Macbook optical drive cycling

Recently did a clean install of Tiger and upgraded to Snow Leopard. Ever since the upgrade the Optical drive has been cycling on about once a minute. The screensaver won't engage because of this. When I shut the lid I can still hear the motor spin up every minute. The only thing that I've found that prevents this is doing a full shut-down.
No apps are open when this happens.
Any ideas?

Here are Apple's troubleshooting steps......
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2801

Similar Messages

MacBook optical drive has started making noises at wake and restart

This MacBook is about 5 months old and the optical drive has just started making noises at wake from sleep, or at restart. There is no disc loaded in the drive, but the noise is as though a disc has been inserted in the drive and it is attempting to read it. This goes on for about 5 to 10 seconds, then stops.
The optical drive seems to work fine, reads CDs and DVDs no problem. This isn't a glaring issue, I'm just trying to determine if it is the precursor to a mechanical problem, or is possibly some sort of software glitch. Thanks for help if this rings a bell with anyone.

I posted this to a different thread earlier today. I will add that most of the experience I've had with this issue is in Tiger or Leopard. I don't think I've seen it yet with Snow Leopard. My instincts tell me it is more of a hardware issue than a software/OS issue. (Just my $0.02.)
I have seen this many times. (I support 100+ Mac Laptops, most are 13" MacBooks.)
Just to clarify, MacBook optical drives do normally make some quiet noises when waking from sleep.
When there is a CD or DVD in the drive, there are some soft sounds, and then you hear the disc spin up. When there is not a disc in the drive you hear a different sound. I assume it is relating to checking for a disc in the drive. To me, it sounds exactly the same as the quiet sounds you hear right before the "Good Chime" when you power up.
BUT, sometimes MacBooks make a much louder noise, that is similar the sound you hear when you insert or eject a CD or DVD, only sort of "doubled". Usually you hear it when waking from sleep, but I have also experienced it happen intermittently when the MacBook is turned on, under normal use, or not being used (but not sleeping or waking from sleep).
In the past, I have sometime cured it with a reset of the SMC and PRAM. This has not always worked. I have also seen it disappear after inserting a disc into the drive. Most of the time, the sound has returned some time later. I have called Apple on this issue several times, and sent the MacBook in for repair. My memory is that they have replaced the optical drive under AppleCare.
I will add that I have recently seen this Knowledge Base Article (below), with instructions for "resetting" the optical drive on a MacBook Pro, but it did work for me on a MacBook 13". Insert a disc halfway, take it back out, then put it in all the way.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2839
Past experience tells me not to be surprised if the noise resurfaces. My advice is call Apple if you have AppleCare, or if the MacBook is under one year old.
Good Luck.

Disk in Macbook optical Drive not showing so cannot eject it

I put a DVD into the optical drive of my Macbook Pro and, at first, it worked normally, playing the DVD and displaying the disk on the Desktop, but now it doesn't display on the Desktop, so I can't eject it.
I've tried logging off and on again and restarting the computer, but the disk will not display.
Please, how do I eject this disk?

Five ways to eject a stuck CD or DVD from the optical drive
Ejecting the stuck disc can usually be done in one of the following ways:
1. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the left mouse button until the disc ejects.
2. Press the Eject button on your keyboard.
3. Click on the Eject button in the menubar.
4. Press COMMAND-E.
5. If none of the above work try this:
Open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder. At the prompt enter or paste the following:
/usr/bin/drutil eject.
If this fails then try this:
Boot the computer into single-user mode. At the prompt enter the same command as used above. To restart the computer enter "reboot" at the prompt without quotes.

New Macbook optical drive is...selective.

Hi there,
I was hoping you could help me out. I just got my new Macbook delivered to me a few days ago and it seems my optical drive is having issues.
It will read:
- burnt audio CD
- regular dvd (Nirvana Unplugged)
- burnt dvd (Data...House ep's)
It won't read:
- burnt data CD (with programs on it...)
- burnt data CD (with a video on it...)
Anyone else having this issue or know what could be up? It's really frustrating...
Many thanks for taking the time to read this.
Alisaan

Update - took the Macbook to the apple store and they agreed I had a wonky optical drive so they put my hard drive into a new Macbook.

MacBook Optical Drive Does Not Show in Disk Utility

Hi Everybody,
So I put a CD in my CD/DVD drive on my white 2009 Macbook and it made a funny sound. The CD did not register with the system. And when I open Disk Utility, it doesn't recognize the optical drive at all.
Is there anything I can do?
Many thanks!

