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Mac won't burn CDs

mcantar18c

mcantar18c

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Fayettnam
MacBook, Intel 2.4, OS X 10.6.5 "Snow Leopard"
Trying to write to a Memorex CD-R

Used to burn discs just fine. Reads CDs and DVDs as it should.
When I insert a blank disc it spins up for a few seconds and stops, tries that 2 or 3 times, then spits it back out.

Googled, said to open Disc Utility and check/restore permissions then restart. Didn't help.

Any suggestions?
 
Buy a pc, problem solved :)

Try a different brand disc. Try a different format disk + or -. Reinstall drivers. Buy a new drive.


Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
 
mcantar18c said:
This is the first problem I've had with it since I bought it in 07. Can your PC say that? ;)
Click to expand...
I'll let you know if I can remember any. I don't think so but I reformat regularly.

However its probably a safe bet to say that when I built mine it was 1/2 the cost of yours even with the best of the best parts.(built it when quad cores were first released)


Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
 
Blow the dust out of it, try a cleaning disc. If it's still not working I would replace the drive. Macbooks are one of the worst things to take apart. One time I had to fix a screen every part had to be removed even the motherboard. Replacing the screen took a couple hours on a windows notebook it takes me about 20min. Here is a 10 page guide on removing the drive http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/1 Have Fun.
 
There was a firmware update several months ago that hosed alot of Mac superdrives. I *thought* it was only in the towers, but it might have affected some laptop drives as well.
More often, it's just a dirty laser in the drive. (There are separare lasers for CD and DVD, so that explains why it works for one but not the other)
Before you replace it, try what Mesh said, either blow it out or try a cleaning disc (I prefer the disc with the little brush), or both.
Apple also recommends resetting the PRAM and then repairing permissions, but I haven't read too many reports of that fixing it.
 
Mesh said:
Blow the dust out of it, try a cleaning disc. If it's still not working I would replace the drive. Macbooks are one of the worst things to take apart. One time I had to fix a screen every part had to be removed even the motherboard. Replacing the screen took a couple hours on a windows notebook it takes me about 20min. Here is a 10 page guide on removing the drive http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/1 Have Fun.
Click to expand...

Man I thought laptops were bad. Pretty well done guide though.
 
Tdad said:
There was a firmware update several months ago that hosed alot of Mac superdrives. I *thought* it was only in the towers, but it might have affected some laptop drives as well.
More often, it's just a dirty laser in the drive. (There are separare lasers for CD and DVD, so that explains why it works for one but not the other)
Before you replace it, try what Mesh said, either blow it out or try a cleaning disc (I prefer the disc with the little brush), or both.
Click to expand...

I've had the same iMac since 2007 and the same Macbook Pro since 2008. In every instance where I've had a problem with one or the other failing to accept a blank disc, it's been down to one of two things:

1) Bad disc

2) Dirty lens

Definitely give cleaning a shot; hose some air-in-a-can into the slot if possible. It's also possible that you've just got a spindle of discs that are or went bad; it's happened to me on a couple of occasions.

Apple also recommends resetting the PRAM and then repairing permissions, but I haven't read too many reports of that fixing it.
Click to expand...

Yep. It doesn't really hurt to zap the PRAM, but given that the Superdrive basically has its own onboard controller there's not really much that the PRAM affects in relation to it.
 
I would try different media and canned air for sure. I've had many drives that are just picky with certain types of discs.

I've had super drives go bad and never had it do everything and not even try to burn. All the ones I had go bad would start burning then fail shortly after, but they always tried to burn.

Windows is the harbor freight of operating systems.
 
mcantar18c said:
MacBook, Intel 2.4, OS X 10.6.5 "Snow Leopard"
Trying to write to a Memorex CD-R

Used to burn discs just fine. Reads CDs and DVDs as it should.
When I insert a blank disc it spins up for a few seconds and stops, tries that 2 or 3 times, then spits it back out.

Googled, said to open Disc Utility and check/restore permissions then restart. Didn't help.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Get a thumb drive and join the rest of the human race. :D
 
Mesh said:
Blow the dust out of it, try a cleaning disc. If it's still not working I would replace the drive. Macbooks are one of the worst things to take apart. One time I had to fix a screen every part had to be removed even the motherboard. Replacing the screen took a couple hours on a windows notebook it takes me about 20min. Here is a 10 page guide on removing the drive http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-Duo-Optical-Drive-Replacement/286/1 Have Fun.
Click to expand...

Really? Mine took me about an hour, I really only had to remove the top cover to get to what I needed.


iwannadie said:
Windows is the harbor freight of operating systems.
Click to expand...

LOL


ECKSJAY said:
Get a thumb drive and join the rest of the human race. :D
Click to expand...

Girl wants a CD for her car.

I'll try air and discs from different brands and post up.
 
mcantar18c said:
Girl wants a CD for her car.

I'll try air and discs from different brands and post up.
Click to expand...

Time for an iPod and new car stereo I think ;) . I hate cds with a passion now days I just can't bring myself to use them unless I am at home and even then I'd rather plug in the iPod.

Then again, mix tapes are cheaper ha.
 
mcantar18c said:
This is the first problem I've had with it since I bought it in 07. Can your PC say that? ;)
Click to expand...

yep, because my PC's don't have Windows on them ;)

regarding your mac, have you tried booting to the snow leopard disc and seeing if the disc burning works from the live disc.

You may also want to try this:
http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/Pages/English/home.html

just to elimnate software troubles as the source and really narrow it down to the drive.
 
87manche said:
yep, because my PC's don't have Windows on them ;)

regarding your mac, have you tried booting to the snow leopard disc and seeing if the disc burning works from the live disc.

You may also want to try this:
http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/Pages/English/home.html

just to elimnate software troubles as the source and really narrow it down to the drive.
Click to expand...

What are you running? OS X or Linux? I tried running Linux on my Mac a while back but wasn't a fan of it. A buddy of mine has OS X on his frankenPC and its pretty cool.

I'll try that software and let yall know how it works out. Haven't had a chance to get some new CD-Rs yet.

As for booting with the OS disc... I don't have one. I sweet-talked the girl at the Genius Bar into installing it on a new HD (had it in to see if my old one was salvageable after I dropped it one too many times). Also got her to install a bunch of fun software like Aperature and the high end movie one, and her phone number, but that's another story :D
 
mcantar18c said:
What are you running? OS X or Linux? I tried running Linux on my Mac a while back but wasn't a fan of it. A buddy of mine has OS X on his frankenPC and its pretty cool.
Click to expand...

FreeBSD FTMFW :D

I'll try that software and let yall know how it works out. Haven't had a chance to get some new CD-Rs yet.
Click to expand...

Burn's a useful thing to have around. For some reason, it's been able to burn a couple of ISOs for me that Disk Utility wouldn't but everything else under the sun would.
 
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