Superdrive won't read dvds, but will read cds?!?

My son was watching a dvd and the player quit. Then, it wouldn't read any dvd. But, it will read audio cds. I have no clue.

Hi Marcus
It sounds like the DVD drive heads have gone out of position and the drive needs to be replaced. Contact your dealer or Apple.
chris

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IMac not reading DVDs (but will read CDs)

Hi all,
I am currently using the 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 20" iMac, about 4 months ago i had a problem with the superdrive on the imac and it would not eject a DVD i was using. It repeatedly tried to spit the DVD out every 30 seconds or so without any luck. After about 2 days it eventually spat the DVD out.
I was then hesitant to stick anything back in the drive in case the problem occured again. I then bought an external DVD drive and had no problems for the last 2/3 months or so with it until yesterday afternoon. I was trying to install the optional installs from the software that came with the iMac and it got half way through and said the disc was unreadable (which i thought was strange as its the first time the media had been out of the plastic wallet). I then thought nothing of it until early this morning when i tried to play a DVD on the external drive and it spins for about a minute and then spits the DVD out. This happens with any DVD i have tried films, to backup dvds to games and everything and nothing will read. I tried a CD this reads no problems at all.
I then tried the superdrive on the iMac and it also spits out DVDs after about a minute but will read a CD no problems at all but just not a DVD.
Does anyone have any clues to what has happened since yesterday as i used to be able to play every DVD i had on the external drive no problem. I have not installed any new software and there are no new updates to install on the OS and no firmware has been installed (all firmware is up to date).
The drives i am using are:
Matshita DVD-R UJ 85J (supedrive in the iMac)
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GP08 LU10 (external drive - its an LG GP08 drive)
Any help is greatly appreciated
Regards
Christian

Hi Albos, This is a known problem. These superdrives die after a while. See the various threads on this site and the internet. I have the same problem with my Imac 20" 2.16 ghz. Just wants to burn and read cd's. Its has to do with the laser. For DVD an CD are two different laser and the one for DVD's has probably died in yours (as it did in mine). I bought an external LG burner and problem solved. (And a lot cheaper than replacing the superdrive)
Hope this helps you.
Robert

IMac won't play DVDs but will play CDs

For some reason my late '09 iMac won't play DVDs, at least not often. I was watching a DVD on it yesterday, left the disc in to go downstairs, and when I came back it wouldn't play again. It now doesn't even recognise that there is a DVD in it, but just spits it out again after a few seconds. I imported a couple of CDs to iTunes with it yesterday, it generally seems fine with CDs, but it has a big problem with DVDs. Any ideas on what I can do to solve this?

Hi Marcus
It sounds like the DVD drive heads have gone out of position and the drive needs to be replaced. Contact your dealer or Apple.
chris

My DVD drive not reading DVDs, but can read some DVDs with data on it. Device manager shows no error

My DVD drive not reading DVDs, but can read some DVDs with data on it. Device manager shows no errors.
I tried to reinstall driver.
I downloaded new codec
I tried Microsoft FIX IT
Nothing worked.
Need some help.
Thank you!!
Paul

Hi Albos, This is a known problem. These superdrives die after a while. See the various threads on this site and the internet. I have the same problem with my Imac 20" 2.16 ghz. Just wants to burn and read cd's. Its has to do with the laser. For DVD an CD are two different laser and the one for DVD's has probably died in yours (as it did in mine). I bought an external LG burner and problem solved. (And a lot cheaper than replacing the superdrive)
Hope this helps you.
Robert

Drive keeps ejecting Blank DVDs but will read DVD with media in it

I am at loss what to do. Whenever I put in DVD with media in it (including +R), it plays and reads it all just fine. CD data reads no problem too. However, when I put in a Blank DVD, it chugs and ejects it out completely.
Preferences are fine. It says 'Ask What to Do' is set when 'You insert a Blank DVD'
Here was how it started. Previously, I could put in a blank DVD and it would be just fine but I'm having problems burning after the 10.5.6 update. Read in a post somewhere to try resetting your PRAM which I did and now it won't accept the blank DVDs. Everything else is fine.
Would really appreciate ANY help I can get!
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: MacBook Pro 17"
Model Identifier: MacBookPro2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.33 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP21.00A5.B08
SMC Version: 1.14f5
Serial Number: W86470M9X6C
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-85J:
Firmware Revision: FAV1
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media: Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds

Everything in your post indicates you're having the problem with a MacBook Pro. If that's the case, we need to get your post moved to the appropriate forum--it's currently in the iBook G4 forum.
If you're having troubles on the MacBook pro, I'll report your post so the hosts can move it for you.
~Lyssa

