Combo drive won't recognize CDs or DVDs

My original iMac won't show Cds or DVDs on the desktop. When I insert one, it says it needs to be formatted.
Probably need, a new Cd reader, right?
Can I install this myself? Cost?

Sorry for my late reply. I kept forgetting! Thank you for your responses (and for your helpful links, mrtotes). The more I read about internal DVD writers vs. external DVD writers, the more my head spun. Some user reviews expressed the opinion that the small form factor DVD burners (internal, slot loading) were the devil's peripherals and that they had a much easier time of it with external tray loading ones. Others wondered about buffer underrun (or is it overrun?) with externals.
While I was mulling this over, my service provider had already ordered and received the new combo drive for my iMac; so it looks like I'll be going with an external DVD burner (just as he recommended).
Here are a few links I found helpful:
Xlr8 Your Mac: searchable database of DVD drives with user reviews (both internal and external):
http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso
Mac OS X Hints Forum (where I obtained the above link; also has info about brand of internal CD/DVD drives Apple uses)
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=79620&highlight=superdrive
Apple Discussion from June 2006 about internal and external DVD writers.
One person wrote, "Internal drives seem more reliable and are also far cheaper." But several responded with their experiences of external drives that work "flawlessly" (according to one poster, describing his Sony DRX-720UL).
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2608144&
Article from Low End Mac (from Oct. 2007) titled "External $100 Sony DVD Burner Likes Macs"
http://www.lowendmac.com/ed/bgray/bg07/1010.html

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Combo drive won't read CDs or CD-Rs or CD-RWs

my combo drive used to read CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs.
now it can't read any media but DVDs.
why is this so?
please help. i have tried all brands of the CD medias but still it won't work. the drive keeps on spitting out the CDs.
thanks.

Hi.
I had the same problem with a Combo drive in a PowerBook G4 12 inch model.
It ended up being repaired under warranty.
You could try several things to troubleshoot it:
1. Zap PRAM
2. Reinstall system software
3. Check the drive using a utility application
4. Check your System Prefs under CDs and DVDs.
If these or other techniques do not solve the problem, then it is most likely a hardware issue, and your drive will need fixing. The Combo Driive in my "Little AL" went bad after nearly 3 years of use, but just prior to warranty expiration.
Ted

