EMac Combo drive for a DVD burner ( superdrive)

Hi . I have purchased a used eMac 1 ghz . it has a stock combo drive . i burn a lot of DVDs .I have a external plextor DVD burner ( super drive ) and i was woundering if it would fit in the eMac ? do i need to remove the little bezel at the end of the tray ? I have always owned a older Slower G3 type mac , this will be my fastest mac i would ever have . So i want to be happy with it .
Thank you kindly

I guess burning to external is not so bad . i have been haveing problems when OSX tryed to verifi the burn and it fails so i though putting it into the computer would resolve that . I will keep the burner in the external case if it means i have to take the top off the optical drive itself .
eMac G4 1 ghz 1GB Ram 40 GB HD || iMac DV G3 400mhz 512MB Ram 12 GB HD Graphite Mac OS X (10.4.8)

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Change combo drive for superdrive

How can you change a combo drive for a superdrive and where can I buy a superdrive? Can it be done without technical know-how or special tools?

Welcome to the discussions, Binkie.
Changing the optical drive in a 12" PowerBook is quite a challenging procedure.
It basically involves completely dismantling the PowerBook, taking out the keyboard, hard dive, modem, heat sink, fan, DC-to-DC Board, and logic board (as well as the case and numerous cables, supports and screws) in order to reach the combo drive. Then it all has to be put back together again, in the correct order.
Here's a guide to the process: http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/53.18.1.html
I'm just posting it to show how difficult it is, not to encourage you to do it. It will void your warranty, and with such a complex procedure, it's very, very easy for something to go wrong. I wouldn't even consider doing it unless I was very confident with successfully tinkering inside expensive electronic equipment.
The drive itself can be bought here: http://www.pbfixit.com/cart/catalog/product919_G4_Aluminum_12_4xSuperDrive.html for $299.95.
Personally, I'd say you'd probably be much better off buying an external FireWire DVD writer. Not only will you save yourself the significant trouble of the internal procedure, you'll also be able to get a faster drive with better features (dual layer, -/+ support, etc) at a cheaper price.
If you do use a FireWire drive, you'll need to use the freeware Patch Burn software to use it with Apple's applications (the Finder, iTunes, iDVD etc.). Toast will automatically recognise an external FW drive without trouble.
Check out Accelerate Your Mac's excellent Drive Compatibility Database if you want to see other user's experience with specific brands and models of DVD writers.

Itunes 8 "Drive for importing and burning CD/DVD are missing"

I downloaded ITUNES 8 two weeks ago and, like many, have been receiving this message since. THE REGISTRY SETTINGS USED BY THE ITUNES DRIVER FOR IMPORTING AND BURNING CD'S AND DVD'S ARE MISSING. Can anyone offer a fix/solution? (BTW...When I downloaded ITUNES 8, it also blew away QUICKTIME).

Take a look at this link
http://www.gearsoftware.com/wiki/index.php?title=CD/DVDdrives_disappear_after_installingiTunes
I was having the same problem...actually for the last year and I found this info last week and followed the info and now so far everything is good. I finally can burn a cd in itunes and all my cd,dvd and media drives are in place and working.
Hope this helps for some one.....

Combo Drive rejecting some DVDs

My system: Mac Mini Core 2 Duo with Combo Drive.
Some DVDs have been working fine. I have checked around 10 or so earlier today which worked fine, although in a few cases I did hear particularly loud sounds coming from the drive, which I'm not used to hearing from an otherwise relatively quiet drive.
But I've just encountered a disk which the Mac ejects immediately. That isn't always the case -- sometimes it doesn't eject it, and it shows up as a blank recordable CD (yes, a CD. Go figure.) Just now I tried the same disk again, and this time it shows up in Finder as a DVD but DVD Player still refuses to play it. Which of these behaviours I get seems to be purely chance, more often than not it just gets ejected straight away.
I initially thought it might be a bad disk but on testing all subsequent disks from the same series, the same occurs. Interestingly the first of the four has no problems, and plays through as expected.
I have tested the same disks against my MacBook Pro, and verified that they not only play, but that there is no issue accessing any of the data on the disk -- I can copy the contents to a folder with no problems at all. Move the disk back to the Mini and bam, rejected again.
Just now (to gather more information, check more stuff) I put the first disk back in again and that worked as expected again. And now the second disk is recognised as what it is by Finder, although the DVD Player still claims it's an unsupported disk (go figure...)
Anyway I wanted to know if this behaviour had been seen by any other Combo Drive owners in the past, whether this commonly happens with certain DVDs, or whether it's a problem with the particular drive in my unit in which case I will get it fixed.
Or maybe the disks are faulty in some way which the MacBook Pro is more tolerant with? :-/

