Installing new dvd drive in Mac Pro 3,1

I've had just about enough of this old optiarc dvd burner. I've tried to burn 3 verbatim SL dvd-R last night, and I got the message about couldn't calibrate laser power for this device. I have tried to burn at 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x with no success. I used to be able to burn discs sucessfully, but not anymore. I know this is an ATAPI drive aka P-ATA, and drives of this kind aren't exactly easy to find. I was told that there is a S-Ata port or two in my Mac pro, but that it's a real pain in the tush to get at and connect a cable to.. So, any help welcomed
OS 10.6.8, 6 gigs ram, Nvidia 8800 GT video card, if that helps
thanks
John B

couldn't calibrate laser power for this device.
That message is code for, "you are using the wrong discs for this drive". There appear to be several series that use different speeds, and they are NOT compatible. I expect you are using discs that are too "modern" for your older burner, such as 8x discs in a 2.5x burner.
That error message is unbelievably un-helpful and obscure.

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Fitting new DVD Drive in Mac Pro (Intel 4 Core)

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Was wanting to add a second DVD writer to my Mac Pro, namely the Pioneer DVR-115D. I assume some modifications are required to get the DVD to pass the tray through the smaller eject slots in the Pro case.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just installed a second drive in my new Mac Pro 2.8 X2. I could not get the bottom drive to come out at all with the eject button. Then I came here where I should have come in the first place and low and behold there is the answer. The "OPTION" key. Sometimes it is the simplist things that can drive you mad. Thanks Malcolm.

Installing new hard drive in Mac Pro - question about compatibility.

I'm looking to install an extra internal hard drive in my 2009 Mac Pro, but I need to know if there are any compatibility issues with newer hard drives. I am looking at the Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_g147_i1?pf_ rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1HY9SF4S3JFEA79TK610&pf_rd_t=101&pf _rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
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Any SATA drive
About urls:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/
is all that is needed.
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Install 2nd DVD Drive in Mac Pro 1,1 or 3,1

Would anyone have info on installing a 2nd optical drive in either the 1st-Generation or 3rd Generation Mac Pro? Seems ticky to open the optical compartment open. Thanks.

The instructions can be found here: http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA177/en_US/MacPro_OpticalDrive_DIY.pdf
Edit: Note, you need to remove the bezel off of the drive drawer before installing. And make sure you keep the latch on the back of the computer in the up position, it locks the drive carrier in place when in the down position. It can take some wiggling and effort to get the drive carrier out.

Just installed new hard drive in mac book pro 15", when trying to boot OSX from original disk I still get a folder with a question mark in it. How can I reinstall the OS?

Can't seem to get my mac book to boot from the CD after installing new hard drive.
I keep holding down "c" while restarting the machine with the disk in but it just keeps ejecting the disk and giving me a folder with a question mark.

If your on 10.5 with a Intel Mac, I think Apple has jinxed the firmware so you can't boot from the 10.5 disk anymore.
So far several people, myself included, can't boot from a 10.5 OS X disk on a Intel Mac.
Your going to have to buy a 10.6.3 Snow Leopard retail disk, it's wayyy better than 10.5 anyway, faster and most stable even better than Lion. Have to buy iLife though as it doesn't come on the 10.6.3 retail disks, only free with grey disks.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

Installed new DVD drive, now iBook will not charge

Hi guys,
I'm a long-time Mac user, and this is the first time I've had any problems so I'm new to this board. I had a bit of a look around, both on this forum and the FAQs, and this appears to be a unique problem.
Basically, for a while my iBook CD drive was spitting out CDs, as per a common problem which I was not able to resolve. Eventually the tray broke and it would not click back into place, and so I was left with an iBook with a CD tray constantly popped out.
I ordered a new DVD drive/burner that claimed it would fit an iBook, and when it arrived I pulled apart my laptop and installed it. Everything appeared to be in order, until I tried to plug in the AC adaptor.
The orange light goes on for about 10-15 seconds, then slowly fades away to nothing. If I unplug and plug it back in straight away, I get no light and no charge. If I wait 15 minutes, the orange light goes back on but once again fades after a short period of time.
My first thought is that perhaps the DVD drive is incompatible/drawing too much power, but I can't figure out how this would affect the charger, and why the problem would persist whether the power is on or off.
Has anyone encountered a problem like this? I don't hold much hope that this will be fixed without expensive surgery, but I'd like to try
iBook G3, PowerPC G5, iPod Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi Ronda, thanks for the response. I've pulled it apart a couple of times and have put it back together via the instructions I downloaded on the internet both times, and have had the same problem. To be honest, I can't answer that! I'll have to pull it apart this afternoon again to check.

