CD/DVD Drive seems dead

I have an IMac G4 flat panel. When I insert any type of disc -- DVD/ROM, music CD -- nothing happens. No whirring, no spitting out discs, no error messages. Just silence, and no disc icon on the screen. Is the drive dead? Is there any solution short of replacing it?

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions all,
To rule out a software issue can you boot the iMac from the OS X install disc?
cheers
mrtotes

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My Macbook Pro has a black screen when running in Bootcamp Windows 7. Since I updated the mac side my windows side now starts up with completely black screen - no prompt, nothing, Cap keys still light up as does mouse and DVD drive seems to run.

My Macbook Pro has a black screen when running in Bootcamp Windows 7. Since I updated the mac side my windows side now starts up with completely black screen - no prompt, nothing, Cap keys still light up as does mouse and DVD drive seems to run.
Will not show up in safe mode, will not show when started from Windows 7 DVD.
I suspect the Mac update wiped out my PC video drivers but can not think of a way to re-install?
Can see the PC volume from Mac side with files.
I've looked at all the online solutions so far and have tried most of them without success. Please help!
Specs:
2009 Macbook Pro, 3.06 GHz Intel 2 core, Max 10.6.8.
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro5,2
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          3.06 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          6 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MBP52.008E.B05
SMC Version (system):          1.42f4
Serial Number (system):          7302300GANE
Hardware UUID:          B2D4B4B4-CD92-5C7A-BDC2-527D30DD8DF3
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State:          Enabled

EDIT: RESOLVED
For anyone else who finds their way here like I did, this link did it for me: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/527599/windows-8-issues-solved-please-r ead-if-you-39-re-having-black-screen-and-or-flickering-/
Specifically, the posts by Dunsany and valkyr did the trick. I booted in safe mode, uninstalled and deleted the Nvidia driver, disabled automatic driver installation, and restarted normally. I then manually downloaded and installed the previous Nvidia driver for my graphics card (which at the time of this writing was 335.23, rather than the latest which was 337.88), and everything is now bueno!
Two hiccoughs along the way: First, when I tried to uninstall the Nvidia driver the first time, when I restarted I got the login screen (which was a good sign), but it quickly went black again. I powered down, restarted in safe mode again, and repeated the uninstallation process, and it worked the second time. Second, when I started the manual install of the 335.23 driver, the computer played a sound similar to the one for disconnecting a USB device, and the screen went black. I'd seen a lot about trying to increase the brightness (though it hadn't worked up to this point; but if you haven't tried it yet, might as well); I tried it, and it worked! So far I'm back up and running. [/fingers crossed]
Hope this helps someone else!

CD/DVD drive is dead (+ some more)

My CD/DVD combo drive is dead, and I'm looking for a do-it-yourself fix.
Some important notes (maybe):
-It started with a CD getting stuck in the tray during one of my many logic board freezes. When I restarted the computer, the CD wouldn't come out, so I opened it by putting something sharp into that little hole. After that it won't respond.
-It doesn't work when rebooting into OS 9
-The open-button on the keyboard doesn't respond at all, and no icon comes up on the screen when I press it.
From what I've read elsewhere, apple-support claims that the last two points means that the drive is dead and gone, and I need to replace it.
BUT...it seems strange to me that the drive would suddenly stop working when I used that hole to open the tray. Can it really destroy the drive to use that way of opening it? And what about that logic board freeze that started it all? Can that potentially ruin the drive? Or could this be a software problem?
As for the logic board issues, Apple's answer has always been "replace the enitre board". Later it turns out that it's only a few connections gone bad, and you can actually fix it for much cheaper than what Apple suggests. Actually, you can fix it youself for free. So could it be the same way with the CD-drive? That Apple tells people to change the drive, while there might be an easier and cheaper fix?
So to sum up:
1) Could the CD/DVD issue be a software-issue, despite the fact that the button is unresponsive and that it also won't work in OS 9? If so, how can I fix it? Are there any drivers I can try to re-install?
2) If this is a hardware-problem, is it possible to fix it yourself? Like, opening up the computer and connect what needs to be connected? If anyone knows of a DIY-guide, please give me a link.
And last, just a suggestion:
I think the apple-support forum should start using 'stickies'. It would help alot of people, and also take some load of from the staff.
There are DIY-fixes (that really work) for the following:
- logic board freezes
- dead trackpad
- dead screen
- CD reading-issues
....and probably more.
Would be nice if you could gather all these DIY fixes as stickies on the top of each forum-list, cause right now it's kind of hard to find anything helpfull without having to ask. And I see that you keep refering to earlier posts over and over again, so why not just make stickies of them?
Thanks.

