MacBook Pro won't read CD

[billwill]

I have a new edition of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible that came with a CD. When I insert the CD in my MacBook Pro, it accepts it and I hear the drive running like any other CD that's inserted but the CD logo never comes up on the desktop. The only way I can see that it's there is by going to Disk Utility.

Please help; thank you in advance for your expertise and assistance.

 

[MacInWin]

Can you mount the disk from Disk Utility? What version of the OS are you running? Does the CD have data files or applications? We need a bit more to be able to assist you.

 

[ferrarr]

Do you have Finder Preferences to display "discs" on the Desktop, or in the Finder Sidebar?

See this, Change Finder preferences on Mac - Apple Support

 

[billwill]

Can you mount the disk from Disk Utility? What version of the OS are you running? Does the CD have data files or applications? We need a bit more to be able to assist you.

I can call it up using Disk Utility but it says it's Uninitialized. I don't know how to do that. It has data files, all text.

 

[billwill]

I have it to display discs on the desktop but it doesn't come up. Could that be because it's uninitialized? I don't know how to do that.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm running Catalina 10.15.3

 

[MacInWin]

"Uninitialized" normally means the CD is blank, unwritten to at all. Where did you get this CD? Is it a professionally made commercial CD, or did someone make it for you? I suspect that whoever made the disk didn't do the process properly.

 

[billwill]

"Uninitialized" normally means the CD is blank, unwritten to at all. Where did you get this CD? Is it a professionally made commercial CD, or did someone make it for you? I suspect that whoever made the disk didn't do the process properly.

Disk Utility says it's over 600 GB. It's the contents of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, a huge book of over 1800 pages. The CD came with the book. All my other CDs run fine, it's just this one.

 

[MacInWin]

OK, the other possibility is that there is a Windows application on the disk to access the data that is set to start up as soon as the disk is accessed at all. Since you are using a Mac, that application may not run, which means that none of the data is available. I've had that happen before and I have never found a way around it other than to run Windows. Do you know that the disk is for a Mac? The 600GB is the default size for a standard CD, but the fact that DU can detect that does not mean the disk is usable on a Mac.

 

[chscag]

Disk Utility says it's over 600 GB. It's the contents of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, a huge book of over 1800 pages. The CD came with the book. All my other CDs run fine, it's just this one.

That's not a normal CD if it's over 600 GB. Something is not right with that disc or your optical drive is not able to read it. Normally, a CD or DVD containing Strong's will be compressed, however, it will automatically uncompress when being read by an optical drive.

Are you sure it's 600 GB and not 600 MB?

 

[MacInWin]

Charlie, I sort of assumed that was what he really meant. Even a DVD is only 4 GB.

 

[chscag]

The 600GB is the default size for a standard CD, but the fact that DU can detect that does not mean the disk is usable on a Mac.

LOL, no way Jake. A normal CD can contain 700 MB, a normal DVD around 4 GB.

We are passing each other......

I wonder if that disc is a Blue Ray disc?

 

[MacInWin]

Yeah, that was my typo.

 

[ferrarr]

What year is it from? I believe it is a 32 bit app issue, and will not be useable with Catalina at all?

 

[billwill]

OK, the other possibility is that there is a Windows application on the disk to access the data that is set to start up as soon as the disk is accessed at all. Since you are using a Mac, that application may not run, which means that none of the data is available. I've had that happen before and I have never found a way around it other than to run Windows. Do you know that the disk is for a Mac? The 600GB is the default size for a standard CD, but the fact that DU can detect that does not mean the disk is usable on a Mac.

The label of the CD has "Windows" and "Macintosh." Is there a FREE Windows app that might let me run it? I'm a disabled Vet living on Social Security... in fact, I've been a Microsoft user for 25 years (OFFICE, etc.) but now can't edit any of my WORD documents unless I pay $99 to Microsoft. I also cannot create a new WORD document or use any of the OFFICE apps. Jerks.

Thanks for trying to help. I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[MacInWin]

Before we go down the Windows trail, we can see if we can get it readable on your Mac. Can you tell us more about your Mac? Click on the  in the upper left corner, then About This Mac and tell us what Mac, what version of the OS you are running. From there we can see how to get the disc mounted.

And why has your Word quit working? Have you upgraded your Mac OS recently? That is about the only thing I can think of to make Word stop. Catalina no longer supports 32-bit software, so if you upgraded to Catalina, older versions of software may no longer run. However, there are alternatives to MS products to read/write Word documents.

 

[billwill]

I'm running Catalina 10.15.3 (should I revert back to the OS before I updated?)
Processor is 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Memory is 10 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics is Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

Where could I find an alternative to Word, et.al.? For no cost?

I apologize; I'm gonna crash. I've been up since 4:30 this morning. Thank you again for trying to help. I'll be back tomorrow.

 

[krs]

I can call it up using Disk Utility but it says it's Uninitialized. I don't know how to do that. It has data files, all text.

I have literally used thousands of CDs on a Mac, audio, video and data and burned hundreds more, but I have never come across one where Disk Utility says it's "Uninitialized" - not readable - yes, but not 'uninitialized???

If the disk is "uninitialized" that would suggest that it can be initialized, but that would not apply to a commercial CD (which I assume this is) which is readable only.
AFAIK, initialization applies to erasable CD's only. If a CD-RW disc already contains files, you can initialize it to use the disc again. This will erase all the files it contains.

billwill - don't shoot me, but are you sure you inserted the CD the correct way around?

 

[krs]

Where could I find an alternative to Word, et.al.? For no cost?

I think the current consensus is that Free Office is the best office suite to use besides Microsoft.
www.freeoffice.com - FreeOffice for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android

 

[MacInWin]

I have literally used thousands of CDs on a Mac, audio, video and data and burned hundreds more, but I have never come across one where Disk Utility says it's "Uninitialized" - not readable - yes, but not 'uninitialized???

If the disk is "uninitialized" that would suggest that it can be initialized, but that would not apply to a commercial CD (which I assume this is) which is readable only.
AFAIK, initialization applies to erasable CD's only. If a CD-RW disc already contains files, you can initialize it to use the disc again. This will erase all the files it contains.

billwill - don't shoot me, but are you sure you inserted the CD the correct way around?

@krs, that is normally true, but I have also seen CDs that were improperly closed when written show up as "uninitialized" when mounted. And you are correct that a commercially made CD should not have that problem. Initializing a CD is similar to formatting a drive in that it makes the disk writeable. But when writing a CD, whether re-writeable or not, if the disk isn't properly finalized, it won't be readable. Reinitialzing doesn't else files, it makes them unreadable. The impact is the same, but reinitialization loses that space previously written to the drive unless the CD is rewritable. Not many are.

 

[pm-r]

Is there any chance you can read the CD's text file(s) by using a text editor such as TextEdit and or BBEdit if you have it?


Patrick
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