Need to install external dvd drive on mac book pro

My internal DVD drive has quit, so I purchased an apple external DVD drive. How do I get me mac book pro to recognize and install it?

Hi chrisweide,
Mac computers that shipped with a built-in SuperDrive may not be compatible with the external Apple SuperDrive:
Mac computers: Apple USB SuperDrive and MacBook Air SuperDrive compatibility
Regards,
- Brenden

Cant install mountain lion on a new hard drive 2011 mac pro 17"

for some reason I bought the infamous 2011 mac pro, and the hard drive kept having IN/OUT problems and after it destroyed half day of work, I decided to get a new hard drive, *blue WD 500g" but i have tried EVERYTHING and i just cant install mountain lion on it.
1.- i tried forcing the recovery mode so It would connect to the internet and download mountain lion but after 10 min or so i trows the -2002f error at me
2.- I tried to use the old hard drive that i put on a external hard drive reader so I could get the recovery partition but i just keep restarting the installation no reason given
3.- downloaded the mountain lion and tried to installing it on the system hard drive of the laptop trough a computer running snow leopard but dosn't let me.
4.- tried the same thing on target mode without success
5.- using the recovery partition I used disk utility to se of the partition was locked but it was not
6.- created a different partition to see if it would install it there didn't work.
i just don't understand why
any toughs?
if you answer this you would be a personal hero of mine
cheers

Make Your Own Mavericks, Mountain/Lion Installer
After downloading the installer you must first save the Install Mac OS X application. After the installer downloads DO NOT click on the Install button. Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the installer. Move the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes installing.
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Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
After DU loads select your flash drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the leftside list. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list.
Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to an hour depending upon the flash drive size.
Use DiskMaker X to put your installer clone onto the USB flash drive.
Make your own Mavericks flash drive installer using the Mavericks tool:
You can also create a Mavericks flash drive installer via the Terminal. Mavericks has its own built-in installer maker you use via the Terminal:
You will need a freshly partitioned and formatted USB flash drive with at least 8GBs. Leave the name of the flash drive at the system default, "Untitled." Do not change this name. Open the Terminal in the Utilities folder. Copy this entire command line after the prompt in the Terminal's window:
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     /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction
Press RETURN. Enter your admin password when prompted. It will not be echoed to the screen so be careful to enter it correctly. Press RETURN, again.
Wait for the process to complete which will take quite some time.

Installing three SSD drives on Mac Pro

Hello,
I followed the advice given here and bought 3 Samsung 840 SSD drives for my Mac Pro. Two of them are 120GB and one is 250GB.
I also purchased a Tempo SSD Pro 6GB/s SATA PCIe Drive. Only one of them (that holds two SSDs.)
I plan on using:
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     • one SSD for a PS scratch disc
     • one SSD for the photoshop, premiere pro, and after effects files I'm currently working on.
I figured I'd keep the 1TB HDD currently used in the computer to store all my other files.
I also have a 1TB seagate extrenal HDD that I would like to set up as a back up or time machine.
Does this sound good?
If so, which SSD do I install in my regular sliding drawer bay? I have 2.5" - 3.5" adapter.
Which two do I install on the PCIe card?
Which on do I use for what?
As you can see I'm clueless. Lol
Here are my specs before adding the SSDs.
Mac Pro
Mid 2012
Processor 3.33 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon
Memory 48 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 ECC
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024 MB
Software OS X 10.8.4 (12E55)
Storage 1TB Sata disc (423.26GB free),
               1TB External USB Disk freeAgent GoFlex Drive (988.58 free)
P.S. I'm unsure about being able to install my current O.S. on the new SSD. When I bought the Mac Pro it had an older version of OS on it with a free download of the new OS. So the disc will only have the older version. Will I have to pay for the newer one or can I somehow copy it from the current HDD drive it's installed on?
Thank you so much. You have already been a HUGE help in the past posts and look forward to your wisdom. 8 )
Matt

