I have an external disc drive that is not taking discs any suggestions?, I have an external disc drive that is not taking discs any suggestions?

I have an external disc drive that is not taking discs any suggestions?

what make a model external?   Did it work before with your Mac?   More details needed.
ejecting right away, damaged loader
ejecting after several seconds dirty laser diode lens
(this is the typical scenario)
Insert a commercial DVD and what happens?

Similar Messages

  • I have an existing CD edition of CS5 Master suit and want to install on my new computer that hasn't got a disc drive. Can I transfer the files using a external HD?

    I've manage to install the first part (disc 1) using this method as it runs as a remote disc but disc 2 only contains a folder called payloads and it doesn't pick it up from my external HD while running the installer (does that make sense?) Is there a way of dragging and dropping these files into Adobe Utilities some how? I just don't want to have to go buy a 'plug in' CD drive for this one thing.
    Thanks in anticipation,
    Claire

    The easiest way is to download the software from this link:
    Other downloads

  • HT4718 I have an external hard drive that I used as Time Machine Backup. I have not used it for a while and now, when I plug it in computer says:  This disc is not readable. I want to recover the backups and not erase and reformat the disc.  Thank you in

    I have an external hard drive that I have used as Time Machine backup, but not for a while. Now when I plug it in, computer says this disc is not readable.
    I want to keep the backups on it and not erase and start over.
    Thank you in advance.
    Gregor

    It sounds like something went wrong with the drive.  Did you drop it?  How long has it been sitting around unused?

  • I keep getting "error occurred while attempting to import file *******. The disc your are attempting to use is full." I have an external hard drive that I moved files over to, but apparently they're also still on my hard drive? HELP!

    I keep getting "error occurred while attempting to import file *******. The disc your are attempting to use is full." I have an external hard drive that I moved files over to, but apparently they're also still on my hard drive? HELP!

    So you have backed up the content of the computer's hard drive, too?
    That usually is a great idea since it is possible to lose use of the system
    if parts of it have accidentally been removed or get over-written, or the
    main system files get corrupted, when the hard disk drive gets too full.
    If you have not trashed the originals of your created content, that remain
    after you made copies on an external hard drive or other device, then
    that is what you'd have to do to reclaim the capacity still in use by them.
    What are specifications of the hard disk drive? The unused capacity
    verses the used, in GB? If the hard drive has less than 15 to 20%
    free or unused capacity, you could run into trouble. Mine are 40-50%
    unused hard drive space, so ample room is available for automatic
    Virtual Memory to use that capacity as temporary swap file space.
    This is helpful when the computer could use more physical RAM
    memory capacity, but doesn't have it. Or if the RAM is maxxed out
    and you can't add any more. Virtual Memory is part of OS X and the
    system automatically can use as much as is available, but it is better
    to be sure there is plenty of resources available to include chip RAM
    as well as unused or free hard drive capacity for use as VM.
    If for some reason your files in Trash won't go away when you empty
    it, you may have to restart. Be sure you have not included any System
    files in the content in the Trash, or the Mac may not start up later on.
    You may have to boot the computer from the install-restore OS X DVD
    and run Repair Disk from its version of Disk Utility, to be sure it's OK.
    I'm guessing that by now you know enough about the vintage system
    in the older hardware to figure it out, so I won't write about it now.
    In any event... hopefully you can simply trash the files, but check them
    carefully, & you may need to remove (copy to archive first) even more.
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  • I have downloaded Mountain Lion and Time Machine says that my Free Agent Goflex (Seagate) external 2gb drive cannot be used as it is read only. I tried disc utility to repair permissions but that block is greyed out. The disc verifies as being OKI

    Since installing Mountain Lion, Time Machine says says that my Free Agent Goflex (Seagate) external 2gb drive cannot be used as it is read only. I tried disc utility to repair permissions but that block is greyed out. The disc verifies as being OKI What next?

    Ok, I solved this problem! I ejected the drive and then disconnected it both from the power supply and the USB connector. I then reconnected everything and powered it up again and Then went into TM preferences and chose the drive as the backup. TM did a new backup (well over an hour) and now works as advertised.

  • I have purchased a 3TB external hard drive. I took it to the apple store. They moved all of my iTunes to the external hard drive. I still keep getting the message that my start up disc is full. Please help.

    What else can I do. All of itunes should be on the external hard drive. I think 3TB is plenty of space. Could it be my iphoto? I moved all those to the external hard drive too.

    lllaass wrote:
    Yes, you should format the HD.
    A Mac can natively write to a NTSF drive and that is what most drives com formatted with.
    You should use the Mac journaled format.
    Once again you are posting incorrect information
    Until we know what format the drive is it is impossible to state that it must be formatted - that is just a guess
    And a Mac can not Natively write to an NTSF drive - it can natively read it but can not write to it with special software
    And since formatting a drive erases it it is critical to tell users not to format until they have a positively known good backup
    The TOU for these forum state that you should test your answers prior to posting them  --  you obviously are not doing that and you advice is endangering users photos - please only post tested answers
    LN

  • I keep getting a message that my startup disc is full, even though I have moved everything I can to an external hard drive. Any idea how to fix this?