1) No. Since it won't work in OS 9, either, it is most likely a hardware issue. Apple says to use a straightened paperclip to open the drive manually. I'm not sure that "something sharp" wouldn't damage the drive mechanism, since a straightened paperclip is not sharp.
2) It's probably going to take a new (or used) drive. You can find one at PowerBook Tech. They also have instructions for replacing it, but it's not an easy thing to do. (You could also maybe find one on eBay.)
Another set of instructions for replacing the optical drive can be found at iFixit. iFixit also has the drive available for purchase, but it's more expensive there.
If you don't want the Combo drive, a CD-ROM or DVD drive can probably be had for less money. eBay may have some really good buys from people parting out their iBooks. Look for somebody with a good feedback profile.
Good luck.

How can i restore from Recovery Disk if my notebook's hard drive and dvd drives are dead.

Hi. Good day. My hard drive just crashed and im trying to restore from my restore disks. Unfortunately, my dvd is dead too. I copied the recovery disks to a new hard drive and tried booting from a flash drive but the noteebook is still giving me the SMART hd error message. Please help. Thanks.

Hi,
If you have, or can borrow an external CD/DVD drive it would be worth trying this although I'm not certain your notebook will support booting from a drive connected via USB.
Another option may be to see if you can find a second hand optical drive on somewhere like Ebay - the drives compatible with your notebook can be found on Page 59 of your Maintenance & Service Guide. It may even be worth removing a re-seating your existing drive just in case this helps as described in this section.
Does the drive show up in Device Manager? If it does, right click it and select Properties. Select the driver tab and see if there is an error code in the status box.
Regards,
DP-K
****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
****I don't work for HP****
Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

CD/DVD Drive is Dead - Unable to feed, Unable to Eject

I believe the symptoms started when I was trying to feed a Costco photo CD or DVD into the iMac, and it would just keep ejecting it out.
When I try to insert something now, there's no noise, no grabbing of the disc, and no inserting. It's like hitting a wall once it's inserted about half way.
I am pretty sure there's nothing in the iMac CD/DVD drive right now... but either way, when I hold the Eject button on start up, or when I hold the left click on startup, nothing happens.
It the motor or the drive dead? How do I diagnose the problem?
Appreciate the help!

1) No. Since it won't work in OS 9, either, it is most likely a hardware issue. Apple says to use a straightened paperclip to open the drive manually. I'm not sure that "something sharp" wouldn't damage the drive mechanism, since a straightened paperclip is not sharp.
2) It's probably going to take a new (or used) drive. You can find one at PowerBook Tech. They also have instructions for replacing it, but it's not an easy thing to do. (You could also maybe find one on eBay.)
Another set of instructions for replacing the optical drive can be found at iFixit. iFixit also has the drive available for purchase, but it's more expensive there.
If you don't want the Combo drive, a CD-ROM or DVD drive can probably be had for less money. eBay may have some really good buys from people parting out their iBooks. Look for somebody with a good feedback profile.
Good luck.

I need to reload system software on G5 tower but DVD drive is dead ...

My G5 tower won't boot. It hangs up just as the blue progress bar reaches all the way to the right. I'm sure I need to reload the system software, but the DVD drive is also on the fritz and I can't use it. I put an old G4 TiBook into target disc mode, hooked it up to the G5, held the option key down at startup and I was able to get the G5 to boot – so I'm sure the hard drive is not dead.
Any suggestions? How can I use an apple system DVD disc and reload the software? Is there another way? I looked at some old G4s I have lying around, thinking I would pull a drive out of there and use it, but it just looked too hard to do. Is there a way to use Carbon Copy Cloner? I have free firewire drive space. Can I just copy the system file from the G4 TiBook onto the G5?
Sorry, I can't tell you the OS, I think it's 10.4.?, but I forget!

reboot the G5 from the Ti target disk, slip the DVD in when you hit the desktop, tell it to reboot from the DVD - open the install OS X icon from the disc, enter pw & click restart.
another thing you might try is imaging the dvd to a firewire drive or partition on the Ti book... backup the tibook first if you resort to that.

How to install Win7 if iMac's DVD drive is dead?

