DIY maintenance on DVD drive on Mac mini

My DVD drive on my Mac Mini works sporatically. I've used canned air to blow through the disc slot as well as through the ventilation holes. Sometimes I can burn a CDR of some music and other times it won't do it. Any ideas? Thanks

I'd try one of those CD head cleaning Discs...
http://www.discountofficeitems.com/technology/computer-accessories/cleaning-main tenance/cleaner-maintenance/fellowes-lens-cleaner/p28997.html

Similar Messages

  • HD DVD Drive for MAC mini

    Hey. I really want to integrate a Mac Mini into my home theater. However, I want it to play HD DVDs that I buy at the store. Is there a HD-DVD-ROM drive available that could be installed in a mac mini that would support HD-DVDs? And does Mac software even support playing back HD-DVD content?
    Are there any rumors that the next mac mini will support HD-DVD playback or Blu-Ray playback?
    ( I know the Mac plays back HD DVD content made with DVD studio pro. That is different from the HD encrypted content that comes on an HD-DVD from the store. People have tried it with Xbox's external HD-DVD player. It works on a mac but only plays stadard DVD since there is no software for a Mac that can play the encrypted HD-DVD...or whatever you call it.)
    G5 Quad   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   4GB Ram
    G5 Quad   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   4GB Ram

    It appears there is limited Blue Ray support according to one entry at:
    http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso
    As for rumors, please read the terms of use on the right. I think you'll find any answer to your question would violate them. Especially when it comes to this passage:
    "2. Submissions
    Search or browse for existing answers before you ask a question. Someone else may have asked your question — it may save you some time.
    Stay on topic. Apple's discussion forums are here to help people use Apple products and technologies more effectively. Unless otherwise noted, don't add Submissions about nontechnical topics, including:
    That Apple rumor you saw on another website. [my emphasis]
    Discussions of Apple policies or procedures.
    Speculations/rumors about unannounced products.
    The status of your 1973 MG Midget restoration."

  • How do i reformat my hard drive on mac mini late 2011 with yosemite before selling my mac

    how do i reformat my hard drive on mac mini late 2011 with yosemite before selling my mac

    You can't legally sell or give away that computer with Yosemite installed.
    Before you sell or give away your computer, in addition to the steps listed in this support article, take these steps:
    1. Run Apple Diagnostics or the Apple Hardware Test. The buyer will do this (or he should), and you don't want to be surprised by the results.
    2. Reset the PRAM and the SMC, which might contain personal information.
    3. If you set a firmware password, remove it by running Firmware Password Utility in Recovery mode.
    4. If you activated FileVault in OS X 10.7 or later, turn it off.
    5. If you use Boot Camp, the partition must be deleted.
    6. If you created any other data partitions on the internal drive, remove them in Disk Utility.
    7. If the machine has an internal hard drive, erase the one remaining data partition with the option to zero out data. An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.
    You can't legally or practically transfer any software downloaded from the Mac App Store to the new owner of the machine, even if it was free. That includes OS X, so if you upgraded to OS X 10.7 or later, you must reinstall an older OS, either from the installation media, if applicable, or by starting up in Internet Recovery mode (option-command-R at the startup chime.) If you installed from physical media, deliver those to the new owner.
    If you're selling the machine, or donating it in working order, and it originally shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, then you have the option of installing either from the discs that came with it or from a retail Snow Leopard disc (which you must then transfer to the buyer.) The buyer should understand that if he doesn't get the original discs from you, he won't get the bundled iLife applications or the Apple Hardware Test. Replacements for the original discs can be ordered from Apple.
    The new owner will have to redownload any software that came from the App Store, including OS X upgrades, under his or her Apple ID. If you ever updated the bundled iLife applications (Garage Band, iMovie, and iPhoto) through the App Store, you can't transfer those either. The buyer will have to purchase them.
    Remove the machine from your list of registered products. If it's still covered by an AppleCare Protection Plan, transfer the coverage to the new owner by following the instructions in the AppleCare Terms and Conditions (under the heading "Transfer of Plan.")

  • HT1338 DVD drive in mac  will not ply DVD's

    My DVD drive in mac  will not play full size DVD's,It says system extension cannot be used,please help.Thank you

    Go to your OS Help Menu.  In the search field type dvd
    Click on all the troubleshooting topics & Support Articles that pertain to  your issue.
    You can also do the same in Disk Utility.  Open same up.
    At the bottom left of the window, click on the purple button w/the "?" in the middle.
    This will bring up the Help Menu.
    Try a different brand. 
    CDs
    FUJI
    TDK
    Verbatim
    Taiyo Yuden
    DVDs
    Maxell
    Taiyo Yuden
    Make sure the DVDs are not dirty, smudged and/or scratched.
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50448 
    Cures for an uncooperative CD/DVD drive
    Your drive may need cleaning.  Cleaning kits can be purchased from any store that sells CD/DVDs.

