Upgrading combo drive to Super drive?

I have just bought a new iBook G4 12", which has the combo drive fitted in it.
I want to upgrade to a Superdrive as I really want to be able to burn DVDs with my iBook. Is this possible, and if so does anyone know how much this costs? (I live in the UK- in case that makes any difference).
Many Thanks.

Celia, there are several options available to you and there are also several different vendors that will sell and or install these new drives in your iBook. Below is only one.
http://www.mcetech.com/products.html
Scroll down until you find your iBook, Good Luck.
Don

Similar Messages

  • Upgrading combo-drive to superdrive

    I Was wondering if anyone has any advice as to the best way of going about upgrading my combo drive to a super drive - I wouldn't be particularly confident about doing it myself unless it is really simple.
    Any recommendations to brands, where to get it done etc.. would be great,

    Hi Graham,
    Welcome to discussions. Here is a drive that reportedly works well. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will find the PDF files for the installation instructions. After reading them, you'll find it is fairly easy.
    Steve
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MG5SL8XDLK/

  • Simple to upgrade from Combo Drive to Super Drive?

    Hi,
    Apologies if this is a really basic question. I purchased a MacBook with a Combo Drive. I thought I had purchased a super drive. Is this a simple upgrade and can I do such an upgrade myself? I need the DVD-burning capacity.
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    I really think you're asking for trouble here. For starters, that is definitely not a user serviceable part. Memory? Yes. Hard Drive? Yes (finally). The optical drive, though, would require an authorized Apple dealer to perform the work. Otherwise, you'll void your warranty.
    I don't know, though, if Apple will let you add a SuperDrive to that one. Honestly, I think it'll be easier if you just purchase an external DVD burner (check www.macsales.com for some cool options).

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    I have an iMac G5 with a combo drive. I have purchased a Lacie d2 drive to burn slide shows from iDVD. The Mac recognizes the Lacie on the firewire input but says under system utilities "Disc burning: not supported". I would upgrade to iDVD 5 if this will support an external disc burner. Any suggestions.

    Apple pays for permission to burn DVD's (something about MPEG2). However, they don't pay for each copy of iDVD sold. They pay for each DVD burner sold. Thus, they don't allow burning to external DVD burners...officially. Under the File menu, choose "Save As Disk Image". Once you have the disk image, you can use the resulting Video TS and Audio TS to burn a DVD using Toast. A version of Toast or some other burning software should be included with your external burner. I hope this helps.
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  • Can I swap out my Combo drive for a Super drive?

    Hey guys,
    I have 1GHz G4 iMac Dual USB & was wondering if I could replace the Combo Drive with a "Super" Drive.
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    Ben,
    You can do it, but do you really want to? I think an external is a better option. Having two DVD drives is a huge advantage. It makes copying DVDs a snap.
    Here's the link to how to change the drive. It will give you a look at what your in for if you attempt it.
    http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/iMacg4/imacg4takeapart.html

  • Upgraded Hard Drive, now Combo drive wont recognize. HELP!!!!

    I upgraded my hard drive, installed the os-X (10.3.9 i think) and the cd combo worked fine, removed the combo to do somthing for the laptop (installed it in the iBook), and now when I put another combo drive (same model different drive) into the mini, the mini doesn't even recognize that there is a drive at all,
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    what should I do?
    should I put the original drive into the mini?
    Also, i cant re-install OS-x because the optical drive wont mount in the mini, and the ibook says that It cannont use the software with the version that is installed on it (10.4.somthing)

    There isn't a BIOS in G4 Mac systems - in essence, rather than having a pre-determined configuration, the system checks for existent components at startup such that if the drive in the system was recognised and had a viable driver, it would be functional.
    First thing to do is check whether the system sees the drive at all. Go to the Apple menu and select 'About this Mac'. Then click the 'More info' button when the dialog box gives the MacOS version, processor and memory.
    The click the 'ATA' tab on the left. You should see two entries - the first being the internal hard drive which will be shown in the lower portion of the right-hand pane by model and capacity. If the combo drive is not showing there with any entry (ie, there is only one ATA device, the internal HD) then more than likely the drive is not connected correctly as Boece has suggested. If it IS listed there and correct by model number, then it may be that the drive itself is faulty or the system's power management unit isn't controlling it correctly.
    If the later is the case, a PMU reset may help. Try the following:
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    - Wait 10 seconds.
    - Plug in the power cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the back of the computer.
    - Let go of the power button.
    - Press the power button once more to start up your Mac mini.

  • Combo drive to super drive?

    is it possible that i change my current macbook's combo drive to a super drive?
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    hi,
    they have three left at this site:
    http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Apple-SuperDrive-DVD-Burner-Drive-8x---Macbook-Pro -p-16916.html
    good luck,
    brian

  • Replacing combo drive with super drive

    I think my iMac G5 needs a new optical drive, because I frequently get the error "failed to calibrate the laser power" when trying to burn from iTunes. (Yes, I've tried all the usual remedies: Different media, cleaning the lens, changing the burn rate... The Apple store genius say they see this "a lot," and it's probably the drive.)
    My G5 has its original combo drive, but I've never burned a DVD and don't expect to with this machine. So my question is: Would there be any problem in replacing the combo with a super drive? Would the OS be able to "recognize" the different device and adjust for any differences?