Can you or did you eject the cd? Then check apple (upper left corner) about this mac/ more / serial- ata in left panel. Does it show there. Recheck disk utilities and see if it is now there. No? Restart holding down command/option/p/r/ for three chimes. Try another cd. Same? shut down and do SMC reset. Remove battery if you can and power cord hold down start button for 10 seconds. If battery is not removable hold down command/option/shift while pressing down the start button for 10 seconds. Restart and retry. If still no drive showing, the optical drive is most likely bad.

Macbook optical drive help, please?

My Macbook's optical drive won't accept CD's. It spits them back out. And for DVD's, it just makes a loud noise and vibrates and doesn't spit them out. So then I have to restart my computer and hold the eject button to get them out. Please help, I just got new CD's and movies for Christmas and am dying to play them. Thanks.

Here are Apple's troubleshooting steps......
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2801

Macbook optical drive same as MacBook Pro?

I have an optical drive from a Macbook that I want to put into my Macbook Pro. Is this the same drive?

Superdrives, yes, fixed many of them (Panasonic made)
1. Disc ejects after several seconds its a dirty laser diode lens (7 times out of 10)
2. ejects immediately its a damaged loader (also usually makes nasty loader arm noises)
VERY ODD you have 2 not working at the same time....
Your indication is a dirty laser diode lens on one and a damaged loader on the other (possibly,....online diagnosis is less than perfect)
Fixing these is both fairly good news.
good news is a NEW one is only $40 if out of warranty (not including the cost of someone to install it for you)
Superdrive are a hair complex inside mechanically, .....fixing them is usually a "what for" for most part, since a new one is only $40
you have options for Apple to replace it or another if you are out of warranty (most likely)
if you have a mere dirty laser lens, this 'fix' is very simple.
Contact Apple about the cost to replace your Superdrive including labor.
Superdrive

Dropped Macbook - optical drive won't work

Any one know what the cost would be for Apple to replace a superdrive in a Macbook? I just dropped mine, and the optical drive is the only thing affected - constantly tries to read a disc, can't eject it, etc.
Just looking for what it would cost....

OK, called the 2 local places (Apple authorized): First told me $129 for the drive + 1.5 hours labor at $69. Not too bad.
2nd place - told me $350 - ONLY if the drive wasn't damaged (Huh?). They said something about the drive being refurbishable by Apple was the only way they could do it. If it was damaged beyond what Apple would accept, would be $100 additional.
So - for now.....I took the system apart, and finally got the disc out, so the grinding stopped. So, for now, I've got a QUIET dead drive at least.
I plan on looking for a replacement drive and doing it myself. Thanks to all for helping!

Macbook optical drive/ out of alignment?

I was just about to burn a DVD when I realized my computer wont take the disk
theres no disk in it. It appears I could force the disk in but I dont want to do that.
Is it out of alignment? is that covered in the standard apple warranty?
This happened on my previous iBook and the tech guy said it was my fault (I bent something?), but it was so easy he fixed it for free.

Try rebooting your machine. I have had the drive mechanism get stuck and rebooting made it cycle. If this happens often you should get it serviced.

MacBook optical drive burns DVDs and CDs very slowly

When I burn DVD or CD in Mac OS everything flows normally. DVD 4,7 Gb takes about 15-2o minutes, verifying included. When I try to do the same in the Windows XP platform, it last more than one and half hour. I use Nero burning software. Does anybody has similar troubles or some solutions for my issue.
Boris

Thank you very much for your answers. Well, you know, I'm from Europe and I'm used to use Windows for several years. My MacBook is my wedding present and It's one beautifull, good and quality "gadget". I saw many good and intuitive solutions in Mac OS, but I simply don't have enough time to learn a new operating system. So, I made a 100Gb big windows partition and everything works just fine, except unnormal lenght of DVD writing. I also suspect that my problem has something to do with the drivers supplied by Apple for the drive, but one of the guys on our forum has MacBook Pro and no problems with writing DVDs in windows. So ... what can I do. Buy an external drive? It's a non sympatic idea at all . Thx anyway, if you maybe know, how could I get appropriates drivers for Windows ... I'd appreciate it a lot.
Sorry, if I make grammar mistakes, my residence is Slovenia, Europe

Optical drive endlessly cycles after upgrade.