Clone the system to the SSD you plan to use for system.
How much disk space is your system using now? w/o incl. anything in /Users, so just system.
If your system uses 60GB you want to use the 240GB SSD.
I think 120GB is on small side for scratch alone.
move projects to scratch array when you want to work on them: "Work disk + scratch" is fast. Then move them off the array, erase the array, and start a new project.
I would try the 2 x 120 SSDs on PCIe 6G as scratch and see how it feels and works.Try and test. No harm. I think that is what most people do, they experiement and try out different setups to find the one that works best for them.
Important: Have a clone of the system and be ready to restore or move it around as needed.
Install TRIM Enabler of course.
SSD Maintenance
Samsung recommends setting aside 10% for over-provisioning.
Their Windows utility, shame there isn't a Mac version.
#2: Try system on 120GB in drive bay with an adapter
With that then use the other two on the Tempo.
Those could be one large 360GB volume JBOD.
You will have to see how much your scratch space gets used.
I would have argued for 3 x 240GB SSDs. More flexible. Better SSD design - slightly. Adds $140 to the price, even if you had to wait to get 3rd one;
#3 get 2 x 240GB for scratch and projects and 1 x 120GB for system (if your system is less than 50GB)
I doubt you will find the difference of the system on the Sonnet Tempo a deciding factor.
The Sonnet Tempo Pro is for higher I/O RAID, both Tempo cards support 2 x SSDs (I have the cheaper one)
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-120GB-internal-MZ-7TD120BW/dp/B009NHAF06/
PS: You have Mountain Lion. Buy Carbon Copy Cloner and it will clone the system and create the recovery volume also so you should not need to redownload 10.8.x - and you do not need the DVD with 10.6.4 again.

Unable to access 2nd HD after installing new DVD drive...stumped

OK have a Mac Pro late 2009, superdrive was acting funny, errors burning DVD's, so I installed a Pioneer DVD I got from Macsales. As soon as I did that, I started getting a grey bar on boot up. Come to find out, the Western DIgital 3tb drive I installed (WD30EXEZ) that I partiioned with Disk Utilities for a Working drive for bootcamp was unreadable, from Lion with Paragon NTFS.. I have two of them, the 1st I set up with a couple OS X partitions and as HFS working disk.Seems to be working fine, I think? My bootcamp (Winblows 7) is on the 640 WD SSD that came with the Mac. Disk Utilities comes up with an error when I verify the NTFS partition but not the drive itself but I a unable to repair it, Winblows 7 sees the drive but can't access it.So I am trying to figure out what went wrong and how to repair the file system. My Mac Pro was purchased Mar 2010 and was nto the primary box, I opted to use my Dell before I gave it to my son.
On to the next problem
I pulled the drive out and hooked it to my sons (Dell) and running testdisk on it via Hirens Boot CD.
Now when I boot the Mac I get the grey bar on the boot which tells me something else is wrong...
any and all help is requested...
thanks

hard to fully understand
Where is Windows 7?
Do you have Paragon latest? never had trouble.
3TB drives with GPT and used as data for Windows? The term "boot camp" means little or too many different things. Drivers, Windows on Mac, but not much else.
I would never repair NTFS with Disk Utility unless Paragon endorses such action.
3TB Greens do seem to give a number of Mac Pro owners grief. Shouldn't but then who knows except WD and Apple may or may not be talking and sharing.
I'd format the drive in Windows, or format the NTFS part. I do use GPT and NTFS for Windows data drives w/ no problem.
WD makes a 640GB SSD? news to me. Can't be. Would check Saturday though. And Apple over-states size/capacity especially when it comes to SSDs. So Apple OEM'd SSD with WDC lable, right? or wrong?
SSDs are an issue unto themselves lately with SATA3 models / firimware.
Boot from Windows.
Pull drives and leave just the one(s) for Windows; or, the one(s) used by OS X - would be a start.
I would only use WD Lifeguard on the drive... whether on your Mac or the Dell.
That is the best this late.

External DVD drive in Mac Pro

I've installed an older external DVD drive, internal in my Mac Pro.
I see now that there is slight different in the design of the shuffel. Is it possible in any way to make my old drive, open the 'front door'?
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Did you remove the front piece from the drive tray? It should unclip easily. Also, there are two different sets of mounting screws, depending on the brand of drive, to set the correct height, so the tray will open the case door. You may be able to adjust the tray height by loosening the front or rear screws.

Using G5 HD and DVD Drive in Mac Pro

I just ordered a Mac Pro to replace my G5/Paperweight.
G5 is the Dual 2.5Ghz model w/ 160G HD and the Superdrive. According to the Apple Store I brought it to when it crashed, the HD from the G5 is fine (the MoBo went though) as is the Superdrive. Are these compatible with the Mac Pro? What about jumper settings?

