Dual Optical Drive Bays . . . Why, Why Not?

I love the dual optical drive bays in my PowerMac G4 FW800 DP 1.25GHz. I don't like the single drive in the G5s because I like to be able to copy and clone disks easily. Having one drive requires extra steps to make copies and I don 't like the clutter and expense of exterior drives.
Is there a compelling reason why Apple would not at some point reintroduce dual optical drive bays in the future Intel Macs?
I prefer expandability over limitations. And BTW, I have always felt that the PM G4 FW800 MDD was the most beautiful Mac ever made. I like the PMG5s, but they're kind of cold and austere by comparison.
JoeL

Thanks for the note . . .
I certainly appreciate the numbers of the Quad G5. I've told many of my FCP and Photoshopping friends that if they value their time, they should absolutely buy the G5. I'm doing digital editing part-time out of my home office now and while I'd love the speed, I'm taking care of three kids four and under and with a year of disruptive home renovations ahead, I won't really need that speed until early next year. I'll be re-entering the workforce full-time in the fall of '08.
My upgrade path this year is a MacBook Pro first, although I will be waiting until I see reports on their reliability and I may even wait until "revB" comes out, esp. if Apple upgrades the optical drive and Firewire.
But I can't do both now and the portable is more important to me now. However, once the new Pro Macs are out I'll compare them to the Quad and may just opt for a deal on the Quad. By then, though, I'm sure Adobe, and much of the rest of the Mac world will be Universal Binary.
You have to wonder what the new enclosures will look like. Will they make an overall design change or stick with the aluminum look and just tweak as they have with the MacBook Pro?
Interesting Mac times . . . .
JoeL

Similar Messages

Can I use the 2nd Optical Drive Bay on my Mac Pro for an SSD?

Since I have no plans to add a second Optical Drive to my Mac Pro in the Second Optical Drive bay, I was wondering if I could put an SSD in that bay using a 2.5' to 3.5" drive carriage. Is this possible? Would it work? Would I be able to use it as my boot drive? Never tried this, so not sure if it would work.
Thanks in advance.

Your 2010 model has SATA wiring in that bay, so the SSD plugs right in.
Macs can boot from the drive specified in System preferences > Startup Disk.
You would need an adapter from 2.5 size of the drive to the 5.25 (CD drive) size expected, but since there are no moving parts, most folks just dump the drive in there without a bracket.
The biggest payback comes from establishing a Boot Drive with only System, Library, Applications, and the hidden Unix files including Paging/Swap. Putting the boot drive on an SSD is frosting -- it provides an incremental improvement over a spinning Boot drive.
A caution when establishing your drive -- some users have killed brand new SSD drives by cloning onto them. The manufacturers have not been helpful in telling us why this happens, but a clean Install may be a better way to proceed.

Add a 2nd HDD using the CD/DVD Optical Drive Bay

Hi HP,I,m going to add a 2nd HDD for my laptop bu using CD/DVD optical drive bay,so,i don't know if optical drive connection support SATA 2 or SATA3? And where i can buy a bay for 2nd HDD( good quality)? Tks a lot!
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Dảkwarrior1912 wrote:
Why hard drive conection support SATA 3 but optical drive support SATA2??As i know the other notebook like asus or dell support SATA 3 both conection(hard drive and optical drive)
It appears that you did not understand the post that I made.
If you purchase a high end notebook that has a chipset with sata controllers that support SATA3 then SATA3 devices will run at SATA3 bandwidth. Your notebook is not one that does.
It would not matter which brand you chose.
If you decided to economize and purchase a mainstream notebook, then the issue would still be the same.
Notebooks are not created equally. It is the same with desktop PCs.
That is why each manufacturer has a tiered structure to accomodate the economic means of the target market.
1) Entry level (basic chipset and CPU) $
2) Mainstream (mid level chipset and mainstream CPU) $$
3) High end. (high end chipset and high performance CPU, wifi adapter and even SSD hard disks) $$$
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

Putting a SSD in the optical drive bay of a late 2011 MacBook Pro.

