Superdrive no longer reads data DVD's

Since the upgrade to Leopard, I can no longer read any of my data dvd's.
It reads cd's and music dvd's fine, but none of my data back up dvd's will read.
After a minute of grinding, the icon appears, but if i try to read any of the content or copy any to the HDD, it grinds and grinds and pretty much crash's the machine.
I have to close the lid on my 1ghz 17" laptop, and then unplug it, and pop the battery out. Then restart.
It worked fine with Tiger, and my G5 reads the dvd's fine. So it is a software issue.

This is a generalized “DVD reading problem under Leopard on Matshita DVD hardware” post. My apologies if it is in the wrong place, but you all seem to be closing in on my own problem.
My PPC G4 running 10.4.11 reads/plays my audio CDs and my movie, data and OS installation DVDs with no problems. It has a Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-104 DVD reader. My (late 2006 white) iMac Core 2 Duo with a Matshita DVD-R UJ-85J DVD reader running 10.5.1 has SERIOUS problems.
It reads/plays audio CDs but it clicks and thrashes around before finally ejecting most of my movie, data and OS installation DVDs as well. If I persist (repeatedly re-inserting the DVD) it may finally recognize it but most of the time it does not.
I have tried going back to Tiger with my original grey installation discs but even when I can get them to be recognized there is no optional choice to archive my current system folders – its erase or nothing. Sigh. Something happened with DVD recognition/reading at 10.5.
Any advice from the community would be most welcome. Apple techs - what are your thoughts?
Thanks.

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Hi Rob!
In the Finder Preferences (Command + ,Comma keys, under Show these items on the Desktop: is CDs, DVDs, and iPods selected?
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Superdrive Won't Read Burnt DVD's

Hi all,
Recently my superdrive has started acting up and will not read any burnt DVD's (data, movies,etc.). It will read burnt CD's, music CD's and "Studio" Movie DVD's, it will even read and recognize blank DVD's and allow me to burn but if I eject the disk after burning it will not mount. All of the disks I have tried were burnt by this drive and used to work at one point or another. I have also tried a disk created on a friends Mac and it still doesn't work. Seems that the drive will do everything but read burnt DVD's. Anyone else encounter this problem? Solutions?
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Hi all, I have a 2010 Mac mini which is still on snow leopard.
As soon as I put any DVD video in the drive spins up, makes a bit of noise, then tries again and finally just spits the thing out.
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Superdrive won't read burned DVD

I have a 12" powerbook G4 with the superdrive. I burned a data DVD RW at work on my G5 to work at home. Alas, my powerbook tries to read the disk and then just spits it out. The G5 at work could read it fine and the disk was verified after being burned with Toast. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hmmm. I suspect you are correct...
MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-815
I didn't know, though, that it wouldn't read an RW disk. Bummer!
But thanks for the info!
best, jm

Brand New iMac unable to read data DVD or eject it.

Hello all,
I'm no good with technology so please bear with me.
I just purchased a brand new iMac a couple of weeks ago, and I'm attempting to run a Data DVD that I got for an online university class.
When put in to the disc drive, one of two things happens:
1) It fails to recognize that there is a DVD in it.
2) It eventually recognizes it (about 5 mins), but then shows nothing on the disc.
after that it is nearly impossible to eject the disc without rebooting the computer or pushing eject a million times and waiting 10 minutes.
Assuming the disc is good (the rest of them are, but I'm getting a replacement just in case), what else can I do?
Thanks.

If it just does it with the one disc the disc is likely bad. Get a replacement disc.
If it does it with multiple discs the drive may be faulty. With a new Mac I'd take it back to the store.

PC won't read data DVD

A data DVD burned on MAC won't load in PC.

By default, when burning DVD's from the Finder they should also be readable on a PC. Is this just unreadable on 1 PC? or all PCs?
Also I have seen Maxell DVD's that do not burn on Lacie external burners. Do you have another brand of DVD? I use Verbatim. Also are you using DVD+R or DVD-R? I have seen DVD-R discs not work on certain PCs with DVD drives.