  • DVD Problems on Mac Mini Server

    I am installing a Mac Mini Server box and have two problems with the External MacAir DVD drive.
    1. It won't boot the install DVD - Yes I held down the 'C' key through the boot sequence.
    2. I have changed all disk insertion events (in System Preferences - CDs & DVDs) to ignore but if I insert a blank DVD (to do an unattended backup), it spits it out again if I am not logged in. If I am logged in, the DVD stays put but I need to have the console logged out.
    Help...

    raynewman wrote:
    Help...
    maybe this support article will: [_*Reinstalling software using Remote Install Mac OS X*_|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2129].
    more information in this support article.
    JGG
    edited by the Jolly Green Giant (where Green stands for environmentally friendly)

  • How can I remove a CD in Combo Drive of Mac Mini?

    This is a Mac Mini operating on OS 10.58.  I have a CD in the combo drive, and it apparently has something recorded on it.  I think this CD had started to be burned and I stopped it.  The computer indicates that this CD is not blank.  The result is that it will not eject, even after several attempts using the small eject arrow at the top of the desktop, the use of apple-E, and after repeated efforts with a complete shutdown -- still the disk is stuck in the drive.  I suspect that it's in a loop situation, where it tries to run the CD with not effect, but it also cannot eject it.
    I notice a small black square, appearing to be black plastic, at the far right end of the CD/DVD player slot at the top of the Mac Mini.  In the old days there was such a hole into which one could stick a straight wire, like a heavy duty straightened paper clip, and it would physically eject a stuck disk.  Is there such a thing on this Mac Mini?
    Any good suggestions, please!?  Thanks!!
              George

    Five ways to eject a stuck CD or DVD from the optical drive
    Ejecting the stuck disc can usually be done in one of the following ways:
    1. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the left mouse button until the disc ejects.
    2. Press the Eject button on your keyboard.
    3. Click on the Eject button in the menubar.
    4. Press COMMAND-E.
    5. If none of the above work try this: Open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder. At the prompt enter or paste the following:
         /usr/bin/drutil eject
    If this fails then try this:
    Boot the computer into Single-user Mode. At the prompt enter the same command as used above. To restart the computer enter "reboot" at the prompt without quotes.

  • DVD Trapped in Mac Mini! Help please!

    Hello,
    I've got myself into a bit of a sticky situation with my mac mini so I hope someone can help...
    I inserted a dvd disc which the drive cannot read. The drive mechanism is continually trying to read the disk but because it doesn't mount, os x doesn't seem to want to let me eject it (I've got a keyboard with an assigned eject key so I was using that). I've now turned off the mac but is there any way for me to force an eject on the drive?

    Hello
    Problem solved! Thanks for your suggestions! I don't think the mac mini has a little eject hole and I've got a microsoft wireless keyboard so I'm not too sure which keys are mac specific keys.....
    When I switched on the mac I held down shift and then periodically pressed command-E. I'm not too sure what I did but the machine finally spat the disc out!
    Thanks

  • Best dvd burner for Mac mini

    What brand of DVD burner is most compatible with the Mac Mini? I haven't found one that specifically lists Mac OS in the specifications information.

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    Many brands are compatible, including Pioneer for example, but for the Mac mini, I'd start with http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/mac-mini/superdrive/ for internal and http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/optical-drives/ for externals. Of the latter, http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MRBFWU2D112/ would be my own choice for DVD burner at reasonable price.
    This supplier specializes in Mac peripherals, and these devices will certainly work. There are other suppliers and other brands of course, but the above is a good place to start.

  • Use macbook pro optical drive with mac mini

    Just received my new mac mini. Wonderful.
    I would like to keep my old 2006 Macbook Pro 2,2 and use it as a DVD drive. It is running 10.7.5.
    Would you please give me some advice and pointers?
    Also, I have a few files on the old MBpro I would like to transfer to the Mac Mini. What's the best way?
    Finally, what else could I do with the old machine? It was a fine computer, and it feels sad being underused.
    Thanks,
    K.