After upgrading to snow leopard, when closing my laptop (not shutdown, but sleep), my optical drive "cycles" (or sounds like it is trying to eject a disc) persistently. It does this about every 1-1.5 minutes.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Michael Dixon2,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
In order to troubleshoot this issue where the optical drive does not accept discs, please follow the steps below.
Doesn't accept discs
Be sure to check your disc to make sure it is flat. You can check this by putting the disc upside-down on a flat surface. If the disc is bowed up on any side or in the center, do not use the disc because it might get stuck in the drive. Do not use discs that have anything attached to them or dangling from them (such as "sweeper" or cleaning discs).
If the drive struggles when you put in a disc or stops part-way, carefully look at the disc for labels that may be interfering. If there aren't any raised labels then try putting the disc in a few more times.
Try another disc to see if the issue is being caused by a specific disc.
Make sure you insert the disc far enough for the drive mechanism to activate. You need to insert discs nearly all the way before the drive will activate and pull them in. If you don't completely insert a disc, the drive will reverse and push the disc back out.
Allow the drive one or two seconds to accept the disc while it is fully inserted.
Reset the System Management Controller (SMC).
If the drive repeatedly does not accept discs, contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, or make an appointment with an Apple Retail Store.
Apple Computers: Troubleshooting the slot-loading SuperDrive - Apple Support
Cheers,
Alex H.

Defunct optical drive

My Macbook optical drive is dead. Does anybody know what work around options I have....can I use a drive on another computer linked to the macbook...can I load software from an external hard drive. I am aware I can get an external optical drive and will probably do that....but I might get a new macbook, so I would like to save those $$ if I do that. Any help appreciated

I might also add, your profile says you have 10.5.3. If that's on your MacBook, then you don't have an Aluminum MacBook, and have an older MacBook, and should have posted here:
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1172
If your question is regarding an Aluminum MacBook, just released less than a month ago, Target Disk Mode is not supported and only a USB optical drive from http://www.macsales.com/ will work.
The MacBook Pro however, will boot off both Firewire and USB optical drives and does support Target Disk Mode. This is why it is important you more clearly identify your Mac in your profile. I'll gladly finish helping you here either way, just please clarify which Macs you are using.

MacBook Pro Repeatedly Loads Purple & Teal Stripe, Gray, Light Blue, Bright Blue and Bright Blue Stripe Screens Instead of OS after Optical Drive Replacement by Apple (PICTURES INCLUDED)

