Mac wont read DVD's

[MarkWebb]

I have never tried before but recently been trying to use blank CD's and DVD's for backup but my iMac wont read them. I have tried Verbatim DVD-R and it makes a few noises and spits out. Same thing happened with CD's I tried a while ago.

 

[cradom]

Some drives are very picky about what disks they will read. That's why I don't buy a boatload of them until I find out what kind it likes.
Also, what app are you using to burn with?

 

[RadDave]

I have never tried before but recently been trying to use blank CD's and DVD's for backup but my iMac wont read them. I have tried Verbatim DVD-R and it makes a few noises and spits out. Same thing happened with CD's I tried a while ago.

Hi - in checking Mactracker for your model, the computer has a slot-loading 8X optical drive - correct? I'm assuming that it worked early on? Could just be finicky optical blanks, as already suggested, but you might try a can of compressed air w/ some gentle puffs into the slot - could be a dust/debris issue after a half dozen years?

If still an issue and if optical storage is important in your backup plan, then an inexpensive external optical drive would be another option. Dave

 

[harryb2448]

What do you nmkean 'won't read'? If you mean they do not appear on the desktop, go into Finder Preferences and ensure 'Show DVD/CDs on the Desktop' is selected.

 

[MarkWebb]

Some drives are very picky about what disks they will read. That's why I don't buy a boatload of them until I find out what kind it likes.
Also, what app are you using to burn with?

I cant get that far because the drive wont keep the disk in.

 

[MarkWebb]

What do you nmkean 'won't read'? If you mean they do not appear on the desktop, go into Finder Preferences and ensure 'Show DVD/CDs on the Desktop' is selected.

Thanks, yes it is.

 

[MarkWebb]

Hi - in checking Mactracker for your model, the computer has a slot-loading 8X optical drive - correct? I'm assuming that it worked early on? Could just be finicky optical blanks, as already suggested, but you might try a can of compressed air w/ some gentle puffs into the slot - could be a dust/debris issue after a half dozen years?

If still an issue and if optical storage is important in your backup plan, then an inexpensive external optical drive would be another option. Dave

Thanks, I never tried it before.

 

[harryb2448]

You can see why Apple have discontinued slot loading optical drives because of their propensity to fail. Your best option may be USB thumb drives which come in much, much larger capacities than discs.

 

[RadDave]

You can see why Apple have discontinued slot loading optical drives because of their propensity to fail. Your best option may be USB thumb drives which come in much, much larger capacities than discs.

Hi Harry - my thoughts exactly; even a dual-DVD optical disc is just 8.5 GB - you can get multi-packs of 8 GB USB flash drives for almost nothing (from Amazon below) - even the 32 GB item shown is cheap. Of course, external HDs of TB sizes are under $100 - all better options that getting an external optical burner. Dave

.

 

[pm-r]

Thanks, yes it is.

Also make sure there are some settings for when inserting blank disks, otherwise they will often just be ejected.

You can also try using a commercial disk and see if it gets read or mounts.

If it's dirty, a common problem, the use of a CD/DVD disk cleaner with a small brush and a few good blasts with the compressed air can's tube shoved in the drive's slot often fixes the problem.

 

[MarkWebb]

Many thanks to all.

 

[harryb2448]

Tell us what happened Mark if you got it working as others will wander by with same problem in the future.