    I can't figure out what is talking up space on the memory.

    Make sure all of the files actually are deleted from the hard disk and that the trash is emptied.

  • I just had to reformat the external hard drive that houses my iPhoto library, then restore it from a backup. Now Time Machine is telling me my backup hard drive suddenly does not have the space to complete a backup. I also noticed when I go in to Time Mac

    I just had to reformat the external hard drive that houses my iPhoto library, then restore it from a backup. Now Time Machine is telling me my backup hard drive suddenly does not have the space to complete a backup. I also noticed when I go in to Time Machine, there are only about 5 backups recorded on the ext. hard drive. There were many more before. Any idea what happened and if I have to buy a new back up hard drive?

    Hallo  Kieth ,
    I am not quite ready to restore the full iphoto library , as I have days of work re - imputting titles,descriptions and enhancement . I hope that your suggestion works , as I use my Macbook basically to work with digital photography. Through time , I will need to delete my library to recover more disc space and I would hate to have to spend more time re - imputting titles and descriptions all over again .
    Thanks for your interest and advice.
    regards  - Alan

  • Hallo ,why is it that when I delete a photo ,which is backed up by time machine and western digital external hard drive , that I am able to restore the photo okay but not the titles and descriptions . I have  a Macbook 4.1, mac osx 10.5.8 . Iphoto 7.1.5 ,

    QUESTION.
    Hallo , my question is ;whenever I delete a photo and restore it through Time machine and Western digital external hard drive , I am able to restore the photo but not the titles and descriptions . Western Digital inform me that it isn't their external hard drive problem and suggest that it is an Apple software problem ?
    I am using  a Macbook 4.1 , with Mac OSX 10.5.8 . I photo 7.1.5 , last modifie4d 01/05/2010 -universal . Should I be upgrading  Iphoto ?
    I hope that someone is able to help in this matter , as i have to restore 12000 photos !
    Thanking you in anticipation.
    Alan from Wigton

    Hallo  Kieth ,
    I am not quite ready to restore the full iphoto library , as I have days of work re - imputting titles,descriptions and enhancement . I hope that your suggestion works , as I use my Macbook basically to work with digital photography. Through time , I will need to delete my library to recover more disc space and I would hate to have to spend more time re - imputting titles and descriptions all over again .
    Thanks for your interest and advice.
    regards  - Alan

  • I have a 2007 Macbook Pro that is running 10.7.5 and I am trying to use a 10.6.3 DVD to install Snow Leopard to an external hard drive.

    I have a 2007 Macbook Pro that is running 10.7.5 and I am trying to use a 10.6.3 DVD to install Snow Leopard to an external hard drive. I've followed every possible instruction on every which website. The problem is when I boot to Install disc, I am unable to choose which hard drive I'd like to install the OS on. It says that it is unable to Install and automatically takes me to Restore and suggests that I restore to Time Machine backups. Any and all help is appreciated.

    lovinlife5959,
    have you tried booting from the grey Mac OS X Install DVD that originally came in the box with your MacBook Pro? See if you can install its version of Mac OS X (either 10.4.9, 10.4.10, or 10.5.0, depending upon when it shipped from the factory) onto your external hard drive. If that works, boot from your external hard drive, run Software Update on it, and then try updating your external drive to 10.6.3 via the white Snow Leopard DVD.

  • Since I have the newest version of itunes, I can't back up like normally. The only way is to considilate files and then put them on an external drive which I don't have. Are there any other options? If I can't back up to a disc like I used to, can I inste

    Since I have the newest version of itunes, I can't back up like normally. The only way is to considilate files and then put them on an external drive which I don't have. Are there any other options? If I can't back up to a disc like I used to, can I instead just keep everything on my ipod and then if I have to get a new computer or something just download all my songs from the ipod to my new computer's itunes? Will that work? Will I still be able to keep all my songs that way?

    I'm going to assume the consolidating files does not work due to hard drive space limitations.
    Since you're moving to Windows 7, have you tried using the Windows files and settings transfer utility?  That will move everything for you to the same location on the new computer, it also allows some control over what actually gets moved.
    Alternatively, if you know the location of all of the media, it can be manually moved by copying it from the old computer to the new computer in the same location.
    Also, using the Apple article on moving the library, take a slight twist on what it says.  Move the iTunes library to the external drive, update the settings in iTunes to reflect the library being on the external drive, then consolodate it.
    The options are endless for moving the library... it simply takes a little effort to make it happen and possibly a twist on existing "standard" methods depending on your unique situation.