Satellite M30X: drive won't read data DVD-R's but plays DVD-R movies and CD's

I have a Toshiba M30X with DVD/CDRW combi drive.
I have accumulated 12gb of digital photo's that I wanted to clear but did not fancy the number of CD's that entailed so I purchased a LITEON EZ-DUB external DVD rewriter and made 3 DVD-R's full of JPEG's.
However, when I put these DVD's in the Toshiba combi drive, it clicks away for a moment or two but when I click on the combi drive in My Computer, the folder is empty and it says there's 0 bytes.
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It makes no difference which software was used (both Nero 6.6 and LITEON EZDUB) and it doesn't matter whether the discs are finalised, single session, multi session or what - it won't play any of them.
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I'm stumped.
I don't particularly want to reinstall windows in case it doesn't recognise the Recovery DVD and I seem to remember Microsoft One Note having to be activated by telephone with a code that is different each time you ask it to generate one.
It's a bit of a pain as I wanted to carry my photo's with me in my laptop bag.
I don't want to be carting around an external DVD writer just to read the DVD's.
I've updated the firmware for SD-R 2512.
It had no effect other than to freeze on an all black screen during restart - I had to hold down the power switch after 15 minutes in that condition.
The laptop is 1 year and 26 days old if that counts for anything.
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Hi
Well, I can only make some suggestions.
You are able to place many MP3 and Jpeg files on the DVD.
Maybe this is a reason why the explorer cannot handle the DVD.
Try to burn the DVD with JEPG picture but don't make the DVD full with these files.
You should let a free space on the medium. Maybe it helps.
But it's very strange for me and this is only a suggestion. I have never tired it and don't know if it helps.
I had a similar issue on my notebook but I have solved it by using a compatible medium. Some drives prefer different mediums for different kind of files.

Pioneer Superdrive no longer reads Apple Brand DVDs!

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Curiously the dvds mount in my ibook with 10.4.4.
I think 10.4.4 has shafted the optical drive firmware is there any way I can reload the firmware?

Before this all happened, I could burn to dvd no problem.
BUT I totally know what you mean about having a problem ejecting any disk!
The grinding noise and the attempts by the iMac to spit them out on it's own and then trying everything I could think of to get it to eject... frustrating and a bit scary knowing something is definitely wrong.
It probably should have clued me in that things were only going to get worse.
I've got the extended care, my hard drive has already been replaced (that after only a few months) and now I've got to pack this baby up again and wait for the optical drive to be replaced.. oh no...
I agree, you should get a replacement without charge even if you don't have extended care as it is obviously defective, just like mine.
Hey thanks for replying, I was beginning to think this post was in complete vain.

Won't read data dvd

Hello, I'm using MBP 13" mid 2009, processor 2.53 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X Lion 10.7
My MBP can play any movie dvd,
but when I insert a dvd-r from my friend which have data inside, the MBP says that the dvd-r is blank and ask me what i want to do with it,
I try open it with finder, but it just won't show in the sidebar.
I already try to changes the system&preferences but it still not working, I already cleaned the superdrive too, and I googled this problem
and there's a solotion that says I have to change the 64-bit kernel to 32-bit kernel, but I haven't try this yet because I'm afraid, can anyone
tell me what will happen if I change the kernel stuff? Will it effect or change how MBP works?
And I want to take this to the store but my warranty already run out, and it's gonna be super expensive
So please if anyone have the solution please tell me what to do (and sorry for the wrong english&grammar, it's not my native language)

nanana96 wrote:
Hello, I'm using MBP 13" mid 2009, processor 2.53 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X Lion 10.7
My MBP can play any movie dvd,
but when I insert a dvd-r from my friend which have data inside, the MBP says that the dvd-r is blank and ask me what i want to do with it,
I try open it with finder, but it just won't show in the sidebar.
I already try to changes the system&preferences but it still not working, I already cleaned the superdrive too, and I googled this problem
and there's a solotion that says I have to change the 64-bit kernel to 32-bit kernel, but I haven't try this yet because I'm afraid, can anyone
tell me what will happen if I change the kernel stuff? Will it effect or change how MBP works?
And I want to take this to the store but my warranty already run out, and it's gonna be super expensive
So please if anyone have the solution please tell me what to do (and sorry for the wrong english&grammar, it's not my native language)
It may well depend on what format he recorded the data to DVD with. Do you have a Windows PC available to see if the data shows on it?
Pete

Hp uable to read data dvd;s

Have a HP Pavillion 9426f, running Vista 64 bit.
Have three other computers all running Windowns Xp, have created data discs in all (total about 25).
Discs were created using dla and then made compatable.
In addition to the computers at home, in my wifes office, computers there can read discs also.
Hp cannot read the discs.
1. The computer knows the disc is there, it gives the kind of disc, and the total used.
2. The DVD burning software can make a copy of the disc, if when played on a xp machine
works perfectly ( the copy)
3. Computer can play, recognize all other discs, and can burn ok.
4. Today (12/08) purchased an external dvd writer and hooked it to the computer.
It will be returned,same problem, So it is not the dvd writers fault
Have contacted HP support, technician spent about two hours on the phone, nothing.
Any help or suggestions appreciated.