Drive won't recognize DVDs but will CDs

My Macbook (6months old) has stopped reading or recognizing DVDs. It recognizes CDs, blank discs, etc. fine but not DVDs. They do not show up on the desktop or in the Finder sidebar. It tries to open it a few times and then spits it out. This is a new occurrence. I used to watch DVDs all the time on it.
So, what I can gather is that a laser may be dirty or the drive may be dead somehow. It is not a problem with DVD player, front row, any type of system preference. I even downloaded VLC, to no avail. It is the drive that is not working.
Problem: I am living in Jerusalem for the year. There are no Mac stores or any Mac help in Israel. I need my computer, so I can not send it off for a few weeks to America to be fixed. But, by the time I get back to the states, my warranty will no longer be valid. Also, I have not tried to play an Israeli movie or any foreign movie in the drive. Only my movies bought in America that I have watched on the computer before.
What can I do? Is there any hope for some kind of other miracle cure? HELP!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Purchase AppleCare in Jerusalem. AppleCare is available worldwide, and AppleCare purchased anywhere will work anywhere else.
As for Israeli films not working, they are a different DVD region than that of the U.S. You may want to find a region free, or Israeli region DVD player to play Israeli DVDs on. To learn more about DVD regions see this article:
If U.S. DVDs don't work either, once you've purchased AppleCare, have your optical drive looked into for damage and/or dirt by an authorized service center.

T500 will not boot from bootable CDs/DVDs, but will read and open files on them

System: 2 T500s, both manufactured early April 2009, win XP, ATI Radeon 3650 graphics,4GB RAM, latest Lenovo drivers installed..
Problem:- Our 2 T500s cannot boot from any windows coded recovery CD -except Lenovo's rescue/recovery discs. Some -but not all- Linux code recovery CDs do boot the T500. Every other kind of CD and DVD such as audio and video works fine in windows XP.
Here an example of our 2 T500s' failure to recognise bootable CD/DVD discs. All the files and folders on a Paragon Partition Mgr v8.5 Recovery CD can be viewed in windows explorer and files such as jpg, txt and zip can be opened. This CD will not boot the T500, however, it will boot our other -non-Lenovo- computers. The same applies when the media are DVDs with identical content.
We have tried several different kinds of CD and DVD media to no avail. Burning the media on other computers and using several kinds of burning software does not help, ourT500s refuse to boot from them too.
The problem seems clear enough, on starup our T500s fail to distinguish between windows coded bootable and ordinary CDs/DVDs -unless they are Lenovo recovery/restore discs.
A solution would be gratefully received.

Thank you for your very kind assistance,
Q: "1. Did you apply the DVD firmware fix here?"
A. It was` already installed on our 2 T500s. We have also applied just about every driver update from Lenovo.
Q: "2. Did you try booting from a USB optical drive that you first attached to another system where you could verify that booting from it was possible?"
A. Yes, many times from a USB CD/DVD drive, it failed too. We burned on that drive too, but the T500s will not boot from those CDs either.
Q: "3. In this thread the solution was to use another burning program than Roxio..".
A. We have used the Paragon internal ISO creator/burner, the Roxio burner that was preinstalled wth the T500, BartPE internal ISO/burner ,InfraRecorder and others too. Made ISOs and burned from them, burned CDs directly on the fly etc, all to no avail..
For some reason, our two T500s' CD/DVD drive controllers or some intermediate software act as if the CD's boot sector is not present. Clearly, something (BIOS, software, unstable hardware, or ? ) is blocking the read or write of the data necessary to boot these CDs. Whatever that 'something' is, it has no effect on burning and booting Lenovo recovery CDs.
The bizarre part of all this is that a`Lenovo recovery CD burned on the T500 drive WILL BOOT the T500. A Paragon v8.5 recovery CD or BartPE CD burned in one of our non-Lenovo computers will boot ithat and every other computer we have except our T500s.
PS Thank you for the link to the new version of Roxio, will download and install it.

Mbp stopped reading dvd but stills reading cd, is a damaged drive or an software problem? any solutions?

the drive was working just fine but today it just reads cd´s , it spits every dvd i insert (burned or not)

That sounds like a hardware problem to me. When teh optical drive went bad in my MacBook Pro, it stopped writing to DVD's first, then eventually it stopped writing to CD's...

HP Pavilion 15-n031se Notebook PC-HP CDDVDW SU-208CB READ CD BUT NOT READ DVD.

MY dvd rw drive read cds but not read dvds.it is happen suddenly when i am trying to read an dvd with read error.i am tried every solution recoverd pc to its factory condition but it will not help.could i need to replace this dvd rw drive or it will be fix?