I want to put a large Solid State Drive in the optical drive bay of my late 2011 (Model ID 8,2, 2.4 GHZ quad i7, 8 Gigs RAM, SSD boot drive) using the carrier and drive from Other World Computing. The "About This Mac" box shows that the optical drive is 6G so I'm thinking that it should be OK putting a 6G drive in that bay, but OWC says that MacBook Pros have only a 3G optical drive capability. I know this was true on earlier models, but my bay says 6G.   The 6 G SSD's are faster and have a longer warranty. I do pro audio work and want to record to the new drive with speed and reliability. Is there any way to prove that my MBPro will handle 6G? I was told by someone at OWC who looked up my my serial number that it would work, but another tech guy at OWC said they didn't recommend it. I'm thinking that they just issue a blanket "no" answer to cover themselves against people ordering a 6G drive for a machine that wouldn't handle it. Before I order a 6G drive is there a way I can know for sure if it will work?
Many thanks,
Robert

If the computer is correctly identified as 15-inch Late 2011 MacBook Pro, and not an Early 2011 build series,
according to MacTracker database (http://mactracker.ca download application) optical drive interface supports
the same spec as the hard disk drive...
Hard Drive Interface    6.0 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA)
Optical Drive Interface    6.0 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA)
So should there be an error in identification, that would make a difference. Some Early 2011 models may
have the 3.0 Gbps or 6.0Gbps data rate in the optical drive. All Late 2011 models should be 6.0 Gbps.
Good luck & happy computing!

Booting from HDD/SSD in optical drive bay.

Macbook Pro 15" non retina mid 2012 2.7 GHz 8GB RAM
Hi,
A while ago I partitioned my hard drive and installed Windows 7. I use it for gaming and eventually decided I would swap my superdrive out for a SSD so Windows could run on it’s own drive.
So I now have two drives, the original Seagate Momentus XT 750GB hybrid, and a new Samsung 840 EVO SSD 1TB. Ideally I would like Windows 7 on the SSD, in the optical drive bay and OSX on the hybrid in the primary bay. My only reason for that position is that I believe the hybrid would be less prone to overheating in the primary bay. However, after a bit of research I believe Windows will only boot from the primary bay so I can live with either.
So far I have managed to boot Windows (on the SSD) from the primary bay. Works well. It would not complete booting from the optical bay.
OSX on the hybrid (this is my original drive before this upgrade) boots fine as usual from the primary but will NOT boot from the optical bay. I get the apple and loading wheel only.
A clone of that OSX on an old HDD will boot fine from the optical bay. When I booted from this drive in the primary bay I can see both the SSD and the hybrid if I have them in the optical bay and system profiler reads them well.
So my first question is; does anyone have any experience or knowledge of Momentus XT’s not working in the optical bay? I believe they had some firmware updates years ago but my drive has always ran very well until I tried it from the optical bay.
My second question is; does anyone know if it is possible to persuade my macbook pro to boot Windows from the optical drive?
Many thanks.

Well I suppose it looks like 6gb/s connection from the optical drive connection cannot be achieved on my mid 2012 model. Would be nice to know if anyone else has achieved it...

Dual Hard drive bays

What are the models that have dual hard drive bays support (256 GB SSD + 500 GB HDD) ?
Need following as well
15.6 Display (minimum)
16 GB RAM

Hi,
Please try DV7, Envy 17 ..... series of laptop, they have 2 HDD bays. Normally only 17" class laptops have physical room for 2 HDD's. You have to check the CTO (Config To Order) models, you may be able to config before buy. Unfortunately CTO models are only available in the US or may be Canada. Otherwise you can buy one of normal machine and upgrade later.
Regards.
BH
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Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

Installing IDE HD in empty optical drive bay?