Sorry to not have included that.
If I burn an entire disc at one time on another computer, using something
like Roxio or Nero ( have both)or Cyberlink. Computer can read the disc.
Appears only the "burned" dla ones cannot be read.
Again, not dvd writer, not software, not drivers, technician when working on computer
took it over and installed "readers" such as UDF.
Believe you might be right regarding dla, but it would I think be generally Vista vs DLA.
Not the computer.
As the technician and I agreed, since the dvd can write a dvd ok, and read other formatted disc,
HP was not strictly to blame.
Reason for posting here is that sooner or later someone else will have the same problem.
Also, as I told him, am fortunate enough to have another computer that will read all the discs.
If this was a replacement.........

Superdrive no longer recognises blank DVDs

Mac and Disk Utility accept MOST CDs (blank, self-burned or commercial), and accept commercial DVDs, but spins then spits out blank DVDs, and claims some CDS (burned on the same Superdrive) have zero content, though it successfully burned a cheapo CD yesterday and opens it fine today
This has come on suddenly, as everything was fine until about a fortnight ago. I've tried DVD blanks for four or five different manufacturers (including DVDs from a bargain-basement spindle which it happily burned to until this - all brands now spun then ejected.
Tried cleaning laser, repairing permissions, logouts & restarts etc. Can't find anything in these or MacFixit forums that helped.
Any suggestions?
TIA,
Bill

You could try posting this in the hardware forums but I'd say your drive is ready for replacement. Is this the original drive? With the low cost (in most cases) of replacement drives these days it sometimes isn't worth a huge amount of effort working with the drive, especially since there really isn't all that much you can do. The variable nature of the issue suggests something is going in the hardware, rather than a software issue. Burned media is usually the hardest for a drive to read and that's what you're seeing.
Pioneer drives are usually compatible with Macs and have replaced many a Superdrive in the G4 forums.

Why can't PC users read data DVDs I author on my Macbook???

Hey everybody,
I'm having a problem with compatabilty of DVDs that I'm burning on my macbook pro running snow leopard. I'm burning hundreds of JPG photos to dvd and PC users are having difficulty accessing the discs. I'm using DVD-R format discs and burning through the finder? what am I doing wrong? Do I need a program like toast to have the most broadly compatible DVDs?
Thanks!

Does seem a little strange since OS 10 uses HFS Plus/ISO 9660 hybrid formatting.
I do quite alot of disc burning for my commercial printer customers without any problems on either end.
Your method of burning on Mac side is ok although I insert my CD/DVD with no running applications and when dialog comes up "You inserted a blank CD/DVD. Choose an action." From the pop-up menu I select Ignore (as opposed to Open Finder) and then navigate to Folder I want to burn and then under File select Burn (name of folder I have selected). That method simply bypasses the making of aliases.
Doubt that is your issue however.
One possibility may be on the PC side. Like the Mac, a PC is picky about where files are put on the HD.
I tell my PC customers to insert the CD/DVD. Navigate My Computer to whatever letter is assigned as their CD/DVD drive (usually E). Open to view the contents.
Then open My Documents (which is similar to the Mac Home Documents Folder) and Drag the files from the disk to My Documents folder.
I have had to do this on occasion when my PC customers Claim they cannot copy the files only to learn they are attempting to copy the files to another area of the HD that the PC windows system does not like.
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Hey Guys,
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Music CDS no longer read and DVDs work fine?

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This is a hardware issue. Likely your optical drive has failed. Contact Apple using www.apple.com/support/contact if you are in a country that supports it or call the appropriate phone number on this page. Alternatively carry the MacBook in to an Apple retail store or service provider to ask for an estimate.

Superdrive no longer reads data DVD's

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