    Amazing.
    It took just a few minutes to find answers to my questions. Congratulations for such a user friendly OS.
    I just had to connect everything and open the finder on my mac mini.
    So, here is what I found:
    - "Remote Disc" is the name of the feature to share the optical drive
    - not every type of disc is supported though. Why? How can I watch a DVD on my 27'' display?
    - the MBP files show up in the finder, i can transfer them
    - using "share c=screen" I can see my MBP screen. Should I use that feature to watch a DVD on the 27'' display?

  • How to run external drives w/ mac mini

    Hi, I recently bought a mac mini and I have two external hard drives hooked up to it. One for time machine and the other for photos.
    When I looked up this topic and did a search I found conflicting answers but I know so little about this...maybe I just don't understand.
    Here is the question: should I leave the external hard drives hooked up 24/7 even through restart etc... or am I supposed to unplug them? Unplugging seems like it defeats the purpose of time machine. On the other hand I don't want to ruin any equipment. What is the standard practice?
    Thanks.

    I'll vouch for the 'get hot'. As in play a dvd for an hour and then take it out hot. Who needs a heater unit with multiple drives going?
    I generally set the Time Machine to OFF and leave it there. Just before and after I add or subtract something significant, I hit Command key and the dock's Time Machine Icon together and choose the backup now function. Now I have a record of Before and After the event. (I also keep a physical log book of what events were changed day/time so if I need to turn the clock back to a specific event I know where to go rather than hunt and peck.)
    ps. the less you let Time Machine make a backup any time IT feels like it, the longer your MB space will last.
    Also, if you can keep your Time Machine backups and other storage saves to just before you are shutting down your system anyway, you can just turn off the drives after the computer is shut down. I learned to do this because my firewire Western Digital MY BOOK drive would only go to sleep mode otherwise even with the computer off.
    Message was edited by: KathleenTarget

  • Kernel panics on LaCie external drive with Mac Mini

    Hi there.
    I recently purchased a LaCie external drive to use with my Mini. My intent was to boot from the LaCie drive and use the Mini for backup. Everything was working well until I upgraded the LaCie drive to 10.4.6. I started to get a kernel panic once a day. I reinstalled the OS (I have disks up to the 10.4) but held off doing software upgrades so I could try to isolate the cause of the kernel panic. I couldn't. I currently get the panic notice every few minutes, regardless of the version.
    I am planning on taking both drives to the Mac store on Monday, but am wondering what my options are. Is it okay to use the LaCie drive as my start-up or should I get a bigger drive installed in the Mini and use the Mini as my start-up instead?
    Is there any chance I can solve this kernel panic problem on my own? Reinstalling, running disk utilities, etc hasn't helped.
    Thanks for any insight you can provide.
    Barb
    Mac Mini   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   40 gig Mini plus 250 gig LaCie external

    ok first off how big of external drive
    the reason i ask is this
    on some external inclosures designed for the mac mini exceed 120 gig to 220 gigs you will have some major issues one is kernal panic one is the mac os x desktop becomes unstable and certain applications will crash like utilitys and even system preferences
    and your dvd software will also have trouble playing dvds
    i ran into this on a g3 tower and the same thing happens on certain models of laptops but i have never heard of this happening on a mac mini this is a first

  • Re-install of OS X on original internal drive of Mac Mini

    I am trying to re-install Tiger on the drive that came with my Mac Mini, but cannot. I erase and partition the drive (Mac OS Extended - journaled), and when I reboot, it asks for the startup disk and the drive does not show up as an option. I get a message that says OS X cannot be installed on this drive. Nothing was done to the drive. I put in a larger one and put the OS on that one, then I just erased the original one and used it as an external drive, but now I want to put the original back in and use it as the OS drive internally, and it will not find it as an option to install on. No jumpers were changed.
    Your help is greatly appreciated.

    bryPT:
    You said everything is the same except for RAM, but you also said you replaced the original drive with a larger one & put the original into an external case. To clear things up, where is the original drive now?
    You also say that now the installer DVD is stuck in the mini.
    Putting all this together, it seems like you should at least consider the possibility that you have not reassembled the mini correctly and/or damaged something in it during your swap(s).

  • Improve DVD Quality on Mac Mini?

