has the same height dimension (12.7mm) and also the same interface connector at the rear (E-IDE).
I have read in the forums that someone has managed to use a similar drive on a Qosmio and that the drive may need to be configured to slave mode as opposed to master.
If anyone knows if this would work or has any further information I would greatly appreciate it!
Regards,
Luke{color}

Well, I sent the same question to Toshiba Support, and they got back to me the next day - How's that for support!
What they said was:
"we think it is likely that the Blu-ray drive would work so long as it physically fits and it has the same adapter. Older systems will require enough graphics processing power to cope with Blu-ray. This system has the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 which should cope with it.
We cant guarantee that this drive would work but we think it likely that it will but you install it at your own risk.
Prior to installing more modern hardware it might be wise to check that you have the latest BIOS version."
This sounds very promising to me, so I am seriosusly considering buying the Blu-ray drive!
Does anyone have any experience of using Sony Optiarc products?
Regards,
Luke

Blu Ray drive missing and incredibly slow boot times

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