Apple Hardware

SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

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SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

Oct 9th, 2006

I have a 2.1 GHz G5 iMac running 10.4.8 with everything up to date. The Superdrive worked flawlessly for 8 or 9 months, and then proceeded to gradually lose its ability to recognize blank DVD-R's that I insert. At first the brand I was using failed (Verbatim) but Fuji discs still worked fine. Now Fuji discs no longer work. Has anyone experienced this and figured out a fix?

The blank disc is inserted, begins to spin up, makes a few read sounds, and then is ejected. This is true using the Finder, iDVD, Toast, and Popcorn.

Dave

P.S. I am a newbie, having stumbled upon DaniWeb while searching for a solution to this issue. Thanks for what appears to be a great forum.

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Re: SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

Oct 9th, 2006

Hello,

It sounds like your SuperDrive is breaking down. I belive your Mac still has warranty coverage, so the best thing to do now is probably to get it repaired as soon as possible (before the warranty expires). SuperDrives are supposed to last longer than that.

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Re: SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

Oct 10th, 2006

Would the SuperDrive break down in such a way that it has no problem reading CDs or DVDs but cannot recognize blank DVDs?

I just tried doing an Archive and Install to return the computer to factory default and had no changes.

Dave

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Re: SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

Oct 10th, 2006

never used a mac really but i know some nec pc drives wear out very quickly when burning dvdrs at high speed

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Re: SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

Oct 10th, 2006

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Originally Posted by Dave Cowen

Would the SuperDrive break down in such a way that it has no problem reading CDs or DVDs but cannot recognize blank DVDs?

I just tried doing an Archive and Install to return the computer to factory default and had no changes.

Yes, that proves it's a hardware problem and not drivers messed up.

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Re: SuperDrive gradually losing blank DVD-R recognition?!?

Oct 11th, 2006

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Originally Posted by joeprogrammer

Yes, that proves it's a hardware problem and not drivers messed up.

The local Apple reseller seems to agree and a new SuperDrive has been ordered. I tested this one with CD-RWs and it burns fine, so I don't know why DVD-Rs won't work. I guess this is one sign of a failing drive though.

Thanks for everyone's help on this one, I appreciate it.

Dave