17 inch March 26-29 (order date – shipping date) 2011 MacBook Pro, 256GB Solid State Drive, 2.3 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, 1 processer, 4 Cores, 256 KB L2 Cache per core, 8 MB L3 Cache, 8 GB Memory (8GB 1333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB), AMD Radeon HD 6750M Video Card, Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 512 MB total of VRAM. 110 GBs of free/unused disk space remaining.
Full Specs are in subsequent post.
The issues described in the title continue even after I’ve reinstalled the operating system twice (Snow Leopard) and installed Mavericks (which is working fine and even faster). I’ve tried many commands to repair this.
If anyone has experienced any of the symptoms above or below, your advice and response will be much appreciated as well as marked. These are the details:
My Early 2011 MacBook Pro has had the typical blue screens, screen freezes and graphics issues since I bought it about three years ago but nothing like this and NEVER any load issues until about a month ago. That was when my superdrive replacement was put in.
Since then my MacBook Pro will go into hard freezes or kernel panics. Then I’ll have to power it down manually and power it up manually. It’ll then refuse to load the OS until after multiple tries. It started out just 2 or 3, then 4 or 5, then 6-12, then 20. Now it takes over 30 boots to load the OS. These boot issues also occur even if it doesn’t freeze, i.e.: when I shut it down or restart it naturally (via the Apple menu, etc.).
95% of the time it’ll load to a gray screen instead of the OS. 4% of the time it’ll load to a light blue screen. Then there are the others: the first time this happened it loaded to the striped purple and teal screen shown in the picture. This happened the next four times then intermittently for about 5 or so more times.
It also loaded gray flickering screens. Flickering screens also occurred right before it froze and had to be manually powered down and up. Then it began to load regular gray and light blue screens and all flickering screens stopped. And then bright blue screens a couple times intermittently for a few days, sometimes with lines. Sometimes it’ll load to a blank/black screen as well. I’d reset the NVRAM and SMC but it still continued, happening multiple times a day, each time taking more and more hard shut downs and hard power ons to finally load the OS.
Until I installed Mavericks, every time it finally loaded the OS Finder began indexing. After Mavericks this has occurred 95% of the time.
After talking to Apple Support they had me do a NVRAM and SMC reset again over the phone. The MacBook Pro refused to load the entire time we were on the phone. After the call it got worse. It froze over 6 times that day and at worse took over 30 boots to load the OS.
I finally had time to deal with it the next day when it froze again. After over 25 boots it loaded and I put in the Snow Leopard OS dvd and ran Disk Utility. I verified the hard drive and it said it was fine. Repaired the disk anyway and it gave this message at the end:
“Updating boot support partitions for volume required”.
Next I tried to start in safe mode and it just hung up for hours. Then started up in single mode and it loaded the OS. It then loaded normally for three times in a row. I reinstalled Snow Leopard. Everything loaded normally. I waited an hour or so and then I downloaded Mavericks. 5 or so hours later Mavericks was installed. Everything hardware wise was fine for a day and all software issues were easily fixable incompatibilities. My Mac was even faster with Mavericks. However, Photoshop did give a perhaps relevant message:
“Photoshop has encountered a problem with the display driver, and has temporarily disabled GPU enhancements. Check the video card manufacturer’s website for the latest software.
GPU enhancements can be enabled in the Performance panel of Preferences.”
(I have OpenGL enabled in Photoshop and it was already checked when this error occurred).
Two days ago I went to Disk Utility to repair permissions while logged in to a non-admin account. Verified and repaired the disk, then verified permissions. Everything fine. After repairing permissions however, it gave a weird error box:
"Unapproved caller, SecurityAgent may only be invoked by Apple software".
The box stayed “stuck” in the Disk Utility window. My MacBook Pro then failed to do anything. I manually powered it down and up. It loaded to a gray screen with the error message box again: "Unapproved caller, SecurityAgent may only be invoked by Apple software".
It then refused to load anything else but this message box on a gray screen even after rebooting it multiple times in safe, verbose and single modes and after resetting the NVRAM and SMC. I went online with an iPad and entered in the error and got some advice. I tried to run fsck and erase the /var/folders/ via single user mode but it still loaded to a gray screen with the error message. I just decided to skip to the end and Cmd-R loaded into recovery mode and reinstalled Mavericks again. That worked: the message has not appeared since.
Some people have said this error is related to a hard drive cable failure. I know that this cable was tampered with during the optical drive replacement procedures because I watched them do it.
Everything was fine for a day. Then yesterday my MacBook Pro froze while trying to open a VLC file. It took 12 boots to load the OS. I tried single mode once and verbose mode once. 10 times it loaded to gray screens, even in those mode. A Safe boot lead to a bright blue screen. Finally reset the SMC and it loaded on the 12th time.
Just five hours ago the same thing happened except it took over 30 boots to load the OS. Single, verbose and normal boots, NVRAM and SMC resets lead to gray screens. Safe boots lead to bright blue screens with and without lines (see pictures). Finally loaded on a normal boot.
I know I should have tried safe booting, verbose, single and recovery modes, disk utility, fsck and other command methods earlier this month but in the end, these methods have not solved the problem anymore than resetting the NVRAM or SMC.
There seems to be conclusive evidence that it’s a hardware problem, stemming from last month, the FIRST AND ONLY time my MacBook Pro was opened up. Maybe it’s the hard drive cable, but it could also be the graphics card and/or logic board (something that’s always been defective on this MacBook Pro, in my opinion). Many early 2011 MacBook Pro owners have given evidence to the latter possibility online.
The first time it started it seemed to stem from me using iPhoto and Photoshop a lot. I had both running continuously for about two weeks. This is another reason for suspecting the graphics card/logic board is at fault (in addition to three years of screen/graphics glitches). And since the card is soldered to the board and the board connected to the cable...I also have serious battery draining issues, something else that got bad after the Apple Superdrive repair. And the battery is connected to the board...
Also, since downloading Mavericks, windows from every app get blurry/fuzzy when I scroll or zoom in. I have read that this is happening to a lot of folks though for various reasons.
I guess it could always be the hard drive. I just don’t know. I’m taking it in to Apple, but can't right away because it’s not local. I know they’ll be able to run a test on the hard drive. I wanted to see if anyone else has had this problem (especially the purple and teal striped screen) before they start poking around, possibly creating another problem that goes beyond my Apple Care Plan allotment.

