04-28-2004, 11:38 AM

URGENT HELP!

I placed a vcd into my imac. It wouldnt read the cd and the cd didnt appear in panthers finder window. It slowed my sytem right down so I shut it down.

Now when i try and boot it only gets to the grey apple loading screen. I can hear the cd drive trying to read the cd but as it cannot read it my system wont start up.

How can I get the cd drive to open without taking the mac appart. I have tried holding down eject on start up and I read on another site that you can hold down the left mouse button to eject but it doesnt work!

I need to work asap so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Figers crossed. cheers

04-28-2004, 11:52 AM

Taken from Mac Help:

Ejecting a disc when all else fails

If you've tried all the usual methods of ejecting a CD or DVD disc from your computer's optical drive (click "Tell me more" if you're not sure), there are some manual methods you can try.

First, quit all applications that are using files on the disc. Then try one of these alternate methods:

Choose Apple menu > Restart and hold the mouse key down until the disc ejects.
Put the computer to sleep (using the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences) and insert a large, straightened paper clip in the small emergency eject hole of the drive (the location varies, depending on the drive). Push firmly until the disc ejects.

Use Open Firmware to eject the disc if all other methods fail (this may not work on all computers). To use this method, you have to start up and briefly use the computer using Open Firmware, not the standard Mac OS X desktop. This is a simple procedure-try it if you're feeling adventurous.

To eject a disc using Open Firmware:

Restart the computer.
When you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Command-Option-O-F keys. (The Command key has an Apple on it.)
Release the keys when you see a white screen that says "Welcome to Open Firmware."
At the prompt, type:

eject cd

Press Return, then wait a few seconds. The disc drive should eject the disc, and "ok" appears on the screen when the action is complete.
Type:

mac-boot

Press Return.

Your computer starts up normally and you see the familiar Mac OS X desktop.