Unreadable DVD RW disk being ejected - can't erase/format it

Hi,
I was burning some files onto a DVD disk from a network drive, when the network went down. The DVD was thus left in some intermediate state, and now I can't seem to format/erase it so that I can reuse it!
Whenever I insert the DVD into my mac mini (OS X 10.5.6) the drive churns the disk for a bit and then spits it out. I don't get a chance to let the Disk Utility wipe the disk for reuse. Annoyingly I'd only just bought the bloody thing and it was my first attempt to use it. I used another disk from the same pack I bought and that worked, so it's not a disk incompatibility.
Is there some key modifier I can use to stop OS X trying to read the disk so that I can let Disk Utility get at it? I already tried changing the "CDs and DVDs" default behaviour from the preferences pane.
P

You now have a nice, shiny drink coaster. Cheap!
Unfortunately, optical disks, even RWs, can be so badly corrupted that nothing can figure them out well enough to even erase them. They are quite different from magnetic tapes or disks, which can be erased no matter their condition.

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I had an online chat with an Apple rep who had me reset the PRAM, no change. Then we tried from another account, no change. Their next recommendation was to re-install the OS using Archive and Install, which I have my doubts about doing. Failing that, they recommend bringing the iMac in to a service store to possibly replace the drive. But based on what I've been reading about all the different superdrive problems users are having, I'm reluctant to even do that for fear of having an even worse problem with a different drive crop up at some point.
Has anyone out there had this exact problem and found a solution yet?
Seems like a simple firmware update for the drive could fix everything but I'm unable to find one.
Here's the drive specs from the Apple System Profiler:
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K05:
Firmware Revision: Q523
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2000 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW, +R DL
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
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hi there--
instead of just resetting pram i would try booting to
open firmware holding apple-option-o-f and then type
in the following commands--
reset-nvram (hit return)
set-defaults (hit return)
reset-all (hit return)
the last command restarts the computer. see if that
works. if it doesn't then try resetting the smu.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301733
there is a remote possibility that this is software
related, but it almost never is, and these things
are much more likely to resolve your problem than
doing an archive and install, and they are much less
hassle free. let me know if that works. [ 8 ) ]
OK, I booted into open firmware and did all the resets. No improvement. In fact, now I can't even mount some DVD-Rs that I had successfully burned before and mounted before. The drive has always been a little touchy with some discs, especially DVDs, but now seems to be even more hit-and-miss. CD-R and CD-RW reliably mount but DVDs have me worried. It took a long time for my OS X install disc to mount and display the window.
I think it may be time to take it in to Apple and replace it. I may also consider purchasing a Firewire burner with a tray!
Just wondering also if PatchBurn would fix this by creating a new profile or if this truly is a hardware issue. http://www.patchburn.de/
Thanks for your help.

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Neil

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Topic: "Please insert a blank DVD-R disk". DVD burning prob

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Where would I be without this forums!!! (on my windows computer, bleh!) =)
arn

Hey Jordan,
I dl'd patchburn and it does the same thing as it did with idvd and toast. It says "please insert a blank dvd-r disk" then ejects the disk. D'oh!!! I just finished talking with apple tech support and here's the low down:
we tried reading the blank disk with finder. Wouldn't even show up on desktop. Then we popped in a movie dvd - read just fine. We went in to system preferences (cds/dvds) - everything a ok. Finally, popped in the mac os disk and did a new archive install - same result =( The tech told me to take it into an apple store which I will be doing soon. Their explanation was that since it was reading the data dvds fine, the problem was the head that detects blank dvds was malfunctioning ( i guess it has 2 heads - 1 to read the data and 1 to detect blank disks). Either way it's covered under warranty ( 1 week old) so hopefully they'll take care of it. I'll post more news once I get it back - crossing my fingers X .....
By the way, thanks for the replies. This forum system is awesome.
arn =)

I have an iMac model 4,1 running OSX 10.6.8.   The CD/DVD drive went bad and I have replaced it. However I can not get disks to eject.   I have asked about this before and tried all all the suggestions I have received but I can not eject.

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Hi again Hal
Link to your other thread > The slot loading CD/DVD drive in my...: Apple Support Communities
You have also tried resetting the PRAM as I suggestion in your other thread...?
See resetting the PRAM > About NVRAM and PRAM
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
5. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
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I updated to Mavericks and now I can'burn any DVD's any more. I get the following error message and the disk is ejected: The disc can't be burned because an unexpected error occurred (error code 0x80020000)

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Hey topo27,
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http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
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