    You're right -- I had super and combo reversed. (Actually, the website I was looking at when I posted had them reversed.) I currently have the super drive (MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-845) that came with the iMac.
    I can get an Apple combo drive replacement for $95 or a super for $145. There will not be any labor cost. So what I'm considering is replacing the super with a combo. I'm set on keeping it internal. My only concern would be that the change might cause some sort of system errors.

  • Combo Drive and Super Drive

    My iBook is equipped with a combo drive. Can I replace it with a super drive? If I can, how? Should I take my iBook to an Apple repair center?

    Hi iBook fan
    Yes you can replace your combo with a Superdrive. You can get it replaced at an Apple service centre, and yes, it is also possible to do it yourself, so it is all go!
    To replace it you will need to dismantle your iBook, and that depends on how you feel about doing such a technical exercise, but it is possible.
    Superdrives are available here for your iBook:
    Superdrives for iBook
    and an installation guide is available here:
    Installing Optical Drive on an iBook G4
    So you have a complete choice available to you.
    regards roam

  • Define 'Combo' vs. 'Super' Drive ...

    Sorry for such a basic question, but I just don't understand the terminology: If 'About this Mac' tells me that I have 'DVD+/-RW/R' and 'CD-R/RW,' do I have a 'Combo' or a 'Super' Drive? Thanks!

    You have a SuperDrive. The difference is that the SuperDrive can burn DVDs, while the combo drive can only read them. Both drives can read and burn CDs.
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  • Combo drive and upgrade

    I have a combo drive and I noticed that the system requirements for Leopard state "DVD drive needed for installation". Does this mean a super drive is required and I cannot install Leopard on my system? I've been waiting a long time for this software to be released so I hope that it's a possibility. Any help with this would be appreciated, thank you!
    Message was edited by: Behnaz

    Hi Behnaz-
    The way around that is to buy an external FireWire DVD drive. It must be FireWire with a G5 iMac in order to allow the Mac to boot from it.
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    -DaddyPaycheck

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    Hello,
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    Ok that resolved the cd/dvd question, but is there a difference in speed? Why is the combo drive X24 and the super drive X8. What do those numbers represent. Also, is there a difference in the way they load. i.e. like the new imacs the you just slide the disc in.

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    (b) Are the power and data cables and connectors and connector locations identical?
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    I dont think you should mess with that. But if you want open your ibook and look if the cables and size are the same. If they are.... get a second opinion and try it. Also if you put a new cd drive your OS will not get lost

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    Does the "new" iMac have Firewire (I think all G4 iMac had FW ports)? If so, you can connect it via a Firewire cable to another Mac and boot the iMac G4 into "Target" mode which will make it appear as an external hard drive on which ever computer it is tethered to.
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  • Combo Drive won't read DVDs - How to Install Tiger?

    I have an iMac G5 with a Combo drive (Matshita CD-RW CW-8123) that no longer reads DVDs. It handles CDs fine. Other postings offer complaints about Super drives with similar problems, but I have found no solutions. My warranty has expired. I would like to install Tiger, but the installation disk is a DVD. So is the installation disk for iLife '06. Other postings have suggested that installing a new optical drive doesn't always fix the problem. Since I'll be paying for this, that doesn't sound sound like a promising option. Should I purchase an external drive? In the meantime, is there any other way to install Tiger without the DVD? I have other macs that work fine, so I really don't need the DVD to work properly except to install new software. Suggestions are welcome!
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    iMac G5   Mac OS X (10.3.7)  

    An external drive is a great option.
    With that, you will likely get a much more capable drive than you would if you were stuck with only the models that will fit in your iMac.
    For example, my PC has a 16x Dual-Layer DVD-R drive. But, most Apple compatible Internal drives are still limited to 8x.
    So, you could likely get a much faster and more capable external drive than you could an internal drive for the same price.
    With an external drive, you can also keep that drive should you get another machine. And, if you have more than one machine, you can connect the drive to whichever machine requires it at the moment. So, essentially, you can upgrade all your systems with just one DVD drive.
    And, best of all, you have a product that is covered by it's own warranty, and not subject to how you installed it. And, you don't have to tinker inside your machine.
    Also, OS 10.4.x "Tiger" is available on CD-ROM. So, you could send in for the replacement disks if you have the retail box of OS 10.4 Tiger.
    From the OS 10.4 "Tiger" sales page:
    "Tiger ships on a DVD, but if your Mac doesn’t have a built-in DVD-ROM player, you’ll need CD media. When you buy Mac OS X Tiger, you qualify to purchase Tiger CDs for only $9.95. "
    Download the order form.
    http://images.apple.com/macosx/pdf/TigerMediaExchangeFormv5.pdf
    Hope this helps.

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