Dead CD/DVD Drive

Hello,
I was using my laptop recently and the CD I was using died and I couldn't access it or eject it. I finally was able to get it out using the credit card/boot up method online. I then tried several different CDs and DVDs with the same result. The drive spins up the disk when I insert it but it just doesn't mount. System profiler and drutil list show no drive, thus I am assuming the drive is dead. Anything else I should try before sending it in for repair?

You may also find these two Apple Troubleshooting articles helpful:
MacBook Pro, MacBook, PowerBook G4, iBook G4: Troubleshooting the slot load disc drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=88275
Resetting PowerBook and iBook Power Management Unit (PMU)
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449
My drive was immediately ejecting any disc I inserted. The PMU reset cured that problem long enough to complete a project. I am planning to replace the drive in the near future.

Similar Messages

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

Installation of leopard from one mac mini to another with dead CD/DVD drive

Is it possible to install Leopard on to an older mac mini that has a nonfunctioning CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive but otherwise works fine for what it is
Hardware Overview: Machine Model: Mac mini
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1) CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB Memory: 256 MB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz Boot ROM Version: 4.8.9f1
Serial Number:
TOSHIBA MK4025GAS:
Capacity: 37.26 GB
Model: TOSHIBA MK4025GAS
Revision: KA100P
Serial Number:
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
HARD DISK:
Capacity: 37.13 GB
Available: 9.02 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s3
Mount Point: /
MATSHITA CD-RW CW-8123:
Manufacturer: MATSHITA
Model: MATSHITA CD-RW CW-8123
Revision: CAD4
Serial Number:
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 1
Socket Type: Internal
FROM a mac mini that HAS a functioning CD/DVD drive
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: PowerMac10,1
Processor Name: PowerPC G4 (1.2)
Processor Speed: 1.42 GHz
Number Of CPUs: 1
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.8.9f4
Serial Number:
MATSHITA CD-RW CW-8124:
Firmware Revision: DACD
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw
Media: Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds
I thought maybe I could do it with firewire but no luck...
any help would be greatly appreciated
Message was edited by: Moderator

k...
Boot the mini into TD mode
Connect it to the "other" Mac
Insert the install disk in the "other" Mac
Start the installer which will reboot the "other" Mac
Once the "other" Mac has restarted and is running from the install disk, you should be able to select the Mini's drive (the FW disk) as the install destination. If not, go into the Disk Utility (under the "Utilities" menu) and check out the FW disk. You may need to "repair" it, repair permissions or reformat it depending on the condition of the disk and the type of partition it contains.

Another dead CD/DVD drive

Hi all,
My G4 PowerBook has decided that it won't play CDs or DVDs anymore. Actually, I can't even get THAT far because it won't grab discs either!
In the System Profiler, it says that there is no DVD drive in the laptop. So it's knackered. Probably something simple, but by the time I send it off to be repaired/replaced, I might as well get an external DVD re-writer.
Which I did. (I need a dual-layer burner anyway...)
The external re-writer burns and reads both CDs and (data) DVDs fine, iTunes works, etc, etc, etc but will DVD Player work with it? Nope
If I insert a commercial DVD into my external drive, it comes up on the desktop, I can see the Audio_TS and Video_TS folders fine and - heck! - when I double-click on it, DVD Player opens, but I then get an error message come up saying there is no DVD drive.
And I can't find a way to 'force' DVD Player to read discs from the external drive.
Can anyone a. recommend a patch to do the above or b. suggest some software that will enable me to play DVDs from my external drive?
Ta!!

I suggest you go to the external DVD manufactures web site and make sure that you have the latest updates and drivers for your model.
Don't forget to go to System Prefrences and make sure that you have your external selected to open when a DVD is inserted. Be sure to read the options from the externals web site.

Could I use iBook to upgrade iMac with dead CD/DVD drive?

I don't speak computer very well.......I was wondering if I could upgrade my old iMac by using the iBook as an external Hard drive. I tried using a firewire connection and holding down the T key. It worked for file transfer, but not upgrading the OS. Is it possible? I have the Tiger disc in the iBook.