I guess the subject line about says it all; Can I install an IDE hard drive removed from my previous Mac and install it in the empty optical drive bay of my Mac Pro? It looks like it should work...
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

I guess the subject line about says it all; Can I
install an IDE hard drive removed from my previous
Mac and install it in the empty optical drive bay of
my Mac Pro? It looks like it should
work...
Mac Pro
Mac OS X (10.4.7)
Hi ElectricDan,
Yes you can it works,
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3183553#3183553
Peloche
MacPro 2.66, 6GB, 1TB; Mini G4, 1.45, 1GB; iPod 60 GB; 30" & 20" ACD; Apple IIC Mac OS X (10.4.7)

MBP doesn't see newly installed SSD (installed into optical drive bay)

Hi all,
Re-posting, from an earlier post, with a more specific topic. I recently installed an OWC 2.5" SSD, via the OWC Data Doubler, replacing my old, non-working, optical drive. I installed it step-by-step, from their installation video. BTW - I also installed a RAM upgrade, and, that installation (although admittedly easier than the SSD install) is working fine. However, my MBP is not "seeing" any new drive. Does anyone know if there is a step that I am missing? Or have an idea what I may have done wrong?
I re-opened the machine and double checked that all 3 "connections":
From SSD to Data Doubler Frame;
From Data Double Frame to SATA tab; and
SATA connector to the motherboard;
WERE ALL SEATED PROPERLY. Yet, the MBP still does NOT see the newly installed drive.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
MJ

Hi,
Have you tried booting up while holding down the Option key and the selecting the SSD? Or putting the SSD in the other bay?

Optical drive (CD/DVD burner) not detected by Windows - dv9812us

I've been dealing with the same or at least a similar situation for the past week.
I've got an HP dv9812us running Vista home premium SP 2. The drive is detected by the BIOS because it attempts to boot from the drive, the light blinks, and you can open the drive via the button. Once Windows starts booting, though, it quits working entirely. It doesn't show up in the Computer folder and it doesn't show up in the Device Manager.
So far, I have tried:
1) Following the suggestions listed by HP here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00678214&tmp_track_link=ot_faqs/top_issues/en_...
- similar to the link given previously, only specific to a notebook rather than a PC
- includes suggestions for running MS FixIt for drive limits
- checking for the presence of the drive in Device Manager
- uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers in Device Manager (which I can't do because the device isn't listed in the Device Manager)
- and downloading and installing the latest firmware and software for the drive (also can't do because Microsoft's software doesn't detect the drive).
2) Following the suggestions listed here by Apple because this problem is apparently common in conjunction with the installation of iTunes with Vista: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2308
- repeats suggestion for download/reinstall for firmware/drivers for optical drive
- also: checking C:\Windows\System32\drivers folder for "afs.sys" or "afs2k.sys" files which may interfere with GEAR drivers for iTunes
- manually removing the GEAR drivers from your computer and registry and then reinstalling them.
3) Running the HP and Windows Update programs to make sure all of my software and firmware is up to date.
4) Uninstalling iTunes and downloading and reinstalling iTunes.
5) Physically removing and reinstalling the optical drive without powering up
6) Physically removing the drive, booting up, shutting down, reinstalling the drive, and booting up again.
7) Hard reset suggested by CherylG
8) Removing the optical drive from my roommate's Pavilion, exchanging the mounting bracket and bezel from mine, installing the known-good drive into my computer, and booting (everything was exactly the same as with my normal drive...worked in BIOS, quit working as soon as Windows began booting up)
9) Running sfc /scannow and found no corrupt files
10) Placing hammer where it can be seen by my laptop as sarcastically suggested by my friend Jason.
None of these have worked and I can't find any other suggestions listed anywhere. I'm keen on the iTunes issue simply because I hadn't really used the optical drive since I'd installed the newest version of iTunes and it had worked prior to that. Is there a way for me to find the drivers for the optical drive manually? Microsoft wants to find them itself, but since Windows doesn't detect the drive, all it does it tell me that Windows didn't detect the drive.