(phone only... what is this, 1995?)
If you are within reach of an Apple store, call there and make an appointment at the genius bar. Free support for all, whether in or out of warranty.
whether it's possible to upgrade to a SuperDrive
If your system doesn't have one, it's certainly possible to replace the internal with a superdrive, but to be honest I would not advise it. Having Apple do this would be expensive, though there are bare drives for the user to upgrade themselves at OWC (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/mac-mini/superdrive/) amongst other places. However, these slot-loading burners are rather more fussy than external devices have tended to be, so it may be a better bet to simply add a Firewire external (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/VLFWU2D112/ for example)
Given your system is new, however, I'd have Apple check out the combo drive first anyway, but add an external DVD burner if in any doubt.

Is Sony CRX170E the original "Combo Drive" for MDD?

Hello all,
Last week I bought on eBay a used Power Mac G4 "Mirrored Drive Doors" 867 DP model, which arrived today. Unfortunately, the optical drive in the computer is apparently unable to recognize or read DVD discs, even though the specifications for this model indicate that the included optical drive is supposed to be a "Combo Drive" that reads DVDs as well as reading and writing CDs. I'm trying to determine whether the optical drive in this particular computer is original equipment, whether it is supposed to be able to read DVDs, whether it is malfunctioning, and whether I have reason to complain to the seller of the item.
The drive recognizes and reads a previously-burned CD-R just fine, but refuses to recognize either of two original Apple DVD-ROM discs that I've tested it with. System Profiler indicates that the drive is a Sony model CRX170E. Searching the Web, I've found that this model is indeed an OEM drive manufactured for Apple by Sony, but I haven't been able to determine conclusively the answers to the following questions:
(1) Is the Sony CRX170E the drive that was originally installed in this Mac model? (If not, then I'll need to ask the seller to explain how it got in there.)
(2) Is the Sony CRX170E in fact a Combo Drive, which should be able to read DVDs, or is it just a CD-only drive? (If it's a Combo Drive, then I'll have to troubleshoot its failure to recognize DVDs.)
Any help you could provide in answering these questions would be much appreciated.
For the record, here's a link to the eBay auction for this computer (including the item description, which clearly states that it comes with a Combo Drive, and that there are no hardware problems with the computer):
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200229689213
And here are links to the specs for this computer model, at EveryMac and Apple, respectively:
- http://tinyurl.com/23vavt
- http://support.apple.com/kb/SP63
Thanks,
~ Justin

Here are the details for the drive as displayed in System Profiler:
*SONY CD-RW CRX170E:*
Manufacturer: SONY
Model: SONY CD-RW CRX170E
Revision: 2.2d
Drive Type: CD-RW
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
As for Mac OS X version, I'm accustomed to using 10.4 on the Mac I'm replacing, but this "new" MDD came with a clean install of 10.3 on it. The problem reading DVDs first became apparent when I attempted (unsuccessfully) to read or boot from my 10.4 installation DVD on the "new" machine.
And yes, a replacement drive is always an option, but it would cost me about five thousand "pennies", which is an expense that shouldn't be necessary as I bought this computer with the understanding that it would be able to read DVDs as-is.

HT3986 Windows installation asks to insert a driver for CD/DVD

When the installation of Windows 7 starts it asks for a driver for CD/DVD player. Can't find it on the drivers apple provided on my USB stick (downloaded with boot camp). How can I fix this?
Thanks in advance

I had this problem, and as you have probably found yourself, if you keep trying it eventually works. By 'works', I mean that you get to a window showing the partitions on the disc, but stating that the Bootcamp partition is not correctly formatted (NTFS). On my system (MacOS LIon) this is dealt with by the Bootcamp documentation, and you click on a link to get the option to format the partition ... and then it is (relatively) plain sailing.