Yes, it should work.
You need the iMac to be the Target Disk in FireWire Target Disk Mode. This means holding down the T key on the iMac. Then start the Installation from the Tiger disc, selecting the iMac's hard drive (on the iBook's Desktop) as the drive for the installation.
If it is the Graphite iMac you are upgrading, be sure that the firmware is up-to-date.

How do I install OSX10.5 using an external LaCie DVD Drive?

I purchased a External LaCie Drive recommended by Apple Genius Bar to affordably replace a dead internal DVD drive on an older iMac G4. I bought a family package of Leopard OSX10.5 and installed 10.5 on my main computer (G5) using its internal drive. Trying to install it on my G4 desktop using the external drive, the install program will not boot the G4 holding down the C key during start up. How do you boot up with an external drive so you can download a new system?

Thanks for entering this discussion. I booted with the option key down and it showed the only drive recognized for start up is my main HD even though I had the 10.5 Installation disk in the external DVD player burner.. That was the gist of my problem. My G4 will not recognize the USB External DVD player burner Drive for start up. Once booted up from my HD anything I put on the DVD drive is viewed- a CD, a DVD, an commercial movie, even OSX 10.5 Installation. But when I try to install it, it asks to "restart" but can't restart using a system other than the one on my HD which prevents the installation procedure from ocurring.
The ATA CD/DVD disk drive in my G4 will only play CDs and it is not recognized booting up with option key down when the DVD installation disk is in it. Do you know if Apple supplies OSX 10.5 in CD format? or a system startup I could use in my internal drive on CDs that if booted would allow me to go right to Install. If I could start up on a CD formated system, I think I could then open the installation disk on my external DVD Player and install it.

Stuck: Need Disk repair but DVD drive dead and only have USB 1

[1 Ghz flat-panel iMac with USB 1 ports (no USB 2) and also Firewire 400]
I noticed a strange discrepancy (small but concerning) between the size of a folder on hard drive (folder of all mp3's with no subfolders) and the backup of the same folder on a mounted thumb drive.
(The size difference was not due to any invisible .DS_Store files and both folders are displayed in List view format.)
Disk Utility reports three things:
1. Incorrect number of thread records
2. Volume Bit Map needs minor repair
3. Checking volume information.
Volume free block count",0) [I might have mangled this line]
(It should be 13438611 instead of 13437937)
Here is the GOOD (but these are useless as explained under the "Bad"):
- I have a Tiger 10.4 boot DVD for a repair ==>but see below
- I also have a Disk Warrior disk (never used)
Here is the BAD:
- My built-in optical drive [Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-105] is -- I now discover - defunct and DEAD - it does not run the Tiger Boot DVD (in pristine shape).
- I bought an external SuperDrive (unopened) but I believe no boot from USB 1 is possible in PowerPC so a SuperDrive with USB 1 is useless.
Questions:
1.) Is there any way to boot from some external source (optical drive is DEAD) to run Disk Utility and/or Disk Warrior? -- I see none in this case! (gulp).
2.) More importantly (and this is my fundamental concern): Do the three Disk Utility hard drive issues constitute any direct threat to the integrity of my files?
I have almost everything backed up to duplicate thumb drives over these many months as standard practice.
Are these Disk Utility errors fully isolated to hard drive directory-keeping...or do these directory damage errors pose the possibility of mangling or harming my files or their metadata (filesize, etc.).
Put another way, when files are backed-up from a hard drive under the Disk Utility reports above, do they remain unharmed and undamaged by the situations reported by Disk Utility?
Thanks,
Bill

Jeff and Michael,
Thank you both for your generous and thoughtful input.
Michael: As I slept on it overnight, the exact same idea occurred to me of trying a Target Mode to the iMac from my Lion MacbookPro (I have it but stupidly have yet to use it much!).
I did buy a Firewire 800 (MBP) to Firewire 400 (iMac) adapter cable a few months ago!
CONCERN: Would there be potential compatibility issues or risks in running Lion 10.7's Disk Utility against the hard drive of the old OSX 10.4 iMac in Target Disk Mode?
==> Assuming an "it's ok" answer to the Target Disk question, would the majority of users agree that the Target Disk Mode would be more prudent than running:
fsck -fy in Single User Mode
I have never done fsck -fy before especially because I was under the impression there were issues with Journaled drived but from what I have read today...it looks ok to do)
Jeff: Can't thank you enough for the reference to the OTW DVD drive. I might first invest $10 in one of those DVD lens cleaner disks that I've read about. It's probably not the issue or else why would the drive read commercial Music cds perfectly well!
Thanks,
Bilil

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.

