CDs/DVDs won't open on one iMac - PLEASE HELP!

I get 3D dental scans sent to me on DVDs, all the time. They are from PC users. I have 5 iMacs in my practice. The disks will open on most of them. Many times, and that means most of the time, the disks will not open on my iMac. Most of the time, the disk will show up as being empty.
I take it back to another iMac and it will open right up. I have a larger screen on mine, plus I'd rather sit in my private office, than in one of the dental operatories. I run High Sierra, with 32 Gig of RAM. There must be a simple fix to this issue. This issue has been the same with older OS, this is not anything new.
I use Parallels 10.4.0
Thanks

Hello Drewber.

Idea #1: Since this seems to happen only on one computer (sometimes works...but most of the time it doesn't)...one thing I would check on is to see if the preference settings are the same between all computers.

Go to: Apple Drop Down Menu >> System Preferences >> CD's & DVD's

Check to see if the selections here are the same on all computers. The settings/selections here are not very high-tech...but who knows.

Idea #2: When was the last time this iMac was rebooted? Sometimes a reboot can help.

Idea #3: Maybe the iMac that is being troublesome needs some maintenance (maybe a preference file or something has gotten corrupted). If you don't already have it...download & install the free maintenance app called "Onyx". Once installed...launch it...then click on the "Automate" or "Execute" button...and let it do its thing.

HTH,

- Nick

Thanks. I'll try the preferences; I rarely deal with those. I reboot every so often. I have used Onyx, but it has been awhile. I'll try that again.
Thanks.

Another thing to try on the troublesome Mac is to use a compressed air canister and blow air into the drive. Keep the can at least 6" away from the drive opening to avoid condensation from occurring. Sometimes a DVD/CD drive needs cleaning because of dust build up on the laser light that reads the disc.

Drewber said:

I get 3D dental scans sent to me on DVDs, all the time. They are from PC users. I have 5 iMacs in my practice. The disks will open on most of them. Many times, and that means most of the time, the disks will not open on my iMac. Most of the time, the disk will show up as being empty.
I take it back to another iMac and it will open right up. I have a larger screen on mine, plus I'd rather sit in my private office, than in one of the dental operatories. I run High Sierra, with 32 Gig of RAM. There must be a simple fix to this issue. This issue has been the same with older OS, this is not anything new.
I use Parallels 10.4.0
Thanks

Click to expand...

What does Parallels have to do with this? Are you opening these discs in the Finder, or in Windows Explorer via Parallels? What software are you viewing these with? Have you tried using a different external USB DVD Drive to read them?

I noticed too, that the OP has posted under Forums > macOS Software > Running Windows (or anything else) on your Mac.

Ian