Snowleopard broke my intern Superdrive on MacBook Pro (Original)

Question

Hello,
As by Thomas A Reed sugested (in my first thread, maybe someone can delete the one), i start a new thread, to keep it oversight and clear. Right now, i'm convinced, my case belongs to the 10.6 thread. The main threads about this problems seems to be in the Hardware MacBook Section:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1918925&start=405&tstart=0
But, because they are mixed up with other superdrive problems there. The problem itself seems to need more diversification as you'll see here.
INVENTORY:
• WHATS THE PROBLEM
• CONFIGURATION
• WHAT I'VE CHECKED
• WHY AM I SURE THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY SNOWLEOPARD?
• WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW (What to do, how to react)
WHATS THE PROBLEM:
Last sunday (the 10/4/2009), i installed 10.6 (and right after that the imediately followed software actualisation to 10.6.1). It's the first new system i installed after 10.4.11. (i was and am still happy with 10.4.11, because it is stable). Apple does not say, SL would not work to use it on a system, where another system (like my 10.4.11) is installed. Instead, they say in their manual: "If you'll install it over (what i didn't) an 10.4.10 to 10.5.x, you'll have to read the Firmwareupdate Article" that i read. It was belonging ONLY to MacBook Air's !! and thats why this specific Firmware-Update did not wanted to proceed!!. last week i've found an Apple Store in my country, where i thought i may buy and try the SL. U never know, when u'll need it one day, so i wanted to become some experience with it. So I choosed the third partition, because it was free.
Right after the installation and the software-actualisation, my superdrive began to eject all DVD's and CD's (comercials, as own burned ones) right after inserting and clicking twice. In other words, it does not accept any optical media anymore. I never had any problem with this superdrive under 10.4. But after the SL-Installation, also 10.4.11 does "NOT ACCEPT" any CD's and DVD's anymore!
CONFIGURATION:
It's a Mac Book Pro 17" Intel (Original), 2.16 Ghz Dual Core Duo, 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 10.4.11 on the first partition & 10.6.1 on a third partition, Localisation: Swiss/German.
I did My intern SAMSUNG HD format as a GUID (as the OS X Installer said it has to be, if I would like to use OS X on a INTEL-Mac) and the partitions were HFS+ journaled.
1. Partition (OS X.4.11): 49,68 GB / 11.11 GB FREE
2. Partiton (Data): 149.68 GB / 7.69 GB FREE
3. Partition (OS X.6.1): 32.97 GB / 27.46 GB FREE
The third partition was free. I used it as a spare place, for temporarly backups or cases, i need more space. Thats why i choosed it to try out 10.6.
In the System Profiler the drive is still availabe. So it's present. It says under: "Hardware/Medium brennen":
MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-846:
Firmware-Version: FQ3T
Verbindungstyp: ATAPI
Brennen möglich: Ja (Laufwerk von Apple geliefert)
Cache: 2048 KB
DVD lesen: Ja
Beschreibbare CD: -R, -RW
Beschreibbare DVD: -R, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Schreibstrategien: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Medien: Um die verfügbaren Brenngeschwindigkeiten anzuzeigen, legen Sie ein Medium ein und wählen dann „Darstellung“ > „Aktualisieren“.
and under ATA:
ATA-Bus:
MATSHITADVD-R UJ-846:
Modell: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-846
Version: FQ3T
Seriennummer:
Absteckbares Laufwerk: Nein
Protokoll: ATAPI
Einheiten-Nummer: 0
Socket-Typ: Intern
Low-Power-Polling: Ja
Ausschalten: Ja
WHAT I'VE CHECKED:
• i repaired the rights both on 10.4.11 and 10.6.1
• i started fsck (both, in 10.4.11 and 10.6.1)
• i resetted the PR-RAM
• i resetted the OF
• i resetted the System-Management (5-button, as apple suggested)
• i checked the RAM. Result: "BANK 0/DIMM0 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz OK
BANK 1/DIMM1 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz OK"
• i created new users (in both, 10.4.11 and 10.6.1), it still did not work.
• i checked for a hanging Firmwareupdate in the Account/Startup on both systems. (there was nothing)
• i tried an old CD-Cleaning set, but it did not help too.
• i do wether use Bootcamp, nor VM-Ware (as some minors with that problem did)
• i searched for other related Firmwareupdates, but they all only would work on a 10.5.x!
WHY AM I SURE THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY SNOWLEOPARD?
• First you can say its a bad coincidence. But I've seen a lot of coincidences in between. More likely i would have won a Jackpot in Lotto, than that something like that would not happen exactly right after (seconds/minutes) a major Software Update that includes a hidden Firmware-Update or new Hardware-Limits-Specifications for a specific hardware! (as we had it in the past several times). Do U agree?
• This drive worked allways well and was heavely used (reading, burning, watching DVD's, listening to Audio-CD's, everything). There was absolutely no other harm to this Drive and i handled it carefully and it's the same old as the MacBook Pro Intel itself (in other words: new enough, but old enough, that the guarantee ran out). Last I could install SL from the Retail-DVD from the new Apple Shop.
• The drive is still listed in System Profiler, it tries to read, but does not seem to "know" the inserted discs anymore (makes twice a try to read)
• There are hints (from Apple itself on their support-webpages), that 10.6 tried to update a superdrive firmware what caused some problems for others. In my case the FW-Update seems to have proceed successfully, but now the drive don't recognices any CD's and DVD's.
• last but not least under Google you'll find a lot of articles related to that (or a similar problem) right now. Type in "Superdrive Snow Leopard Problem" and you'll see what I mean. And I've found out, that apple is investigating the SUPERDRIVE-Problem with the Snow Leopard at least since the 14.September 2009 now, after the 10.6 came out.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW (What to do, how to react):
1. Waiting for a new FU-Update that corrects the error with the Superdrive?
2. bring my MacBook Pro to a certified Repair place and demand for a new Superdrive for free?
3. bring my MacBook Pro to the AppleStore where I bought 10.6 on sunday and demand a new Superdrive for free (but it's a long way to there)?
4. send my MacBook Pro to Apple Ireland or somewhere in Europe is no option, i need it exactly heavily this week
5. try to install an older Superdrive (from an old, damaged PowerBook G4) on my own?
Until then i "temporarly solved" the problem by buying an extern USB-DVD/CD burner. But I don't want to carry that thing everywhere with my Laptop.
Cheers,
Tazmandevil