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
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****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
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Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Satellite L310-D4010: OS has become dead slow while using the CD/DVD drive

Dear all,
I has bought Toshiba Satellite L310-D4010 at chennai, India.
It has 2GB RAM and 1.83 GHz Intel Core2 Duo Processor.
But my system has become *dead slow* while i am using the optical drive i.e., when i am writing a disk and copying the content form the disk.
I was not able to open any application while i am using the DVD drive.
Please guide me to resolve this problem.
Thanking you.

For me it is also logic that notebook performance goes down when I copy a lot of data. To be honest when I use some burning application to save data on CD or DVD I leave it running till the end and avoid usage of other applications while burning procedure is active. All I do at the same time is surfing in Internet.
I cannot imagine you are not able to start some applications. Maybe notebook needs some more time to start application but it must work.
At the end I must say that 2 GB RAM for Vista notebook is for me really the minimum and if possible I recommend you to upgrade RAM if possible. This notebook model is not known to me and max RAM for this model is not known to me but I presume the 4 GB should not be the problem.

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.

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.

Dvd drive dead...and MANY more problems

hi there,
I had a bad sector on my hard drive, so i couldn't boot my machine. I had a diskwarrior cd, so i rebuilt the volume. AFter process, the machine restarted, and ejected the cd. I went to put it back in, and pop grrrrr buzz dvd drive crapped out...mechanically. I've restarted a few times since, in verbose mode, and it hangs up waiting for a cd...so i'm guessing the machine needs the diskwarrior cd present to finish the rebuilding job. how ultimately annoying.
i went out and bought, absolutely hesitatingly, a torx set which would open the 'scenester' screws on my tibook. took the optical drive out, and obviously the part that i beleive is unhinged/broken is hidden under a metal surface.
so now here's my thing. all i want is to start my bloody machine again. i rarely use the optical drive int he first place...so i'd consider an external drive. i dont need a fancy superdrive or anything as well. infact i'm skeptical about buying any other model optical drive, as i dont have the capability to install supplementary drivers...as my machine wont boot
i also can't afford the absurd price for the replacement (cw-8121-c), i've seen it a bunch of places for 200$USD. I'm a dead broke recent student. I'm fairly sure if i can't find a solution for under 50$ then it's over with apple and I.
So basically what this is, is a general call for anything sensical. I'm open to any suggestions anyone may have, and my gawd would i be thankful. I started as a mac person 15 years ago, but with my horrible track record im moving to 'indifferent' person status.
thanks in advance!

You could try this one on eBay perhaps, it's a risky one but it's no money so it may be worth it.

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.

B550 DVD drive dead?

I have an Ideacentre B550 All-in-One Touch desktop computer and suddenly the DVD drive stopped working. I can not read nor write anything (CD and DVD).
I've tried the solution from MS (http://support.microsoft.com/mats/cd_dvd_drive_problems) but all I get is report that the drive is not readable and "not fixed" status.
I also wanted to reinstall drivers but could not find the drivers on the Lenovo support site.
Can I try something else or does this mean that the drive is really dead?

Hi Avalx,
Welcome to Lenovo Community!
As per the query we understood that you are facing issue with DVD drive not working in your B550 desktop.
As you have mentioned that DVD drive not reading or writing, check in BIOS if the DVD drive is detected: go to BIOS, select boot option and check if the DVD drive is in the list.
Also check if the DVD drive has power by pressing the eject button and observing the drive activity light.
Also try to check with different CD/DVD s. Also try to clean the DVD tray and check for the issue. Make sure the DVD is seated after cleaning.
Hope this helps. Do post back if issue persists!
Best regards,
Ashwin.S
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