Toshiba DVD CD-R combo drive won't burn CDs

Help,
My Toshiba DVD-ROM / CD-R COMBO internal drive will not burn CDs. I have disabled the WIN XP service IMAPI CD-Burning servicem, but still it will not burn CDs. It used to work OK.
Its a SD-R5112 model.
Apologies to the moderator, if this is posted incorrectly, I'm not a frequent user.
System configuration:
****************System Information****************
[MSI_Info]
OS Version:      WinXP
LUS Version:      3.73.000
Language:      2057
MB Model Name:      MS-6593
MB BIOS Vendor:      AMIBIOS
MB BIOS Version:   1.50
VGA Model Name:      UNKNOWN
VGA Driver Version:   UNKNOWN
VGA MSI Version:
VGA BIOS Version:   UNKNOWN
[OS]
Name:         Microsoft Windows XP Professional|C:\WINDOWS|\Device\Harddisk0\Partition1
Manufacturer:      Microsoft Corporation
Version:      5.1.2600
CSD Version:      Service Pack 2
Windows Directory:   C:\WINDOWS
Boot Device:      \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Total Virtual Memory:   2048 MB
Free Virtual Memory:   2008 MB
Total Visible Memory:   512 MB
Free Physical Memory:   231 MB
Serial Number:
Install Date:      08/07/2003
Current Time Zone:   Paris , Belgrade , West Central Africa
Locale:         0409
State:         OK
[System]
User Name:      WINXP-STEVE
Description:      AT/AT COMPATIBLE
Model:         MS-6593
Manufacturer:      MSI
Number Of Processors:   1
Total Physical Memory:   512 MB
System Type:      X86-based PC
System Wake Up Type:   APM Timer
Power Supply State:   2
Power Manage. Support:   null
Bootup State:      Normal boot
[BIOS]
Name:         Version 1.00
Manufacturer:      American Megatrends Inc.
Version:      AMIINT - 10
Serial Number:      00000000
Release Date:      04/02/2001
Target Operat System:   Unknown
Language:         English
State:         OK
[CPU]
Name:         AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+
Description:      x86 Family 6 Model 6 Stepping 2
Manufacturer:      AuthenticAMD
Processor Type:      Central Processor
Version:      Model 6, Stepping 2
Data Width:      32 Bits
Socket Designation:   Socket-A
Processor Id:      0000005500000662
Processor Family:   Power PC 604
Processor Stepping:   2
Max Clock Speed:   1670 MHz
Current Clock Speed:   1670 MHz
Current Voltage:   0 V
External Clock:      133 MHz
L2 Cache Size:      256 Kb
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         OK
[Memory]
Name:         Physical Memory
Memory Device Locator:   DIMM1
Memory Bank Label:   RAS 0 & 1
Memory Capacity:   512 MB
Memory Total Width:   null Bits
Memory Data Width:   null Bits
Memory Type:      3DRAM
[Mainboard]
Name:         Base Board
Manufacturer:      MSI
Product Name:      MS-6593
Version:      1.0
Serial Number:      00000000
[Sound Device]
Name:         Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA (R) Audio Controller
Manufacturer:      Realtek
Product Name:      Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA (R) Audio Controller
Availability:      undefined
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         OK
[Network Adapter]
Name:         Realtek RTL8029(AS)-based Ethernet Adapter (Generic)
Manufacturer:      Realtek
Product Name:      Realtek RTL8029(AS)-based Ethernet Adapter (Generic)
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         1394 Net Adapter
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      1394 Net Adapter
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         RAS Async Adapter
Manufacturer:      null
Product Name:      RAS Async Adapter
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         Packet Scheduler Miniport
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      Packet Scheduler Miniport
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         WAN Miniport (L2TP)
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      WAN Miniport (L2TP)
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         WAN Miniport (PPTP)
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      WAN Miniport (PPTP)
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         Direct Parallel
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      Direct Parallel
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         WAN Miniport (IP)
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      WAN Miniport (IP)
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         Packet Scheduler Miniport
Manufacturer:      Microsoft
Product Name:      Packet Scheduler Miniport
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
Name:         Microsoft TV/Video Connection
Manufacturer:      null
Product Name:      Microsoft TV/Video Connection
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Power Manage. Support:   false
State:         null
[Video Controller]
Name:         NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 200
Current Refresh Rate:   72 Hz
Installed Drivers:   nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version:      6.14.10.5216
Inf File name:      oem7.inf
Availability:      Running/Full Power
Monochrome:      false
State:         OK
[Video Configuration]
[ ERROR: SPECIFIED ATTACHMENT MISSING ]

I downloaded the Nero BurnRights from the link in your reply. I installed it. After I installed it and re-booted my PC, there was no Nero group to add users to. Or if there was I can't find a way of adding users to the Nero group.
If I look in the system event log, there are lots of times where the cdrom shows and error. If I double click on the event entry, it says "The device, \Device\CdRom0, has a bad block " . If I look this up, it suggests that the drive may need to be cleaned. So I cleaned it with a CD cleaning disc. It made no differance.
Help !

Combo drive won't burn CDs or read DVDs

My finace renectly purchased a new iBook G4 in early October, and the combo drive has never been able to burn CDs or read DVDs. Is this a common problem with iBooks? Is it a software problem or a hardware problem? How do we go about getting it fixed without Applecare? Any help/info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Zach
[email protected]

Hi, Zach. Welcome to Apple Discussions.
You have found the G3 Dual USB iBook Forum, but I can help you out a bit. The warranty on the iBook gives you free phone support for any and all issues for 90 days. Use it. For full information on the warranty in plain language, check out Rachel's helpful FAQ Is phone support and warranty service free?
I recommend that your fiancée buy AppleCare. If you have any problems whatsoever with a new iBook within the first year of its eligibility, it is foolhardy to not purchase AppleCare if it is available where you live.
For future reference, the iBook G4 Discussions can be found here:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=131

Combo drive won't accept CDs or CD-R/CD-RWs

my iBook's combo drive suddenly would not accept CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs. it can't recognize the disk and automatically spits them out. it can't burn CD-Rs as well. it can only read DVD, DVD-Rs. why is this so?
is apple planning on solving this problem? and compensatin for those who have purchased the defective combo drives? any suggestions on what to do to solve the problem?
thanks.