Hello @ahmadhaseeb31,
Welcome to the HP Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience!
I have read your post on how your notebook is not able to read DVDs, but can read CDs, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!
In terms of the type of DVD that can be played on your computer, is it able to read DL (Dual Layered) or SL (Single Layered) discs? Do the DVDs that you have tried on your notebook work on a separate DVD player or another computer? I would also encourage you to post which operating system you are using; and whether your operating system is 32 or 64 bit. The more information you can provide, the better!
Which Windows operating system am I running?
Is the Windows Version on My Computer 32-bit or 64-bit?
Please re-post with the necessary information, this way I will be able to research this further for you. I look forward to your reply!
Cheers!
MechPilot
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Will read DVDs but not CDs

I have a satellite a305-s6872 that will read dvds but not cds. It was reading cds the last time I tried (October) but now it's not. This means that I can't play or burn cds. It also means that I can't install any programs that come on a cd. Please help!

I have the same problem. It reads DVDs, and rejects CDs, even perfect/new CDs.
Apple Support told me there will soon be a software update (in a week?) to fix this problem, but I am not convinced.

I bought a used PowerMacPC G5. I can burn and read DVDs, but I can't read or burn CDs. The CDs are not even recognized. After the drive searches for a while, the CD is ejected without any error messages. The CDs work okay on my iMac.

I bought a used PowerMacPC G5. I can burn and read DVDs, but I can't read or burn CDs. The CDs are not even recognized. After the drive searches for a while, the CD is ejected without any error messages. The CDs work okay on my iMac.
I am running Mac OSX 10.4.11. According to the System profiler the CD/DVD drive is a "PioneerDVD-RWDVR-112D." When I compare the information under this heading, the only unusual difference from my iMac is that the G5 reads "Burn Support: Yes (Unsupported)." My iMac reads "Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)."
Under the System Preferences the options are set to "Ask what to do" when a blank CD or DVD is inserted. Music CD set to open iTunes, Picture CD set to open iPhoto, Video DVD set to open DVD player.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks, Jack

Hi Jack, great help so far!
Internal...
http://eshop.macsales.com/static_pages/Framework.cfm?page=superdrive/sdl_powerma c_g5.html
External be sure it's Firewire & not Bus powered...
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/optical-drives/

Dvd drive does not read dvd but reads cd only.

my hp compaq 420 core2 duo dvd drive does not read the dvds but only reads the cds. How can i solve this problem, please help me with the correct answer.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

It will likely require replacement of the drive. There is more than one laser in there: one for each function. One can go bad without the other going bad.
608141-001
Above is the part number for the DVD burner drive. I could not find one on eBay. Here is one online:
http://www.mydvddrives.com/replacement-for-hp-compaq-608141-001-sata-cd-dvdrw-dvd-ram-drive-burner-l...
Replacement is easy. Remove a single screw on the bottom and slide the old drive out and replace with the new drive.

Equium A200: Mat****a UJ-850S reads DVDs but no CD's

Posting on behalf of a friend who is having issues with her Equium A200. It has a Mat****a UJ-850S DVD drive, this is where the problem lies.
The DVD drive will read and play original media such as films but will not read any CD's, whether they be original or CD-R's.
She has phoned up support who asked her if she had iTunes installed and told her to follow some steps to delete upper and lower filters in the registry.
She has done this (although didnt have lower filters), the problem still remains. It sounds like a hardware fault to me, thoughts?
Cheers

>It sounds like a hardware fault to me, thoughts?
Yes, it could be possible that an hardware is faulty.
I mean it sounds like the laser lens has been stressed and it cannot calibrate properly in the right direction in order to read the CDs.
But before you would try to replace the driver I would recommend testing one thing;
You could try to boot from recovery disk and could reinstall the whole OS.
Note; everything will be erased from HDD using such recovery disk. So backup the data firstly.
After restoring you will get a notebook with factory settings and then you could try to read from a CD disk.
If this will not be possible then there is a hardware issue

How do I export a movie in iMovie'13 to a dvd that will read on a DVD video player?

How do I export a movie in iMovie'13 to a dvd that will read on a DVD video player?

IDVD won't read my iMovie. I downloaded BURN, did as instructed and the DVD player still won't read the disk.

HP Pavilion DV7 2206TX - DVD drive reads DVDs but not CD's

My HP Pavilion DV7 2206TX - DVD drive reads DVDs but not CD's.
When I insert a CD, the drive tries very hard to read the CD but gives up after about a minute.
I get no error message. I do not see the Auto play message.
Windows Explorer does not recognize the DVD drive.
When I insert a DVD, I get the Autoplay menu, Windows Explorer recognize the drive and the DVD. I can play the DVD using any number of Video players.
I would welcome advice relating this problem.

your HP Pavilion needs a new DVD driver. I ran into many problems such as this when troubleshooting computers in school.
A DVD drive should play CD at any time: While a CD driver will not play a DVD disc. Do not think there is a problem with sofware because it will only throw your troubleshooting skills out the window and it will confuse you.

Superdrive won't read dvds, but will read cds?!?

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