Hi, guys, I have had the exact same problem since the summer of 2010. Here's what I was able to find out.
Deleting upper/lower filters, running all those Fix Ya programs and other Microsoft crap is useless. This problem is most certainly has nothing to do with registry of any software on your computer. I took my HP 9620us to a couple of repair places and, they tried a lot of things and it appears that the root of this problem is a faulty motherboard connection. Of course, it costs about 400 bucks to fix it so I'm not sure I want to pay this kind of money.
Anyway, if somebody was able to fix it PLEASE post here to let us know. Again I am 99 per cent sure it's some piece of hardware in the motherboard.

Help! Optical drive bay enclousure bent

Hi
I am trying to install a SSD in my 2010 Mac Pro but while trying to pull out the metal optical case it got bent some. My CD player will not come out when pressing the eject button. It's not aligned and the entire metal enclosure case is extremely difficult to pull or push back in.
At this time I don't have the SSD installed and don't want to install until I get this fixed.
Does Apple sell Optical drive enclosures? get one online or is there another work around? Thank you for your time.

Are you certain the problem is in the enclosure, and not in the drive itself? These drives are intended to be mounted with screws from the side, so they should not malfuntion with excessive sideways pressure.
The enclosure is just Aluminum. If it is bent, bend it back.
It's already broken, so you cannot hurt it.
If you give up. eBay in the US is the great "junkyard" for used computers and major sub-assemblies that can easily be "parted out" without too much effort.

Opening Optical Drive Bay

I'm trying to install a second DVD drive, but I'm having trouble opening the drive bay. I'm following the directions in the manual: latch is up, side panel removed, etc. But pulling the drive bay out halfway to reach the cables is impossible.
It moves perhaps a quarter inch and then refused to budge. I don't want to use force, fearing that the optical drive drawer may be stuck on something, and pulling too hard might break it.
Should it be this hard to pull out?

Hi,
Pulling the thing out for the first time was a hassle for me too, eventually I jiggled with it from side to side moving out some millimeters at a time until it was out.
The Good news is that the whole thing is pretty robust so you can use reasonable force and after its out for the first time it looses a-bit and then slides in a more expectable way.
Have Fun,
Baryo.

Optical Drive Bay Hard Disk Drive Caddy

Hi,
I have an old Compaq Presario v2036AP Notebook PC.
I would like to replace it's optical drive with new Hard Disk. I have tried to find a compatible caddy for the same but was not able to find any
Is there any way I can add another HDD to my laptop?
I do not want to use any external disk.
Also, if possible could anyone help me in identifying that what type of caddy drive I may require (SATA to SATA or PATA to SATA, etc.)
Thanks for your help
Regards,
Ashish Sharma

Definitely upgrade memory to at least 16 GB. Consider upgrading the video card to a 650M. For the rest it looks good, if you can live with a super glossy screen.

SATA at optical drive bay

Greetings,
I just mounted a hard disk below the Superdrive. On checking the system profile, it reads:
Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Just wondering do both devices share a same channel/port?
Thanks

It means the drive is limited to 1.5 GB/sec. Some drives, such as Western Digital Raptors only run at 1.5 GB/sec Some drives ship with a jumper installed to set them to that speed for compatibly with older SATA controllers, but will run at a higher link speed if the jumper is removed. See if there is a label on the drive for jumper settings.
It doesn't make much difference, anyway, except for some SSDs, since hard drives can't actually read or write faster than 1.5 GB/sec. The higher speed is only used moving data to the drive's cache. Since OSX is already usng RAM for caching, you won't see any speed difference.

Optical Drive is not recognised in Windows 8.1 (x64), or in UEFI System Diagnostics.

