Optical Drive

My optical drive stopped working. The computer can't find that I have one. I had a Lacie external hard drive connected and started to have problems with backup so I disconnected. I forgot to "eject" it first. Since then my optical drive disappeared. When I stick in a cd/dvd absolutely nothing happens. Any suggestions?

I am having a similar problem (minus the external hard drive). When I insert a disc into the optical drive, absolutely NOTHING happens. The drive does not even swallow my disc. I have to push the inserted disc with another disc so that it springs out of the drive enough for me to pull it out with my fingers (their is no resistance from the computer here).
I've tried:
Using various discs
Restarting my computer
Waking it up from sleep
Resetting the SMC
No luck so far. My Hardware Overview is not showing any disc burning device. I've already had the optical drive replaced once (by Apple). I'm hoping it will not come to that again. HELP!
Thank You

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    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).
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    Try another disc to see if the issue is being caused by a specific disc.
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    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.

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