My 12-inch Powerbook G4 won't read or write CDs.

If I insert a CD into my drive nothing shows up on my desktop or in the finder. If I push the eject button the icon on the screen shows up but nothing happens. The only way I can get the CD to eject is if I turn off the computer and turn it back on; then it spits it out. Help!!

For starters I'd ensure that the 'Removable Media' box is checked under Finder/Preferences and then I'd run the standard maintenance routines. OnyX works great for me (and it's free) ...
http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs2/english/download.html

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Eearly 2006 iMac Won't Read DVDs or CDs

It seems suddenly my drive won't read DVDs or CDs. These are both blank or store bought. Everything I load one, it spins, tries to read and then just spits it out. I tried the preferences turn to "ignore" and that didn't work.
Anyone know why my drive suddenly is being picky?
So frustrating...thanks in advance!

Hi Gully
Just for the record what brand(s) are you using? I ask because even if they are the same brand you always use, it could be because there from a new of different batch.
Two things you can try on the iMac are resetting the SMC and PRAM and see if that helps!
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1543
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
I burn quite a few Photo & Music CD's using both Maxell and Fujifilm CD-R's, in the five packs they have always come thru. I don't burn a lot to DVD's, but I've never found a bad Memorex DVD-R in a five pack. I know lot's of folks will swear against Memorex, but in the last 2½ years I've never found a one that the SuperDrive in my Early Core Duo would not burn. Lastly I know it cost more to buy media in the five packs instead of 25 or 50+, but I've always done that just in-case they don't work.
Dennis

Error: DVD drive won't read or write discs. TS-L633R CD-DVD drive. HP DV6-3120US notebook. Win 7.

Product Name and Number:
HP Pavillion dv6-3120us
OS
Windows 7, Home Premium. 64-bit.
Error Message
"Insert a Disc; Please insert a disc into E: drive."
Background
Pre-installed Windows 7 system on computer recognized CD/DVD ROM drive for about 3 months. Malware corrupted the OS. I re-installed the OS from the recovery drive's partition. CD/DVD ROM drive failed to read or write, and I cannot restore old files or back-up current configuration via CD/DVD ROM drive. All updates for Windows 7 and hardware drivers seem to be installed and up-to-date as of 10/4/2011.
Troubleshooting Steps
1. Tried to read audio CD. Same error message.
2. Tried to read data CD-ROM. Same error message.
3. Tried to read data DVD-ROM. Same error message.
4. Writing to DVD ROM failed. Same error message.
5. Re-loaded OS 2nd time. No change. Same error message.
6. Checked with HP Support Assistant. DVD drive is recognized, but not media. No change.
7. Checked Device Manager. DVD drive is recognized as TS-L633R.
8. Driver is cdrom.sys version 6.1.7600.16385. Clicked Update Driver, no change.
9. Tried uninstalling and re-installing the driver. No change.
10. Checked BIOS. AMD Turion II P540 Dual Core processor 2.4Ghz. BIOS appears to be up-to-date, version F.27.
11. BIOS lists CD/DVD ROM drive as bootable. Re-ordered drive to boot first and used Knoppix Linux boot disc, no change. Windows booted instead.
12. Reviewed registry for "upper filter" and "lower filter" entries. Checked registry 4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318. No upper filter or lower filter entries present. No change.
13. Ran "Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter"; it cannot detect the cd/dvd. No change.
The drive has power, spins, is recognized by Windows 7 and the BIOS. However, it will not read or write CD ROM or DVD ROM discs.
I'm out of options. What else can I do to make the cd/dvd rom drive read and write cds?
Thanks for your help. Matt
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Update:
I chatted online with Ben S. at HP tech support via the HP Support Assistant. Helpful guy. Thank you, Ben. He worked through it and his counterpart Alan is sending me a new DVD/CD drive. Ben S checked the following:
1. Confirmed that I had tried multiple discs to check different formats: DVD-R, CD-RW, audio CD, video DVD, software data CD. None were recognized.
2. CD/DVD icon appears in My Computer. Confirmed.
3. Checked Device Manager for yellow exclamation marks. None present.
4. Opened below Device Manager and checked for yellow exclamation marks. HP CDDVDW TS-L633R ATA device listed correctly. Redundant, but I understand; it's a good check.
5. Confimed the Model and Serial Number.
6. Asked whether I had done a System Recovery. I had. Twice. First time it didn't restore the drive, so I thought I'd try it again. Second time also did not restore the drive.
7. Ben S. concluded that the drive has a hardware malfunction, and offered drive replacement under warranty since I purchased in April. I should have it by Oct 17, and then I have 15 days to return the broken drive or I'm charged $80.
Alan offered an additional year of warranty service for about $100. Ben's guess on the root cause was a bad lens from stress on the DVD tray. I don't recall any stress events. I've had this laptop since April, 2011, and the drive failed at the end of September. 7 months. This surprised me considering I've got other notebook computers with drives that have lasted years and still haven't failed.
I'll check in when I get the replacement drive.