Hi Michael,
Here is what Knowledge Base has to say (article).
I hope that helps,
Jon
PS If you have to bring it to an Apple Store, reserve a slot with a Mac Genius at your local Apple Store.
G4 1.33Ghz iBook, G4 iMac 1Ghz, G3 500Mhz iBook, Macintosh 128K, eMate... Mac OS X (10.4.2) Airport Express, Palm Zire 72, Minolta Dimage X31, iSight, and more

G4 DVD drive won't recognize OS 10.4 upgrade disc

I have a a PowerMac G4 (AGP graphics) with a CPU type PowerPC G4 (2.9). I have a upgrade disc for OS 10.4. When I load it into my Quantam Fireballlp LM27.3 DVD drive, the drive won't recognize the disc. It attempts to read it and then ejects it. I have an external USB 2.0 DVD RW burner plugged into a USB 1.0 port, and it recognizes the disc, but I can't select it as the startup disc.
How do I get my system to read the upgrade disc so I can upgrade to OS 10.4? I've run a lens cleaner several times with no change.
Thanks!

Hi-
Well, if you know someone who has a Mac, or, if you have another machine, try the disc in another machine. There is a possibility that the disc itself is bad. I would consider this a strong possibility, since the drive recognizes other DVD's, and the Panther install disc.
If the disc tests good in another machine, then you will need to consider replacing the drive for a newer model. A new combo drive is only about $30-$40. The Pioneer DVR-112 would be a good consideration.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Pioneer/DVR112DBK/
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Combo drive doesn't recognize DVD movies

a665s5186 (1 year old) dvd/cd combo drive does not recognize dvd movies (does not show up in my computer).
Cd's play, record fine! Will recognize previously burnt sony dvd's, will not recognize previously burnt memorex dvd's. Will recognize blank sony and memorex dvd's and burn files to them, after ejecting will not recognize memorex dvd's, will recognize sony dvd's? MY SYSTEM BACK UP DISCS I BURNT TO MEMOREX DISCS CANNOT RE- INSTALL OPERATING SYSTEM. Please help my combo drive recognize and play dvd movies.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Peter,
I apologize for the hiatus. I tried several restore points, and reinstalled to out of the box state from the hard drive partition. Neither corrected the problem.
Out of curiosity, I installed Ubuntu operating system. The problem is duplicated, combo drive recognizes CDs does not recognize commercial DVD's. Does not recognize Microsoft office home & student 2010 installation disc,etc.
What else can I do? With the problem being duplicated with another operating system is it safe to say this is a hardware problem (the combo drive is defective?)
Thank You,
TPeterson1st

Combo drive won't play CD's

after recently (seemingly) ironing out the bugs in iTunes 7.0.1, my combo drive won't play commercial CD's. MP3 CD's play in iTunes just fine and it will burn CD's. but both the finder (copying) and iTunes freeze when i try to play commercial CD's. when trying to copy aiff files to harddrive as a workaround, i get the following error message:
"some data on (in the file) is unreadable or unwritable. error (-34)"
i suspect the problem is with the drive itself as an external CD-DVD firewire writer has no problem and works with iTunes just fine.
is the combo drive dying? is there a software patch somewhere? is the problem caused by iTunes? quicktime?
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