  • I have an older iMac 5,1 and the disc drive no longer works. I was hoping that I could the Apple USB super drive as a replacement, but the info on the super drive page says compatible with iMac 2012 or later. Does anyone know why it would not work for me?

    I have an older iMac 5,1 and the disc drive no longer works. I was hoping that I could the Apple USB super drive as a replacement, but the info on the super drive page says compatible with iMac 2012 or later. Does anyone know why it would not work for me?

    A reply to similar question (Q & As , in product page Apple Store) says:
    "...dissable the internal reader hardware from devices setup. Then plug the external usb superdrive and that's it."  Answered by Enrique T from Lima Oct  25 2013.
    If you can locate an external Apple USB 'Air" superdrive for earlier model MacBook Air, that should work. The newer one for the Air is the same as for iMac, now.
    You may be able to use other brands of external USB optical drive with your older intel-based iMac, as some of them function capably. A few should also be able to see system discs or other bootable utilities on DVD.
    Hopefully this helps.
    Good luck & happy computing!

  • HT3777 I have a Window 7 HP laptop. I want to install Snow Leopard on an external hard drive as the memory space on my laptop is very less. I have the original snow leopard disc and I think it's a retail version . Please guide me through the installation.

    I have a Window 7 HP laptop. I want to install Snow Leopard on an external hard drive as the memory space on my laptop is very less. I have the original snow leopard disc and I think it's a retail version . Please guide me through the installation in details. Can you also please let me know about this boot camp.

    You cannot. From a legal standpoint, the license agreement for OS X mandates that you run OS X only on Apple hardware. HP is not (yet) owned by Apple.
    From a technical standpoint, your HP laptop doesn't use EFI, but rather an early predecessor called a BIOS. Apple is the only vendor of consumer computer hardware that uses EFI; other vendors reserve EFI for use in servers.
    Secondly, Apple's operating systems support a rather limited number of configurations of video hardware and mainboard chipsets directly since they need only support those systems that they manufacture. You cannot use Windows software or drivers on OS X, so prior to installation, you would need to write your own hardware drivers for your laptop, create an OS X drive image on a Mac, and then modify that image with your drivers before putting it in the HP.
    It will be simpler (and legal), to simply purchase a used Mac. Apple's online store has refurbished MacBook Airs starting at $850 and Mac Minis for $700. If you go to e-bay or craigslist, you'll find used Macs for considerably less.

  • Can anyone make a recommendation on the purchase of an external hard drive for my Macbook Pro? I am currently using OS 10.6.8 because I can't upgrade until I clean out my start up disc space. I have a ton of pictures to transfer. Thanks!

    Can anyone make a recommendation on the purchase of an external hard drive for my Macbook Pro? I am currently using OS 10.6.8 because I can't upgrade until I clean out my start up disc space. I have a ton of pictures to transfer.Thanks!

    best options for the price, and high quality HD:
    Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or  $65 per TB on 2.5"
    Perfect 1TB for $68
    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
    Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim perfect for use with a notebook
    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
    2.5" USB portable High quality BEST FOR THE COST, Toshiba "tiny giant" 2TB drive (have several of them, LOT of storage in a SMALL package)    $117
    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48 /ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379182740&sr=1-4&keywords=2tb+toshiba
    *This one is the BEST portable  external HD available that money can buy:
    HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $88
    http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Mobile-Portable-External-0S03559/dp/B009GE6JI8/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383238934&sr=8-1&keywords=HGST+Touro+Mobile+Pro+1TB+USB+3.0+7 2 00+RPM
    Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"
    Hitachi is the winner in hard drive reliability survey:
    Hitachi manufacturers the safest and most reliable hard drives, according to the Storelab study. Of the hundreds of Hitachi hard drives received, not a single one had failed due to manufacturing or design errors. Adding the highest average lifespans and the best relationship between failures and market share, Hitachi can be regarded as the winner.

  • Help! I dropped my external HD and now my Macbook Pro will not recognize the drive. I have tried to repair the disk and that does not work. Please offer help, suggestions, something!

    I dropped my external HD on my hard tile floor and now the drive is not working properly. I have tried a repair in Disc Ultilies with First Aid with no such luck. It started to work then I got a message "Filesystem verify or repair failed" about 3-4 minutes into the first aid repair disk. When I plug in I get the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer message. Please I need help on restoring this drive!
    Its a simple tech pro drive 1TB.

    Unfortunately, a drive that has been mechanically damaged by a drop and can't be repaired using Disk Utility probably can't be fixed any other way either. The best you can hope for is to salvage as much data from the drive as possible using one of the data recovery utilities linked below, and then replace the drive.
    http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
    http://subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id= 1
    http://download.cnet.com/VirtualLab-Data-Recovery/3000-2094_4-10298807.html
    If you can't recover your most important data using one of these utilities, the only remaining hope is a data recovery service, which is very likely to cost $1000 or more for a 1TB drive.

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