Optical Drive won't read 90% of CDs

Hey, I'm having problems with the Toshiba ODD-DVD SD-R1412 optical drive on my eMac 1GHZ where it won't read or burn 90% of CDs or DVDs. The problems started happening after the 10.4.9 update. I've tried a laser lens cleaner and it didn't work. I'd upgrade the burner but it's gonna be a royal pain to have to crack this thing open. Any suggestions to get the drives mounting again? It shows up in Apple System Profiler.

Did you upgrade to 10.4.9 via Software Update or by downloading and running the stand-alone OS X Update Combo 10.4.9 (PPC)? if the former, try the later --- while not as consistiently useful a trick as in 10.2/10.3 days, running the full Combo updater has been known to help with various oddities that crop up after an OS update. Similarly, running Disk utility -> Repair permissions on the hard drive isn't really needed after running Apple updates, but it can't hurt, and if you've ever run a third-party installer that asked for an administrative password, you definitely want to run Repair Permissions.
How old are the blank discs you're trying to burn? How were the blanks stored? Refer to the NIST's Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs (people have reported in the past storing blank CDs on top of a radiator under a window getting direct sunlight; you may want to try a few blank discs from a different spindle (say by trading blank discs with friends or co-workers).

ITunes 7 updates to a point, then gives "disk won't read or write" error

Ever since I downloaded iTunes 7.02, I have the same problem with both my old 40BG iPod and my brand-new Nano (just got it today and the same problem I was having with my old iPod occurs):
The update begins and proceeds up to 357 songs. Then I get an error message that says it can't read or write to disk.
I'm guessing this means either a damaged file somewhere or some weird spook in iTunes.
I never had a single problem with my older iPod before I downloaded the latest iTunes. I'm really puzzled that the exact same thing occurs with my brand new Nano.
What do you think? Thank you!!

I'll admit that I'm new to MAC, but have a lot of experience with iPOD's and PC's.
I had a similar problem with my PC (disk write error) and of all things, it turned out that there was not enough power running through the USB port.
As well as the iPOD, did you get any other gadgets for Christmas that are plugged in that were not before ?
My solution in the end was to get a cheap powered USB Hub, and this gave enough power for everything to run ...
I can't guarantee that this is the problem you are having, but worth mentioning anyway.

Mi Superdrive won't read any Audio CDs or DVD-R

Hello, i have read that many users may experience same problem as i. My Macbook Pro mid 2009 suddenly stopped reading any audio cds or dvd-r,it just reads DVD movies or programs, i wonder how can i fix this trouble.
Does my superdrive needs to be replaced?
Does anyone have found a way to get this solved?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers

If you are under AppleCare, ask for them to fix it.
If you are not under AppleCare, it may just need a drive cleaning. I can't recommend any specific cleaners, but do know some work, at least as long as they meet these requirements:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2446?viewlocale=en_US

IPOD - flashing red in itunes won't read or write

I seem to be having a major problem. After updating to 10.4.2 the ipod was sluggish when adding songs. My Ipod was wiped clean in itunes 5 then I had a folder with an exclamation point - followed all the advice reformatted etc. I was able to load 3 songs - 1 at a time after shut down. Now when Itunes opens the ipod is flashing red and then I get the message - can't read from or write too. What do I do?? I reformatted 3-5 time, changed fire wire ports shut down etc - still no luck.

