01-04-2009, 11:31 AM

My G5 imac has recently stopped burning to DVD, regardless of what method I try to use - this seemed to start about 2 months ago.

I initially thought it was a software problem - I was burning DVDs using VisualHub quite happily until then, and then one day it didn't write.

Then last week I tried to burn a Data DVD from itunes - again, no luck.

Finally I've tried using Disk Utility and also Burn to burn a dmg image - none of these work.

Strangely I can still burn to CD.

My Drive is a MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-846

Is a replacement drive my only option?

01-04-2009, 02:04 PM

"Oh dear, not another one" [I sometimes think I should keep a record of the number of Matshita failures in Macs]. Your optical drive problem *may* be fixable with a commercial lens cleaning disk, but since the laser works on CDs, that's unlikely. If you're going to replace the drive, and that does look likely, then try to get a Pioneer KO6, or its successor, the KO8. Sony also make a slim CD drive.

01-05-2009, 12:30 PM

Cheers - I'll try a lens cleaner - I forgot to mention that it reads DVDs no problem either, just wont write to them.

02-13-2009, 07:51 AM

As this is an old(ish) machine I'm considering just buying an external DVD writer rather than getting the internal fixed - am I right in thinking I will have to buy a Firewire compatible one?