As in the posting of Oct 3 from regmetc, following
the install of iTunes 7.0.2 and QT 7.1.3, my combo
drive won't play most commercial CD's. Most curious
is that I have so far found ONE commercial CD in my
library that plays just fine, but haven't had the
time to check all of the 200+ cds I own. It will burn
CD's and read DVDs. but iTunes will freeze when I try
to play commercial a CD.
An external CD firewire writer has no problem and
works with iTunes just fine.
Booting from an external backup drive with an earlier
cloned OSX 10.4.6 and iTunes 6.0.2 did not cure the
problem.
Hardware test shows no hardware problems.
as a followup ... did extensive hardware testing and software re-loading and found that there was nothing wrong with the hardware ... everything worked just fine if I returned to OS 10.3.9 or earlier and itunes 6 or earlier. I found I could run OS 10.4.0 through 10.4.8 and have the cd drive work fine if I stayed at itunes 4, but once I changed up to 6 or 7 I lost the drives ability to read music cds. Data cds are not affected and DVDs play just fine.
I am now assuming that there is some code change whereas OS 10.4 and itunes 6 or 7 doesn't provide the proper driver for the cd combo drive. I have a cd rom drive in another laptop that is not affected and any external cd drive seems to be fine. It would be curious to know if a different enternal drive like a superdrive would work.

New hard drive won't recognize my iPhone

My hard drive crashed and my replacement hard drive won't recognize my iPhone. I can see all my content, but can't move or replace it. I was able to access content on my iTouch just fine and luckily synched my contacts back into my laptop, but no dice on the phone. Any ideas? BTW, my phone is a jailbroken original iPhone and I am not particularly proficient with this kind of stuff.

Does it boot into Open Firmware with CMDOption+of ?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42642
reset-nvram (press Enter)
set-defaults (press Enter)
reset-all (press Enter)
Have you done a PRAM reset...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238

I have an external seagate 2tb drive with 3 partitions each with encrypted passwords. What must I do if one of the drives won't recognize it's password?

I have an external seagate 2tb drive with 3 partitions each with encrypted passwords. What must I do if one of the drives won't recognize it's password?

I would have to say the LCD display or possibly the inverter as the graphics adapter can properly output to an external monitor. This would be repaired under warranty.
\\ I do not respond to PM regarding individual tech support. Keep discussions in the forum for the benefit of others //

Drive won't recognize DVDs but will CDs

My Macbook (6months old) has stopped reading or recognizing DVDs. It recognizes CDs, blank discs, etc. fine but not DVDs. They do not show up on the desktop or in the Finder sidebar. It tries to open it a few times and then spits it out. This is a new occurrence. I used to watch DVDs all the time on it.
So, what I can gather is that a laser may be dirty or the drive may be dead somehow. It is not a problem with DVD player, front row, any type of system preference. I even downloaded VLC, to no avail. It is the drive that is not working.
Problem: I am living in Jerusalem for the year. There are no Mac stores or any Mac help in Israel. I need my computer, so I can not send it off for a few weeks to America to be fixed. But, by the time I get back to the states, my warranty will no longer be valid. Also, I have not tried to play an Israeli movie or any foreign movie in the drive. Only my movies bought in America that I have watched on the computer before.
What can I do? Is there any hope for some kind of other miracle cure? HELP!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Purchase AppleCare in Jerusalem. AppleCare is available worldwide, and AppleCare purchased anywhere will work anywhere else.
As for Israeli films not working, they are a different DVD region than that of the U.S. You may want to find a region free, or Israeli region DVD player to play Israeli DVDs on. To learn more about DVD regions see this article:
If U.S. DVDs don't work either, once you've purchased AppleCare, have your optical drive looked into for damage and/or dirt by an authorized service center.

My cd/dvd drive won't recognize my cd pavillion dv4

Every time I put a CD or DVD into my CD/DVD drive, it won't recognize it. It "thinks" for about a minute and then stops. Sometimes if I open and close it will work but not always. I have a Pavillion dv4 with windows 7 that I bought in November 2009 (but my entire hard drive was replaced in May 2011)

Hi,
Please try the following method to fix first:
http://support.microsoft.com/mats/cd_dvd_drive_problems/en-us
Hope this helps.
BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

Combo Drive won't read DVDs - How to Install Tiger?

