Help DVD Stuck

Question

I have tried restarting and other suggestions for getting a dvd out.
I need help to get the disk out.
Thanks

Answer 1

I had the good fortune to get bumped up to a higher level AppleCare tech, and he had a fix that worked for me.
First, try the things posted in other suggestions and the tech notes, e.g. restart with touch-pad mouse button held down. If the disk does not come out, this suggests that it is physically stuck rather than a software issue.
Then,
1) Restart and hold down Option until the system brings up the boot manager. (If your stuck disk is bootable, it should show as an icon. If it is not bootable, you will not see any indication of the disk, but the eject key will still function.)
2) Wait for the cursor to change from the spinning watch to the normal arrow.
3) Press the Eject key and hold it for a few seconds. The system will try to spit out the disk. If it is still stuck (it probably will be) wait until the system has finished spinning it before trying again.
4) Take a new paper match book and open the cover. Use the flat cover (the part without the matches attached!) as a thin shim.
5) Your goal is to slide it slightly into the top center of the drive so it will slip above top of the disk and make a smooth ramp to guide the disk down past the top edge of the slot.
6) Press eject again. If you have the matchbook just right and are lucky, the disk will eject.
Caveats:
--DO NOT stick the thin cardboard deep into the drive. You only want to get above the outer rim of the disk to give it a path out. 1 or 2 cm insertion seemed enough. (But the tech said he had used this technique to eject a mini-disk! Caution, because as you go deeper, there is probably more risk of jamming up a vital part of the drive.)
--Any thin strong piece of cardboard should work, as long as it is not too frayed on the edges. I started with a new match book, and it worked easily. After several tests with various disks (which showed that my problem recurs intermittently, rather than just being one bad disk, rats) the corners of my matchbook became delaminated slightly and curled. This made it much trickier to get the disk to glide out, as it caught on the corners of my matchbook. Maybe a thin glossy business card?
-- DANGER! DO NOT USE TOO THICK or TOO STIFF a card. The tech agreed that a credit card is too thick or stiff, and could damage the drive (this warning also comes from sad experience reported elsewhere in these forums)
--The matchbook technique also seems to work from the finder. I believe the tech had me do the "Option Boot" step because the system seems much less fussy about trying repeatedly to eject a disk from there than from the finder.
--The tech told me to try sliding the card above the disk. From his suggestion, I assume that disks generally catch on the top of the slot rather than the bottom. Or, perhaps the danger of hitting the lens assembly is greater if you slide under the disk? Top worked every time for me.
--My stuck disk showed up in the finder, and reappeared after each eject attempt. Thus, the system definitely knew it was there, and my drive was working fine except for the eject. If your drive is dead, all bets are off.
This is not a permanent solution; they are sending a box to return my system for repair. But I was happy to be able to retrieve my disk, and also test other disks.
Maybe a matchbook or business card will become the new paper clip.