Answer 1

I do repairs on a weekly basis, but I do not do warranty work for Apple. I do have an opinion about your drive failure.
As far as I can tell, all of your logic is self-serving and wrong. If a drive quits working after you install Snow Leopard, and won't work with Tiger or Leopard, the drive has failed. Snow Leopard does not change the firmware on the drive, or motherboards. The fact that the drive shows up under Profiler does not mean that the laser optics in the drive itself are still aligned properly or that the motor is spinning the disk at the right speeds. You can try to use a cleaning disk. I've had some luck on occasion.
Booting from a known good disk will prove the issue. Booting happens before an OS has time to run software drivers, and the drive is under control of the motherboard's firmware.
4 Options:
1 - Warranty Replacement - you will need to ship or deliver the laptop for repairs.
2 - Pay for Replacement
3 - Replace the drive yourself, with the proper drive.
4 - Use a cheap external drive until you can take the machine off-line long enough to get the repairs done.
I've seen these drives fail by accidental abuse (machine was dropped and bent the aluminum frame around the slot and warped the drive), over-use (a client decided to make hundreds of copies of disks for friends at a school - too much heat), dirt build-up (cleaning disk can work here), and other unknown failures (some drives quit working and a replacement fixes the problem). Replacement drives are available for around $150 US, and there are YouTube videos that demonstrate how to change the drive.
I had a MBP have an optical drive fail after upgrading from Tiger to Leopard. I used an external drive for a year or so. Fortunately, I purchased the 3 year warranty, and after I got a new iMac I was able to take the Laptop in for repairs by a certified Apple repair station (less than a week turnaround). The new drive boots a Tiger DVD, Leopard DVD, and of course, Snow Leopard.
Hardware like this, that quits working with earlier versions of an OS that the machine is designed to run, are never fixed by a System Update because it's a physical problem with the drive.