I have an iMac G5 with a Combo drive (Matshita CD-RW CW-8123) that no longer reads DVDs. It handles CDs fine. Other postings offer complaints about Super drives with similar problems, but I have found no solutions. My warranty has expired. I would like to install Tiger, but the installation disk is a DVD. So is the installation disk for iLife '06. Other postings have suggested that installing a new optical drive doesn't always fix the problem. Since I'll be paying for this, that doesn't sound sound like a promising option. Should I purchase an external drive? In the meantime, is there any other way to install Tiger without the DVD? I have other macs that work fine, so I really don't need the DVD to work properly except to install new software. Suggestions are welcome!
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.3.7)
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.3.7)
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.3.7)

An external drive is a great option.
With that, you will likely get a much more capable drive than you would if you were stuck with only the models that will fit in your iMac.
For example, my PC has a 16x Dual-Layer DVD-R drive. But, most Apple compatible Internal drives are still limited to 8x.
So, you could likely get a much faster and more capable external drive than you could an internal drive for the same price.
With an external drive, you can also keep that drive should you get another machine. And, if you have more than one machine, you can connect the drive to whichever machine requires it at the moment. So, essentially, you can upgrade all your systems with just one DVD drive.
And, best of all, you have a product that is covered by it's own warranty, and not subject to how you installed it. And, you don't have to tinker inside your machine.
Also, OS 10.4.x "Tiger" is available on CD-ROM. So, you could send in for the replacement disks if you have the retail box of OS 10.4 Tiger.
From the OS 10.4 "Tiger" sales page:
"Tiger ships on a DVD, but if your Mac doesn’t have a built-in DVD-ROM player, you’ll need CD media. When you buy Mac OS X Tiger, you qualify to purchase Tiger CDs for only $9.95. "
Download the order form.
http://images.apple.com/macosx/pdf/TigerMediaExchangeFormv5.pdf
Hope this helps.

Optical drive won't recognize any DVDs

I have a MacBook with Combo Drive, and lately it's showing up with the following data in the System Profiler:
ATA-Bus:
MATSHITACD-RW CW-8221:
Modell: MATSHITACD-RW CW-8221
Version: GA0K
Seriennummer:
Absteckbares Laufwerk: Nein
Protokoll: ATAPI
Einheiten-Nummer: 0
Socket-Typ: Intern
Low-Power-Polling: Ja
Ausschalten: Ja
It appears strange that there's no mention of DVD capabilities, and I recall there was some entries for that previously?
The drive stopped recognizing DVDs (Movie Disks, Recovery Disks, Snow Leopard Install DVD, Data Disks, etc.). All it does is trying to read them and then spitting the disk out some seconds later (about 30 sec). Restart, complete shut down and repairing permissions didn't help.
The notebook has been serviced a while ago, and the Top Case (handrest) has been replaced. Is it possible the service just missed to put a removed cable back in place or anything?
Any suggestions on next steps?

It appears that resetting the PRAM (see http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379) has worked.

Combo Drive Won't Read DVDs

When I insert a DVD into my combo drive (HL-DT-ST RW/DVD GCC-4120B), it spins for a while and then gets ejected without being read. I've tried this with a number of commercially made DVDs with the same result.
It's been a while since I tried to read a DVD on my iMac but never had a problem before. My hard drive was replaced about 2 months ago and I'm wondering if this could have caused a problem.
Any suggestions on what to do?

Replacing your hard drive could have caused the problem, here is a good way to check it.
Shut your computer clear off. Wait for a few minutes.. Fire it back up and double click Mac HD, when it opens double click Applications folder, when it opens go to DVD Player and double click.when it opens to the Black Screen then and only then Insert a Commercial DVD Movie and don't touch anything, it should take a minute to read all the encryption and security on the DVD, it should start playing the DVD automaticaly, If it doesn't then I would say you have an issue with whoever replaced your hard drive..
Make sure you have all the latest Firmware and Security updates for your Operating System,after changing the hard drive and reloading your Software..
If your updates are in fact up to date this should work.
One last thing make sure your DVD is clean no fingerprints.
It could be a dirty lens also...Hope this helps...Don
Sorry, I just read your other post, as Brody points out chances are NORTON is your culprit.

Combo drive won't recognize CDs or DVDs

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