Description of Issue:
Optical Drive is not recognised in Windows 8.1 (x64), or in UEFI System Diagnostics.
Steps to Recreate:
UEFI:
Boot PC into UEFI System Diagnositcs (F2 at POST)
Component Checks
Optical Drive
Sequential Check
Error: Not Optical Drive Installed.
Windows 8.1 (x64):
Run Device Manager
Error: No DVD/CD Drives section.
Scanning for new hardware changes nothing.
Relevent System Specifications:
Laptop: HP Pavilion 15-n023sa (Vanilla build)
Optical Drive: HP DVDRAM gu70n
Steps Already Taken to Solve:
Replaced DVD drive with one from similar spec HP Pavilion. The gn70n hotswapped perfectly in the other machine. No change on problem laptop. Conclusion: DVD Drive is working, and there are no issues with Windows 8.1 (x64).
Removed DVD Drive. Rebooted computer. Log into Windows. Shutdown. Refit DVD Drive. Boot laptop. This attempts to solve hardware glitches with PnP devices; as well as helping to fix any intermittent loose connection problems. Conclusion: No change.
Ran Troubleshooting for Hardware and Devices, via the Control Panel. Issue Found: Hardware changes might not have been detected. Exploring more options just takes you through to http://social.answers.microsoft.com/search/en-us/?query=hardware+device, this is a 404 error page. Conclusion: Windows Help and Support is severely lacking. They show no more information than just that something has been detected as being wrong.
Ran the Microsoft FixIt Optical Drive Troubleshooter and Automatic Repairer. (http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/5/8/F586FB7C-78E0-40EB-AF41-4C925F803CAF/CDDVDWin8.meta.dia... The troubleshooter reported that the device could not be found. It recommended removing all power cables, switching the device off and various other things that have no relevence to laptop hardware troubleshooting. It then said if the problem still persists, contact the manufacturer. Conclusion: Windows Troubleshooting cannot fix the problem.
Run Windows Update to ensure all updates and definitions have been installed. Conclusion: Windows is fully up to date.
Run a full Rootkit and heuristic Malware scan, using Sbybot S&D 2.3; as well as a signature based scan using Windows Defender. Conclusion: Laptop is clean of rootkits and malware, to the best of my knowledge.
Notes:
The DVD Drive is NOT showing up in the Device Manager, OR in This PC.
The DVD Drive is NOT being detected by the UEFI System Diagnostics.
There is NO reference to the DVD Drive in BIOS, other than as a boot option, which is generic.
The DVD Drive, itself, DOES work, and has been verified on a different machine.
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Oh ok, that's fine. I was expecting to go through a first response resolution process. Once the gate keepers realise they're talking to someone who actually knows what they're talking about, it's usually pretty simple to skip through a lot of the script. Once you've got past the gate keepers once, it's usually easy to get a direct number for the actual resolution department.
Will they question why I've opened up the case to exchange a 1TB HDD for an 80GB HDD? (The only physical spare I have, atm). I know they'll understand, I'm only worried about giving them any reason to deny the warranty on such an extensive fix.

My Blu Ray drive in the lower bay is sometimes not recognized since upgrading to Mountain Lion.

I have a Mac Pro (2.6 GHz Quad Core Xeon, 6 Gb RAM) that I upgraded to Mountain Lion yesterday. In the top optical drive bay I have the Apple super drive that came with the machine. In the lower bay I added a Pioneer Blu Ray burner. Since upgrading to 10.8, sometimes the Blu Ray drive is not recognized. I discovered this morning that a restart doesn't solve the problem...I have to completely shut down, then restart, and then the drive will appear.

You paid for a license to use Mountain Lion & that license is forever tied to YOUR Apple ID. You cannot distribute Mountain Lion in any way shape or form. If you were to sell your computer, with Mountain Lion installed, as I've already provided, the new owner will never be able to update or restore OS X, should the need arise. You will have sold the new owner a huge bag of hurt.
Good luck.

Dual Optical Drive Bays . . . Why, Why Not?

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