Super Drive Wacky Problem

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Hi Everyone!
I have a problem with my SuperDrive in my MacBook Pro 15" Running OSX 10.4.11 that I'm hoping for guidance on:

Begining today it will not recognize blank CD discs. (Or is it disKs?) I tried TDK 700 mb CD-R and Memorex 700 mb CDR-W When I install the disc in the drive, the drive spins up and then down exactly 3 times, then unceremoniously spits the disc out.

The drive will read discs I've previously burned on this and my wife's MacBook Pro (Same OS). It reads commercial discs. I have no DVD blanks to test. It even read a disc I burned in a TDK drive on a windows machine. But a blank? Shoots it out.

(For the record: I've always had problems with the Memorex on both MBP's. They always burn, then the disc is unreadable, per verification. But, they do get recognized. The TDK's have worked flawlessly.)

I checked in System Preferences for anything unusual. I restarted a few times. I manually ran the maintenance tasks. I made sure Parallels and Windows weren't running on any User's 'section' <See note below for why> I tried the 'rejected' discs in my wife's MBP- No problem with the discs. Still-No blank gets recognized on my machine.

I would guess that this drive has read, perhaps, 200 Cd's and written 25 or so in its lifetime of 2 1/2 years.

I'm optimistically guessing the drive may need cleaning, but I am afraid to go ahead without guidance. I have read that cleaners can do more harm than good. I've also read they are the answer to many problems. What do you all think about cleaners? Is there a specific brand or style that's best? (I found none on the Apple Store web site.)

Or, is there another problem, besides a dirty drive, you can suggest I try to remedy the situation (before I make things worse!)

Side Note: This is goofy- During my diagnostic attempts today I learned something frustratingly interesting:
If any of the "Users" of the MacBook have Parallels open with Windows XP and any other User inserts any CD- Windows owns it. It doesn't even show up on the User who inserted it's Finder Window. It goes straight to the User who has Windows open. One then must go to that User and close Windows. Kind of greedy in a Microsoft, kind of way, isn't it?

I sure appreciate any advice that you can give. Maybe someday I can give someone an answer to a problem on this forum!
Paul
 

cwa107


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Unfortunately, slot-loading drives are notoriously fickle. I had to have the one in my early 2008 MBP replaced less than a year into owning it. Fortunately, they swapped it out with a Matsushita drive, which in my experience tends to be more reliable (the original was an LG).

Personally, I think the cleaners are a load of BS and can do more harm than good - if the little brush comes unglued (which is entirely possible in a high-RPM drive), your whole drive is trash.

You can get a replacement on eBay fairly cheaply. Or you can always just buy an external for less than $100. Honestly, I try not to use mine unless I'm on the road.
 
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PGB1
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Thanks for the warning about the disc cleaners. On your advice, I took a quick look on eBay. Wow, there a bunch of them cheap enough. I also liked your idea of using an external at home & reserve the built in's limited life span for travel.
Paul
 

cwa107


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Thanks for the warning about the disc cleaners. On your advice, I took a quick look on eBay. Wow, there a bunch of them cheap enough. I also liked your idea of using an external at home & reserve the built in's limited life span for travel.
Paul

My wife got me one of these for Christmas:

Amazon.com: Samsung USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive for Mac and PC SE-S084C/RSBN (Gloss Black): Electronics

It works great with my MacBook Pro. Although it has a second USB connector for power (which incidentally won't reach around to the other side of my MacBook Pro), it doesn't need it.

Heck, I actually carry this around in my bag since it's so light weight. I've actually found it to be faster than the internal Superdrive.
 
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PGB1
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Great Idea!
Thanks,
Paul
 

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