I recently replaced the hard drive in my 2006 iMac and am starting fresh with Snow Leopard. The problem is at some point the DVD drive stopped reading DVDs and will only read CDs...(???) So when I go through the Boot Camp Assistant it can't read from the internal DVD drive. I've tried the Windows disc in an external USB DVD drive and also in the DVD drive of my new MacBook Pro in Target Disk Mode.
The problem is Boot Camp Assistant never recognizes the disc. I can attempt to boot from the Windows disc from inside the MBP by holding option at startup, but it goes nowhere.
So how can I get Boot Camp working with a:
burned DVD of a Windows 7 download (valid license)
2006 iMac Core Duo with broken DVD drive
external IDE DVD drive connected with USB to IDE bridge
2011 MacBook Pro and a Firewire cable.
Help?

Why not get the drive repaired, things will be much easier.

Using an external DVD-Drive seems impossible with NB100 Win XP

Hallo,
I'm working with my NB100 half a year.
Now I want to connect an external CD/DVD-drive to I.
The first drive I bought, was bad luck. Often I needed to restart my system several times until it was found, but than it worked. Now I gave that drive back and tryed another one.
Often a message occures "berspannung an USB-Hub", (don't now how to translate correct - but it means the power needed is to much).
So I took an USB-Hub with it's own power-suply. Now it sometimes works, but than imidiately it is calld a "unknown device", and so it does not work until I reboot the system. With a little luck than it works for a few minutes until it "disappears" again.
Am I unlucky, or is there a mistake I dont now?
Thanks for help
Ernst

Hi
The notebooks USB ports provide an standard power supply which is about 500mA.
This is a standard and usually all external USB devices should support this as well
But sometimes such external devices needs more power and it could happens that an device will not work properly
I have no idea what external device you are using but I would recommend using the one recommended and supported by Toshiba
Usually you should be able to purchase such ODD from an Toshiba authorized service partner in your country
Nevertheless its advisable to change some settings in device manager which are related to the USB ports.
You should go to device manager -> USB root hub properties -> Power Management (last tab) and should check if the option is not marked.

Extracting DVD from seemingly dead mac mini

Hi all,
I have a PPC mac mini, which now seems to have gone dead (if that is the correct word). From what I can see of how the mini 'doesn't' work, and comparing with posts in this forum and on the net, it is a case of a damaged HDD. Thus the mini won't boot from the HDD; to circumvent that i used the OS DVD to boot from, but now even that too is not working and the mini won't start at all. (have also tried everything else-reset PRAM, etc). I have come to the stage where I just want to chuck the mini in the trash, but don't want to lose the OS DVD (i think it is the Tiger upgrade DVD that is in the drive). Since the mini won't start, can anyone advise how i can extract the DVD in this situation. On the other hand, if someone has an idea of how to get the mini working again, that would be excellent.
(frankly, I don't really want to lose the mini, but don't seem to have any other option). I'm currently using a MacBook

One thing you can try: plug in a USB mouse (a Bluetooth mouse won't work), hold down the left mouse button, and start up the system. Keep holding down the mouse button and with luck, after a minute or so, it will eject the disk.
If that doesn't work, try this: restart the system and hold down the Command, Option, O and F keys and keep them down until you get the ">" prompt. If you can get to that prompt, type "eject CD" (without the quotation marks). If that will won't eject the disk, you'll have to get a technician to assist further.
As to getting the mini working, I don't know. If it's a damaged hard drive, that may be suppressing the boot as the mini keeps trying to mount the drive. Pulling the drive out would be the next step; if that is indeed the problem, the mini should then be able to boot from a CD. If so, you could then replace the hard drive. You can find a 2.5" PATA drive for under $50.00 US (and probably cheaper) if you shop around.
Hope this helps.

DVD drive completely dead

My DVD/CD drive has gone dead ... it no longer takes discs at all.
Also, when I open my macbook to wake it up, it used to make a noise and it no longer does that .. nor does it make any noise when I hit the eject button.
What do I do to fix it? and if I can't and I have to send it in to apple, what are my chances of having my data erased?

Did you recently install the 2.1 superdrive firmware? That did the same thing to my MacBook. The Applecare guys told me to reboot the hardware (didn't fix it) so now I have to take it in to be replaced.

How can I re-install OS X on a PowerBook when the DVD drive is dead?

I'm trying to reload my operating system on a PowerBook with the disk drive dead.
I've tried starting the the laptop as a target disk and plugging it into my Mac Pro and using the disk drive from the Mac Pro. It loads everything on the PowerBook fine. I can restart the Mac Pro using the PowerBook as the startup drive and it looks good, but when I try and restart the laptop by itself, it can't see the start up drive. Any other suggestions?