OS 9 Driver for retrofitted DVD drive

Hello,
I have a dual CPU 533 mhz G4 with OS 10.4.10 installed. It will run classic mode and will also boot from OS 9.2.2, which is still on the hard disk.
The machine has been retrofitted with a "Super Drive," possibly made by Pioneer. It reads and writes CDs and DVDs. "About this computer" won't give me the name of a manufacturer.
The DVD drive works fine in OS X. Classic and OS 9 won't recognize it, though, presumably because OS 9 needs a driver for it.
I want to run an application that won't work unless Classic or OS 9 recognizes the drive and finds the CD mounted on the desktop.
What are my chances of finding a driver for the DVD drive and successfully installing it? How would I identify the right driver if I don't know the manufacturer of the drive?
I thought about making a disk image of the CD, in OS X, then using that in place of the CD in OS 9 or classic. I couldn't figure out how to make an image, though. Disk Utility in OS X doesn't seem to have that ability. I might have an OS 9 utility that could do it, but OS 9 can't see the drive.
Is that likely to succeed? If so, how to do?
Thanks in advance,
Tim

Hey folks,
Sorry about the late reply. I hope it gets noticed, somehow.
"About this Mac" shows the following information about the drive:
ATAPI DVD DD 2X16X4X16:
Model: ATAPI DVD DD 2X16X4X16
Revision: G7Z9
Serial Number: 99B5C1520144445601SP
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
The markings on the front of the drive drawer are strictly generic. I haven't removed it from the case, yet. That's sort of a hassle.
Does this give any clues about how to ID the drive?
Come to think of it, I don't really remember where this drive came from.
Don Archibald wrote that the following items should appear in the OS 9 system folder.
•Extensions Manager -
Apple CD/DVD Driver
•Extensions folder -
Apple Photo Access
Audio CD Access
Foreign File Access
ISO 9660 File Access
UDF Volume Access
All are absent. I guess that would explain the problem.
I'll try to find these files and install them. I'll get back to you if it doesn't work.
Thanks a bunch.
Tim

Burning iDVD to DVD disc with i Book G4 combo drive and external DVD drive

7/6/2006. After much recent experimentation with iLife, iMovie and iDVD, I found how to use themes and set up movies in my iBook G4 purchased two years ago near Chicago (updated to OS 10.3.9). To burn an iDVD file to a DVD disc on a "combo drive" (that is, it has no DVD writer drive) iBook or other comparable Mac, go to File on the top horizontal tool bar and down there to "burn to DiscImage." Depending on the size of the file, it will take about four hours for every hour of movie file to encode it. I just set it up that night, went to bed and woke up the next morning with it finished. Once encoded, it doesn't need to be encoded again and can be used in the future. But Toast 7 Titanium will not burn it to an external DVD writer as "video." but it will burn the video file as "data." And pretty fast. The 'data' file still remains a video file and will do everything the video file does, only now from an external round DVD disc, too. I discovered this by accident, although Matt (tech support) reminded me about DiscImage. Later, David (also in tech support) told me to download newer versions of iDVD and iMovie, but that did not work, nor had he ever tried it. Remember for a combo drive and using iDVD, and also iMovie, under File burn to DiscImage and save on an external disc as "data." My external DVD write is by LaCie. Best wishes. Chuck Yopst [email protected] Chicago area.
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Like altero said, you're not using Toast properly... Follow these directions:
Suggest you create a disc image from iDVD and then burn the DVD. In iDVD: File/Save as Disc Image...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=164927
This will isolate any encoding/burning issues you may encounter. Once the disc image is created, double-click the .img and burn the virtual disc that should appear on your desktop, using Toast to burn the DVD. Disk Utility to burn the .img file. Usually, you can select a burning speed in Disk Utility.
There are variations to this process based on which OS X you are using...
Open Disk Utility (in Utilities folder in Applications folder), click on the virtual disc (maybe the .img) in the left-hand window. Click the Burn icon. A new window should drop down and your SuperDrive tray will open after clicking the Burn icon. Insert a recordable DVD. (Verbatim DVD-R preferred by me.) Click the Close button. Wait. Select a burn speed. If you hold your mouse cursor over the pop-up it says: "Select a slower speed to work around burn failures," so select 4x or slower for best results. Then click the Burn button.
-->If the virtual disk selection won't allow you to click the Burn icon, use the .img file instead. This may have changed in 10.3.9 and did change in Tiger.
Also, you can use DVD Player to play the virtual disk to check your iDVD project before burning to DVD. Launch DVD Player. File/Open VIDEO_TS (Open DVD Media... in Player 4.6). Find the VIDEO_TS folder and open that. (The audio folder is for DVD-Audio disks.)
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93006

Combo drive only reads DVDs and burned discs!

OK, so I had to wipe my harddrive and reinstall (restore) OSX 10.3 Panther.
After doing that the Combo drive does not mount any "factory" CD's.
It can mount the CD's I burned before the reinstall. It can mount DVD movies, but all program CD's & DVD's do not mount.
I have an external firewire DVD burner that mounts all these discs so the discs are not the problem.
The combo drive can read some CDs and DVDs so the optics are not shot, but the system decides not to mount!