    Hello,
    I just purchased a brand-new Mac Mini from my local Apple Store. My goal is to get it all set up as a media center.
    OK, I hoked it up to my 42" Sony Bravia via the HDMI cable, and it works just like a computer monitor. Excellent!
    But I am wondering if there's a way to improve the quality of the DVD play.
    When I put the DVD in the drive, it is really easy to start playing through the DVD Player app (which comes with OS X). However, I'm noticing that the video playback is not as "smooth" as it would be through a DVD player hooked directly to the TV set. Some scenes where there is action look just a bit choppy.
    Are there settings I could play with to improve this?
    Also, does anyone have suggestions for better DVD-playing software?
    Thanks,
    Matthew

    mattschenker wrote:
    Hello,
    I just purchased a brand-new Mac Mini from my local Apple Store. My goal is to get it all set up as a media center.
    OK, I hoked it up to my 42" Sony Bravia via the HDMI cable, and it works just like a computer monitor. Excellent!
    But I am wondering if there's a way to improve the quality of the DVD play.
    When I put the DVD in the drive, it is really easy to start playing through the DVD Player app (which comes with OS X). However, I'm noticing that the video playback is not as "smooth" as it would be through a DVD player hooked directly to the TV set. Some scenes where there is action look just a bit choppy.
    Are there settings I could play with to improve this?
    Also, does anyone have suggestions for better DVD-playing software?
    In terms of DVD playing software for the Mac, there is -
    Apple DVD Player
    Front Row
    VLC
    XBMC
    However an area you might want to investigate is the display refresh rate your Mac mini is using to talk to your Sony TV. DVDs come with one of three refresh rates, these are -
    24 frames per second (or 23.976), this is what movies are filmed at and is also used on some NTSC DVDs
    30 frames per second (or 29.97), this is what NTSC TV broadcasts use, and is also used on many NTSC DVDs
    25 frames per second, this is what PAL TV broadcasts and all PAL DVDs use.
    If you are playing a 24fps DVD on a TV running at 30fps, then this mis-match can result in the image appearing to jerk slightly every second or so. Similarly for other mis-matched refresh rates. Newer higher end TVs including most newer Bravias can run at all three of these rates, however your Mac mini video card needs to be configured to the appropriate settings which is not always easy. Furthermore, some of your DVDs might be at one refresh rate and some at a different one meaning you would have to keep changing. Dedicated hardware DVD players might do this automatically.
    Some software like XBMC can automatically do this refreshrate switching, but possibly only for Linux or Windows. This is an area that is currently not well served on the Mac.
    PS. A disappointingly large number of NTSC 30fps DVDs have errors in them such that the pattern (order) of frames is messed up. The process of converting a film from 24fps to a video (on a DVD) at 30fps is called 'Telecine'. If after this conversion, the video is then edited, this breaks the conversion pattern so the sequence of frames is disrupted resulting in jaggy images every five frames. The process of converting back from 30fps to 24fps is called inverse-telecine. This sort of error is easiest to see when single-stepping through frames one at a time.

  • II can't burn any CD or DVD in my Mac Mini

    Hello, I've had my mac mini (super drive) for a week when I tried to burn a data cd I got the error message "Sense Key=Medium error
    Sense code=0x0C
    Write Error".
    After that:"The Drive Reported an Error
    Sense Key=illegal Request
    Sense Code =0X30,0X05
    Cannot write medium,incopatible format
    After that i tried to burn a cd in Finder but i had this message:
    Disk Unit is not supported.error code"0X80020025
    After rebooting i write the cd,but at the second copy i have the same problem
    Any ideas of what the problem could be? I suspect the drive has gone bad but I'm not sure how to troubleshoot it. I have tried different types of recordable cd's with the same result. Any help would be appreciated. Desperate!!!
    MAC MINI SUPERDRIVE Mac OS X (10.4)

    I would take it in to a local mac reseller to test it out with different media. There are different types of blank media to write on with different speeds and specs. You could try buying different brands, but probably cheaper to bring it in. If it's a hardware problem, then they can replace it right there. Good luck.

  • Fusion drive and mac mini overall

    greetings, i'm thinking about getting a mac mini to augment my macbook pro. essentially i'm thinking of pulling my itunes, etc off my MBP to the mini.  does anyone have experience or feedback on the fusion drive.  i'm not sure i need it, but sometimes building it out with features gives me a longer runway with the machine.  any other feedback on the mini?  i currently have a 27" thunderbolt monitor that i use with my MBP.  regards...

    Hi, I've read glowing reports on the new Minis, drawbacks are mostly HDMI issues, but a few even via TB to even Apple's Monitors. if you can wait maybe 3 months to see if Apple offers something other than HD4000  for graphics, I'd do that.
    PS. Disappointed in Apple more every day.

Maybe you are looking for