SPECS OF MY MACBOOK PRO:
Model Name: March 26-29 2011 MacBook Pro (order date – shipping date)
Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,3
Processor Name: Quad-core Intel Core i7
Processor Speed:    2.3 GHz
Number of Processors:    1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 8 GB Memory (8GB 1333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB)
HARD DRIVE: 256GB Solid State Drive
DISPLAY: MBP 17" HR Antiglare WS Display
AMD Radeon HD 6750M:
Chipset Model: AMD Radeon HD 6750M
Type:    GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width:    x8
VRAM (Total): 1024 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x6741
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-C0170L-573
gMux Version: 1.9.24
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.573
Intel HD Graphics 3000:
Chipset Model: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Type:    GPU
Bus: Built-In
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: Intel (0x8086)
Device ID: 0x0126
Revision ID: 0x0009
gMux Version: 1.9.24
Displays
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:    C01111403GLDGKMAE
Manufacturer: DP
Device Name: bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:    0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0406
Hardware Revision: 0001
Cell Revision:    1102
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 4583
Fully Charged:    No
Charging: Yes
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 7765
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 276
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA):    -4487
Voltage (mV): 11306
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):    15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):    15
Wake on AC Change: No
Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake on LAN: No
Current Power Source: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
GPUSwitch: 2
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):    15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):    5
Wake on AC Change: No
Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
GPUSwitch: 2
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:    No
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
ID:    0x0100
Wattage (W): 85
Revision: 0x0000
Family: 0x0085
Serial Number:    0x007ad8c5
Charging: Yes
Current operating system: 10.9.3 (Mavericks) ; Installed on 6/21/14
Previous operating system: 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard); Installed 4/4/11
        Reinstalled multiple times. Last reinstall: 6/21/14

Do I really need an optical drive (external) for my MacBook Air to install Win 7 with Bootcamp?

I have a Macbook Air (11" if it matters, the tiny one) that was purchased late last year, new. I would like to install Bootcamp and be able to boot into Windows 7, 64 bit. I have a Windows 7 Professional disk, which I would have to find an optical drive of some sort to install. The Boot Camp PDF guide doesn't mention the use of any kind of USB bootable install. In fact, I often see (on Apple support pages) that an external optical drive is required for Macbook Airs.
Is this the case? If not, does anyone have any advice on how to make sure this goes smoothly? I'm a bit of a newbie to Macs. Thanks.
(Note: I didn't select my OSX operating system, but it's been updated regularly.)

Thank you Rysz, but (if you scroll up & read my original post you will discover) I don't own my new MacBook Pro...yet! I'm just researching ahead of time to help me make the decision. The customized MBP I have saved in my cart is over $3000 (incl the 3-yr support plan). So it's going to take me a little bit of research before I decide or before I can really justify the purchase.
I just wanted to be prepared for all the inevitable technical / learning-curve headaches that I will experience IF I take the plunge.   And as everyone has experienced, when you're new to and making your first purchase of a different technology, and you don't know what to expect about a purchase, you ultimately get it home, set it up and find it didn't come with all the necessary interface devices, converters or cables, etc. And of course the online purchase procedure wizard doesn't tell you or ask you what else you will need if you want to perform a specific task.
But I'm sure (if) once I do make the purchase, I will definitely be back here to pick everyone's brains! These communities are fantastic.   Thanks again!

I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro, How can I install Windows 7 without an Optical Drive?

For clarity: I have a mid 2010, Macbook Pro. I recently decided to upgrade to a Crucial SSD drive, double the ram (8 gigs), and remove the optical drive in favor of using my old drive as a back up. I am also currently running Yosemite.
I want to install Windows 7 onto my SSD, using bootcamp. Unfortunately I no longer have an optical drive installed, which makes things difficult as Bootcamp does not even give me the option to create a bootable USB.
Now, this is where things get kinda fuzzy:
MId 2010 macbooks use EFI, and are quite capable of booting from USB. How do I know? Because I booted from a USB drive in order to do a fresh install of Yosemite on my SSD.
I have read mutliple forums and threads with claims that folks have had no problems doing this on 2008 Macbook Pros running Snow Leopard. However, what seemed to be required was some clever .plist modding. I have used both text wrangler, and x-code to do this, unfortunately upon booting of bootcamp, bootcamp instantly crashes. Naturally, I can restore bootcamp because I made backups of the .plist file.
It would seem that modffying the .plist file assumes that the option to create a bootable USB device is grayed out. In my case, it is non existent.
I have also read that folks have had success using rEFIt, however rEFIt has been forked to rEFIned, and the developer of rEFIned made mention on his site that Yosemite handles booting differently than previous versions of OSX.
WIth that, I was hoping that some kind person could explain to me whats going on, what I am missing, and what I can do to make this happen just shy of tearing down my MBP and reisntalling the Optical Drive and dusting off my Win 7 disc.
Also, my Model Number/Bootrom is MBP 6,2.
Thanks in advance!

Thank you for your reply, and the information. This is what I came up with:
I added the strings as instructed, however when I went to sign the script in terminal, I was told:
/Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app: replacing existing signature
/Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app: code object is not signed at all
In subcomponent: /Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app/Contents/info.plist
Also, here are screen captures of the lines that I added. Mine are the top string entries:
Thank you for your help, thus far!

Macbook optical drive cycling

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