11-10-2011, 09:16 PM

I just burned a DL DVD data disc of zipped folders on my Acer laptop (a windows 7 PC) successfully, but when I tested this disc on my mid-2009 (bought July 7, '09) MBP, it spits the disc out - what gives?

How do I fix this?

Incidentally, I'm currently in the middle of my first semester of college, going PT to become a computer tech, and I'm learning the PC stuff now, but I'd also like to add Apple/Macintosh training (via Apple Training Series books ordered on Amazon.com as a self-pased study - one such book I have is for OS X 10.4 (Tiger), and hoping to get a Imac 3G sometime in the near future so I can use the hands-on lessons from this book) to my study program for on days when I'm not busy with studying the PC stuff, and other thinmgs.

Btw, we do have a Thrift store back of our house and a Goodwill near the mall 5 mi. from our house - hope I'll get an Imac G3 w/OS X Tiger discs from there for Christmas, masybe (considering if I get a good grade on my finals)?

Thanks in advance.

11-12-2011, 09:21 AM

My 2008 MacBook Pro's optical drive started spitting out DVDs and reading only certain ones for while then it wasn't able to read any DVDs at all. I got a DVD cleaner and everytime I used it, my Mac would read 2 - 3 DVDs but then stop again. Then I tried compressed air, same thing. The MBP's optical drive, unfortunately, is very weak and the dust destroys it from the inside. Your best bet is to take it to the Genius Bar at Apple if you're still under warranty, which I doubt since it's an '09, and have them replace it for you. Otherwise, the cheapest way would be to get an external DVD drive.

Of course there's always the possibility that I was just unlucky (however, there are thousands of people on the internet who had/have the same problem with the optical drive) and yours could be facing a different problem, so you can probably take it to the Genius Bar and have them just check what is wrong with your computer without replacing anything.

11-19-2011, 09:25 PM

What about the possibility of ordering a Blu-ray burner for laptops on newegg/amazon/ebay, finding instructions on the internet that show me how to replace the optical drive myself (since my goal is to be a computer tech that fixes Apples/macintoshes, laptops, desktops, in addition to windows PC, and, since the geniuses at the apple store aren't allowed to touch the windows portion of people's macintoshes but I'm more than happy to fix both the windows side and the OS X side for a apple/macintosh customer after I become a tech and gain the experience) and replacing the drive myself?

What do you mean, this optical drive is weak - is it that particular brand/model?

11-19-2011, 11:04 PM

You can't just purchase any old laptop drive and have it fit. Most Notebooks in fact use Proprietary optical drives. And Apples are Slot load also.

You can purchase another Optical drive from OWC and install it yourself though.

11-20-2011, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by dtravis7

You can't just purchase any old laptop drive and have it fit. Most Notebooks in fact use Proprietary optical drives. And Apples are Slot load also.

You can purchase another Optical drive from OWC and install it yourself though.

I read someone mention OWC in another thread, this site, and that's what I was just thinking b/c I bookmarked OWC on my MBP about 5 hrs. ago - thanks for the tip. Would the drive come with install/replacement instructions?

Also I have a portable external Blu Ray burner but appaarently it did not include OS X BD burning software. Can't I hook up this via USB to USB hub to MBP, get Blu Ray burning software off of google for OS X (looks like OWC doesn't have Blu Ray burners for 15" MBP)?

Found free Blu Ray burning software for OS X cdrTools v3

Also found this EZ 7z (7 zip for opening *.tar/gz files in OS X