I'm not sure Apple still has replacement system disc sets for older Macs like a PowerBook available -- various consumer protection laws generally require that manufacturers maintain replacement part stocks for a "reasonable" amount of time but eventually those stocks will run out. Plus, a lot of PowerBooks can barely run Tiger, much less Leopard, making a $129 retail disc a potentially poor investment for a 5 or more year old one.
If the system discs are not available from Apple, if it was my PB I would look for used discs sets, keeping in mind whatever rights I still had for any OS version I still owned. EBay is a possible source for such things but a local Apple user group is probably a better one….

DVD DRIVE SEEMS LOCKED! HELP!

I tried to install a new printer and when I went to insert the install disc, the drive wouldnt take the disc. I pushed and pushed and it felt like there was two bars locking the drive. I pressed eject numerous times thinking there was another disc in there. The eject icon came up on the screen every time, but no ejection of any disc. I took an old unused CD and pushed it in to see what was going on, it went under the bars but with great force. It was also badly scratched making me think there was bars there. Any ideas on what the problem is? And if the drive is screwed, know where I can get a new one for cheap?

This is a machine from ebay... and still under applecare, but not in my name.... Do I have a chance with apple?
Applecare is transferable - have the prior owner contact Apple to transfer it to you. From the US Applecare agreement:
You may transfer this Plan to a new owner of the Covered Equipment by sending, faxing or emailing
notice of transfer to Apple Computer, Inc., ATTN: Agreement Administration, MS: 217-
AC, 2511 Laguna Blvd, Elk Grove, CA 95758, U.S., fax number 916-399-7337 or
[email protected], respectively. You must provide the Plan Agreement Number, the
serial numbers of the Covered Equipment being transferred, proof of purchase of the Plan, and
the name, address, telephone number and email address of the new owner

CD/DVD Drive Dead

Hey everyone,
My CD/DVD Drive is dead. Trying to reinstall the OS 10.6.
My Drive is dead, takes the disk, makes lots of grinding, and does nothing but spit it out. May have recognized it once out of 20 times, but failed during the install.
I thought about using the Remote Install OSX like you would for a MacBook Air, but it seems that the Mini doesn't have the options for WiFi or network when booting holding option on the Mini so that seems to be out.
Anyone have any experience with this? I was thinking that I could use an External USB DVD Drive to install the OS. Does anyone know if that would work?

The drive itself seems to be dead, Doesn't read any CD / DVD's
I haven't tried using a Laser Lens cleaner, usually those are not recommended for Slot load drives, I have also not tried using Compressed Air to blow into the slot.
It would be much more useful to me to have a USB External CD/DVD drive, as I could use that with any of the computers here. I'm just wondering if anyone knows it the Mini would be able to Boot / Install from an external USB Drive.

Dealing with dead cd/dvd drive

So my cd/dvd drive seems to be completely dead. I purchased a Sony dvd rewritable drive (DRX-830UL-T). But, duh, the included software I need to install to get it going (apparently Toast 6 Lite) is on CD, and of course, my drive doesn't recognize anything now.
Anyplace I can get the download online, given that now I've paid for it, so I can get to writing my DVDs again?
Thanks for any suggestions.
iMac G4 Mac OS X (10.3)

Toast won't help read CDs/DVDs, it's only for burning. Try installing the Patchburn driver.
cheers
mrtotes

Satellite P100-347 - DVD Drive no longer visible in Windows XP MCE

Hi. My DVD drives seems to have disapeared from within Windows MCE running on my P100-347. BIOS can see it, it opens and closes with no issues and the light comes on as if the disc is being read yet it's not being seen by Windows as a drive.
I've installed the DVD-RAM drivers from the Toshiba website but this hasnt made one bit of difference. Any suggestions?

Hi. Thanks for the reply.
Thats the thing. There is no error message or device in device manager relating to the CD / DVD drive. It's not even there as D: drive.
I've tried the knowledge base article and still the problem remains. Does anyone know the product code of the DVD drive that comes with the P100-347? Perhaps I can find a driver for it based on this.
Edit:
Have found the following in the Event Log :
20 May 2007 PlugPlayMa nager The device 'HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GMA-4082N' (IDE\CdRomHL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GMA- 4082N_______________PT06____\3 04d363050393534353520332020202 020202020) disappeared from the system without first being prepared for removal.
Investigations continue....
Message was edited by: Sull

CD/DVD Drive seems dead

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