As long as the hard drive is a SATA drive it is fully compatible with a Mac Pro. The optical drive should work as well. If there already is an optical drive installed then you may need to jumper the drive for CABLE SELECT if it isn't already so configured.

How to install new hard drive on Macbook Pro

My hard drive failed and I am no longer able to boot up the Macbook. If I go and buy a new hard drive and replace it with the broken one, what will happen when I turn it on. It will be a brand new drive with nothing on it. Will it automatically start installing OS X on it or do I need anything else?
Thanks!

It'll display a blinking question mark and/or automatically start from Apple's servers. What needs to be done depends on the computer's model.
If it originally shipped with 10.6.8 or earlier, insert a compatible install DVD and press the C key.
If it originally shipped with 10.7 or newer or was upgraded to use Apple's Internet Recovery system, press the Option, Command, and R keys if needed.
Install the OS.
(125849)

Install new hard drive into MacBook Pro?

I have a MacBook Pro from early 2008 and I've just run out of space on the 200GB hard drive which came with the computer.
I've read in a few forums that a 1TB hard drive WILL fit in this computer, and in some other forums I've heard that it won't, because it's too big. A terabyte would be ideal as I'm a media student and use this computer for literally everything.
However, if the Terabyte won't work, I'd be happy to live with the 750GB version of it. I'm looking at the Western Digital Scorpio Blue ones at the moment.
Now, my question is this; Will my computer be able to handle the new hard drive? Or should I just buy a 1TB external, run everything off that, and just upgrade the RAM?
I'd also look at getting a cooler mat for my computer if that would help.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Refer your guy to this:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western%20Digital/WD10TPVT/
"Description: 1.0TB WD Scorpio Blue 5200RPM SATA 12.5mm HD with Advanced Format Technology - Fits all Apple MacBook/MacBook Pro 'Unibody' Models (13/15/17"), *MacBook Pro 'pre-unibody' 17",* and PC Laptops which support 12.5mm SATA Drives. New with 3yr WD Warranty. (WDGWD10TPVT)"
OWC is one of the most reliable online vendors of Mac-related stuff. You can believe that description.
The confusion arises from the fact that Apple says the height limit for drives in all MBPs is 9.5mm. Obviously Apple doesn't support the use of thicker drives in them, but in fact they do fit and work in some models, as the quote above describes.

Creating A New Boot Drive For Mac Pro Desktop

I have a Mac Pro 1,1 using Lion:
I would like to create a new and bigger boot drive but having not done this before I would appreciate any direction that would make this as painless as possible. I will continue to use Lion but am a little lost when it comes to doing this with the download process of Lion as well as transferring what has been created on the current HD in the MacPro. I have a new WD Black 2 TB SATA that I would like to use as the new boot drive. Again, thank you for the help.

Don't. Use. 2TB for system. Seriously.
Use that for data.
Get yourself a $89 Samsung 840 120GB instead along with Icy Dock $15. You will. Love it.
You don't need a large drive for the system. All you need to do is MOVE all the data and media files and every thing else, just leave the small 4GB /Users/myuseraccount/Library on the boot drive with the OS and apps. Everything else gets off loaded.
Leave your drive you ahve now as is for backup. Move data and clone the system.
Clone your system:
How to Clone a Volume
Using Cloning as a Backup Strategy
See also Erasing a Drive, How and Why to Partition a Drive, RAID.
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/7032/carbon-copy-cloner
Using Cloning as a Backup Strategy
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-HowToClone.html
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-partition-your-hard-drive-on-mac-os -x-snow-.html
http://pondini.org/OSX/DU.html
How to relocate system and user data to another drive:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4337http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-move-the-home-folder-in-os-x-and-why/To successfully relocate your operating system, user accounts and data from one storage device to another, meet the following conditions:
The destination storage device (SSD drive or hard drive) you are migrating to should be physically located in the same computer. Moving operating system files from one computer to another computer using software not specifically designed for that computer can cause issues due to software, hardware, and firmware version mismatches.
Always back up your storage device with Time Machine or Disk Utility before you start.
Icy Dock $15
http://www.amazon.com/2-5-3-5-Ssd-sata-Convert/dp/B002Z2QDNE/
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 128GB
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7TE120BW/dp/B00E3 W15P0/
2x2GB FBDIMM DDR2 667MHz @ $25
http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-PC2-5300-FB-DIMM-APPLE-Memory/dp/B002ORUUAC/

Installing new dvd drive in Mac Pro 3,1

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