iMac DVD stuck - desperate help needed!

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Hi,

I've searched on here for a solution, but don't seem to be able to find one. I have an Intel Core Duo aluminum Mac and I have a DVD stuck in the drive. The problem is, the DVD is not showing on my desk top or in disk utilities. The disk is making noises as if it spins for a second and then stops and continues to do this when the Mac is running.

Any idea how I start to solve this problem and eject the disk?
 
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20" Intel iMac 2.4 Ghz/3G Ram/320HD, Snow Leopard. PBook G4, 1.5Ghz/1.5 Ram/250 HD, Leopard 10.5.6.
Restart holding down your mouse (keep it held down). It will eject the disc as it restarts.
 
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Restart holding down your mouse (keep it held down). It will eject the disc as it restarts.

I've just tried this a few times and as the white screen comes up the disk spins but does not eject or even make the sound as if its trying to eject.

When the Mac is fully booted I still get the disc every few seconds spinning as if try to read it.

I've just been back into disk utilities and the disk drive is recognized and shows waiting for the drive to erase disk data. Both eject and erase icons are grayed out.
 
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Ok, very strange, and it sounds like the drive may be broken.
Try powering off completely, remove the power lead, and then reboot, still holding down the mouse again, until the Mac has fully booted.
If that doesn't work I don't know what to suggest, but will do some hunting around in the meantime.
 
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Try doing this command in Terminal (Applications> Utilities>Terminal),

/usr/bin/drutil eject
 
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Okay I've tried the cold reboot and I get the same spinning disk until system is fully loaded and then every second or two disk spin and no eject.

tried /usr/bin/drutil eject and nothing happened - may be this is my first sick Mac :-(
 
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Try this next then.
If your computer has an eject button on the keyboard, restart the computer holding down the Option key. When the startup disk selection screen appears, let go of the option key and press the keyboard's eject button.

After that we are in to more "physical" removal methods like this:

Slide an adhesive mailing label/piece of sticky tape into the slot until it contacts the top if the disc, you’ll hear it, push eject and give it a little assist tug. It should release pressure on the disc and allow it to come out.
 
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Try this next then.
Slide an adhesive mailing label/piece of sticky tape into the slot until it contacts the top if the disc, you’ll hear it, push eject and give it a little assist tug. It should release pressure on the disc and allow it to come out.

I'll give it a go later today and let you know how I get on with this one - thanks.

Silly question - I forgot to ask where in relation to the slot is the top of the disk - is it at the top?
 
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Yes, closest to you as you look at the Mac.
 
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Not having luck with the locating the disk and trying to grab it physically.

The DVD spins like crazy when doing a cold reboot, but just wont spit the darn thing out.
 
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I've just tired this:

System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras and double-clicking the file "Eject.menu". An eject icon will appear in the menubar that can be used to close and open selected optical drives.

And the drive is grayed out - I think this is a software issue? As mentioned in disk utility it appears as though I'm trying to erase data from the dvd.
 
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It could be a hardware issue if the drive is grayed out, it's just not being seen.
Try running a permissions repair from disk utility (sadly you can't do it from disc of course~), and then see whether the drive shows up.
Other things you could try are getting thin on the ground though. What's on the DVD? I was wondering if it was something you could try and play like a film? If so you could open something like VLC and see if it will find the disc?
You could also try carefully pushing a thin piece of card behind the disc, and gently levering upwards as you try ejecting. This may help it off of the drive.
Or try ejecting with the Mac tilted froward toward you and hope that it "falls" forward.
I know this all sounds primitive, but short of going to a tech and dismantling everything, it's worth trying anything.
 
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I'm running permissions repair as we speak.

The DVD is blank as I was going to burn some files to it.

VLC says there is no DVD.
 
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Ok, cool.
Do you have Toast or Burn? Burn is free, you could grab that, install it and see if it will find the blank disc, just by process of elimination we may be able to find if it's a drive issue.
 
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I think this baby has got me beat.

I ran repair permissions and rebooted. The CD/DVD icon appeared on my desk top went in to look at it and there are files on the DVD - tried to eject it and nothing.

I really suspect this is a software issue and for some reason te disk is not being released.

Will try Burn and see what happens.
 
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It looks like this really has got me beat - one minute the dvd/cd icon is there the next its not - all very weird lol.
 
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Next time you get the icon up, try the drutil eject again.
I'm sure if it was software it would not manifest itself this way.
 
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Try going into iTunes and in the menu-bar go to Controls > Eject Disk. I doubt it will work though, as all of the other methods have failed and this is looking more like a hardware than a software issue. :|
 
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Try going into iTunes and in the menu-bar go to Controls > Eject Disk. I doubt it will work though, as all of the other methods have failed and this is looking more like a hardware than a software issue. :|

Darn tried this too and no luck. I'll get the iMac booked in over the next few days with a local Mac guy - hopefully won't break the bank!
 

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