You may want to try resetting the PMU. I had this exact same problem once where my '12 PowerBook G4 wouldn't recognize my iLife '05 DVD-ROM. Resetting the PMU caused it to be able to mount the DVD-ROM again. Here's a link to the Apple Knowledge Base Article with instructions for how to reset the PMU: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449.

Swapping combo drive for a superdrive

Hi: I am considering purchasing a 1.5 ghz macmini (off of ebay with remaining apple warranty) that contains a combo drive. If I do, is it possible to replace the combo drive with a superdrive, or am I left with only the possibility of an external dvd burner? Thanks in advance.

I've done it to four Mini's so far. This Pioneer DVR-K05 works great and is dual layer.
http://www.centrix-intl.com/details.asp?productid=1585
There are many guides on the Internet and I'm assuming you are comfortable working on a computer.

Need CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive for Tecra 8200

I have just bought an old Tecra 8200 with a CD-Rom drive in its SelectBay.
I would like to change to a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive.
Could anyone let me know the correct model number for this combo drive please?
Best wishes
Michael

How about this:
*PA3073E-1CD2*
4x CD-R, 4x CD-RW, 24x CD-ROM, 6x DVD-ROM
and it supports this medias:
CD-R (read/write), CD-RW (read,re-write), CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R (read only), DVD-RW (read only)
Greetings

Need recommendation for external DVD burner drive!

I'm one of the officers for a film club at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Recently, I discovered that we had, in our offices, a fully-functional, if not somewhat dated, iMac G4. After getting the neccessary OS X upgrades (it's now running the latest version, 10.4.8), I need to upgrade the CD drive, which is currently just a CD burner drive. It can't even play DVDs, much less burn them, both things we need to have working if we want people in our organization to be able to use this computer.
Since I don't want to physically remove the drive and replace it with an internal DVD burner drive, I'd like a recommendation for a good external one. I noticed that there's only one option on the Apple Store, the LaCie d2 DVD+/-RW Drive, and that doesn't look like it's been getting very good reviews. Does anyone have any other options I could choose from?
iMac G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Good point Keith.
I have no experience of this model but this one from OWC (a company who get very good press on these boards) promises iDVD 5 and 6 support. It's somewhat cheaper than the Lacie in the Apple store but doesn't have Lightscribe.
mrtotes

Best options for external DVD burner for MAC Pro

The internal DVD/CD burner died in my MAC Pro -
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-111D
it wasn't ever reliable so I want to replace it with an external drive so when that one dies I don't have to take my computer to the Apple store to get it replaced & the worst part being without my computer for 3-4 days.
Any suggestions on a good reliable DVD burner are greatly appreciated.

A good bootable multi-interface enclosure (empty) for an external CD/DVD drive will run about US$70.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRSFW8U2RF/
They also sell SATA drives pre-installed in that same enclosure.
Many users find installing an internal drive themselves no more difficult than doing a memory upgrade themselves.
Others prefer not to work inside their computer.
Based on your graphics card and the original drive, I expect your Mac Pro is an older model. All before 2009 accept an ATA INTERNAL drive such as this:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/superdrive/Mac_Pro_Xeon
That page also has a video of how to install a replacement DVD drive.

Differences In "Combo Drive" vs. the "Double-Layer Superdrive" ?

i was looking at the base macbooks on the apple mac website and there is two different white models and one has the "combo drive" and the other has the "double-layer superdrive". is there much of a difference?
also, on those two base models, one has a 2.0Ghz processor and the other is a 2.2Ghz... is there really going to be much of a noticeable difference?
thanks!

The difference is that the combo drive cannot burn DVD - it can only burn CD. The SuperDrive can burn CD or DVD.
Both combo and SuperDrive can play cd's and DVD's.

Can a G4 eMac take a dual-layer DVD burner?

I've been told it can't, but I'd like a second and third opinion.
Anyone know?
Thanks.
Kurt

Thanks, JMVP. But Neil's thread doesn't really answer my question. What I meant was; I intend to buy an external dual-layer DVD burner and leave the original PowerDrive in the eMac. I want the dual burner to be able to burn dual layer DVD-R disks. Somebody told me that a G4 eMac hasn't got the something-or-other to operate any kind of dual layer burner.
What you're saying is, the right kind of dual layer burner will be compatible with an eMac, OR, the right kind of eMac drive will be compatible with a dual burner?
Sorry to be dense, this is unchartered territory for me.

EMac Combo drive for a DVD burner ( superdrive)

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