I am not sure this will fix it, but you mentioned a photo editing program had been installed. If that was due to a new digital camera, you might try changing the drive letter assigned to the ipod. Some digital cameras and photo frames seem to "take over" certain drive letters (typically E,F,or G).
Try changing the ipod drive letter to something further down the alphabet, like M. Directions are at the end of this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1493

IMac G4 won't read or mount CDs

I have a iMac PowerPc G4 700 MHz with the original Sony CD-RW drive. It refuses to mount or read any CDs, including store-bought music CDs and the Mac OS X Tiger CDs (I exchanged them because I don't have a DVD drive).
I have tried the following fixes:
- CD lens cleaner
- switching to OS9 and checking that the CD driver extension is turned on
- logging on as a different user
- updating software
- restarting
- zapping the PRAM
- running Tiger Cache Cleaner to repair permissions and run maintenance scripts
I'm guessing that the drive is dead. I have added memory myself, but don't feel comfortable replacing an internal CD drive. The catch is I live in France, and I don't want to take my machine to the local Mac repair shop. I can't afford "down" time, and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for parts and labor.
Do you agree that the drive is dead? Should I go ahead and buy an external drive, and while I'm at it, one that reads and burns DVDs? I'm looking at ordering a LaCie DVD+RW with LightScribe. This Mac suits my current needs, and I wasn't planning to replace it in the next year. But is it worth the investment for a machine that I bought five years ago?
Thanks!
iMac PowerPc G4 700 MHz Mac OS X (10.3.9) Sony CD-RW CRX170E

Hello and Welcome back to Apple Discussions.
Yes, go ahead with the external drive.
External drives today are:
Over twice as fast as those internal ones used in iMacs on sale today. Typically 18x versus the 8x in the Intel iMac.
Tray loading versus slot loading allows use of small and mis-shapped discs.
Optional Lightscribe capability if that appeals to you.
So there are a number of positive reasons why even if you do replace the whole iMac the drive will continue to be useful to you.
cheers
mrtotes

Imac 10, 1 won't read certain CDs

my imac , iMac10,1; Intel Core 2 Duo won't read certain bought CDS and spits them out. We can hear a whirring noise-- but not the clicking sound of the tracks being read-- and then, the CD comes out.
all software updates have been performed.
please help and thank you.

iMac Superdrives are notoriously finicky - what brand are the ones that didn't work? It could also be that the media is slightly scratched, dirty, or the printed side is not in perfect condition. My iMac (only) likes Verbatim.

Won't read selected CDs & CD-Rs

hey guys!
why is it that my iBook won't read/load selected CDs and CD-Rs which my PC can? how can i fix this problem? thanks.

I believe there are detailed instructions in the Nero user guide. Download it here http://www.nero.com/en/UserGuide_Burning_ROM6.html
and search it for "Mac".
Of course, if this doesn't help, please post back! But I hope it helps.

TouchSmart 300 Dvd Player won't read or burn DVD

My dvd player is not working correctly. I am able read and burn CDs, but the player won't read or write DVDs. I have a touchsmart 300 running Windows 7. I was trying to burn some home movies in WMA format. Movie Maker recognizes a blank DVD, and attempts to burn the DVD, but once it finishes, the disk is blank. I then tried to just burn a MPG file using another software program and it failed at the validation stage. Finally, I put a dvd movie in the drive and it wont recognize the disk. These functions used to work fine. The computer is only 15 months old, of course I only had a one year warranty.
Is there anyway this could be related to software or is it a hardware problem?

Hi,
First, try the automated fixit from Microsoft on the link below.
Windows 7
If it still isn't working, try the following.
Next, from the Start Menu, open the Control Panel and click on Device Manager. Next click to open DVD/CD-ROM Drives. Right click the drive and select uninstall. Do not delete drivers if asked. When the device has uninstalled click on the 'Scan for Hardware Changes' icon ( usually just below Help on the toolbar ). Let windows reinstall the drive and see if it now works.
Regards,
DP-K
****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
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Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Card reader works on 17 inch PowerBook but not on 12 inch

I have a Compact Flash Card reader (Zio!) that works on my 17 inch PowerBook, but on my 12 inch it does not show up on the desktop when a card is inserted.
I have another card reader (Belkin) that works on the 12 inch but it is twice as large and uses a cable. The Zio! attachs directly to the USB port.
There is probably a driver on the 17 inch that is making the card reader work. Is there a way to locate this.
I didn't have any luck finding a Macintosh driver on line.
Photoscene
PowerBook G4 17 inch, PowerBook G4 12 inch Mac OS X (10.4.7) Tiger/Panther

I went ahead and reset the Open Firmware along with the PRAM and PMU.
It didn't show in System Profiler on either PowerBook. I think I'm going to let it go. A card reader that attaches directly to a USB port without a cable will also get in the way of the other ports.
I have the Belkin USB card reader that reads any card. I'm going to be upgrading to a Sandisk Firewire reader just CF cards.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=446772 &is=REG&addedTroughType=search
Thanks for the help.
Photoscene
PowerBook G4 17 inch, PowerBook G4 12 inch Mac OS X (10.4.7) Tiger/Panther

Could NOT move my 12-inch Powerbook G4 battery. what can I do?

After I realised that my 12-inch Powerbook G4 battery is too hot. One of my friends told me that there is a "PowerBook G4 Battery Exchange Program", but I could not remove the battery from my PowerBook. I took my PowerBook to the computer department within my college, but all the Computer guys (including a ACTC) could NOT remove the battery.
As you all know it is a very simple step for removing the battery, but I could not.
I can not view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of my battery, because nobody can remove the battery from the computer.
I called the shop where I bought the PowerBook, they said the only way they can do it is: take the battery by force (the case would be broken), then use a new case, but I have to pay several hundred Australia dollars.
What can I do?
I am in Melbourne, Australia. I bought the Powerbook at November 2004.
Regards

This sounds like a defect and not something that would be caused by a user. I would call AppleCare and ask them what to do under these circumstances. If it is out of warranty and they refuse to do anything, ask to be transfered to Customer Relations. Be polite but firm and explain that this is just a weird occurance and not related to something you did. How could it be? Hopefully they can find a way to unstick it, either by talking to them or by sending it in. In addition if your battery is heating up, they may replace it due to that fact alone. Try to find a way to measure the heat it put outs before calling in. Hopefully this will work for you!

12 inch or 15 inch Powerbook?

Some general advice/guidance here would be much appreciated. Having sold some gadgets on ebay over the past 2 weeks I now have about £500 to spend and I want to get either a 12 inch or 15 inch Powerbook, mainly for taking out and about for email and browsing but hey who knows if I come to love it then it may well get used for more stuff. I just don't fancy a MacBook and although no doubt they are better and faster I don't want to spend the extra £200 or so on one...I just prefer the look of the aluminium PowerBooks.
Should I go for the 12 or 15 inch? Is there any point in paying slightly more for the larger size? Is it better made or better specced or a nicer user experience than the 12inch? The smaller size is obviously more portable but often there can be a trade off...any help advice gratefully received!!

You can compare the specifications of both at http://support.apple.com/specs/#powerbook
A few observations ... the screen on the 15" is a higher quality screen, if I remember correctly the 12" was shared with the iBook. The 15" model can have 2GB memory vs 1.25GB in the 12" model. Hard drives are typically larger in the 15" Powerbook. 15" Powerbook has the faster Firewire 800 port that the 12" model doesn't have. Both have Firewire 400 ports.
There have been recalls on Powerbooks, you may want to verify if the one you're interested in was fixed under a recall, and you check at http://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/powerbook.html. Also, if you're considering one with the extended Applecare warranty, the owner can transfer it to you for it's duration.

Apple 20-inch with a 12-inch Powerbook = Constant Fan

Just picked up a 20-inch display for use with a 12-inch Powerbook.. I also have an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse that I use.. The fan runs constantly when the powerbook is connected to the Apple Display.. Can anyone confirm if this is normal or if I should be worried.. Thanks

Just received a 20" ACD yesterday. I also purchased a Targus Chill Pad (USB-powered fan stand) having read that 12" PBs run hot with 20" ACDs, and I really like the combination. One possible solution to the heat generation might be to avoid using the USB and FW hubs on the ACD - I don't have mine plugged in and my PB has remained nice and cool - same temps. as before hooking up the ACD (~125 F for the graphics processor, according to Temperature Monitor). I haven't heard the PB's fan go on once, and I can barely hear the fans of the Chill Pad - I'd recommend that as a 25 dollar solution to people experiencing the overheating. I don't know if the lack of hub usage is keeping the heat down, but that may also be something others want to try.

My 12-inch Powerbook G4 won't read or write CDs.

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