Q: Imac will not accept DVD's or CD's

I'm sure there isn't one particular thing that's going on.  I'm sure there are probably several factors.  Either way, I'm glad that at Apple recognized the problem in getting software to be downloaded from the app store vs buying a CD/DVD disc to install apps.  I actually like the fact that I don't need to use my optical drive as much.  Yeah, it should be more reliable, but the fact is that they aren't.

Imagine how upset I was when I bought a top of the line, state of the art Sony DVD player when they FIRST came out.  It was, at the time, top of the line.  $1000.  I played mostly CDs on it, and once in a while I would play a DVD, but only after about 2 years, it only read CDs, not DVDs.  the store I bought it from told me it would be too expensive to replace the drive because the prices came down.  So, I ended up buying another DVD player.  Boy, was I upset at that.   The sales guy told me that having a laser for both DVD and CDs is a problem becuase the DVD lasers apparantely don't last as long as the CD laser and that's inherent in the design and for some wierd reason I don't know if they have figured out any way around it.

It'f frustrating to say the least.  Yeah, I would be upset for buying a computer and not using the drive daily and after a couple of years the thing doesn't work.  That's why I buy AppleCare, because they HAVE to replace it within 3 years of purchase.  :-)

Adding to the mix, I too am experiencing a SuperDrive issue. However, after reading this very long thread I am betting that my 27" Core i7 iMac's Super Drive is too slowly ending it's life. It still reads CD's and Movie DVD's but will not read my previously burned data DVDs.

I have years of back-up on DVD's and access the DVDs often. And yes I do have a terabyte drive with Time Machine.  Anyway,  i seem to have two courses of action i can take. Either purchase an external SuperDrive and have another device on my desk, or access my data DVDs on my MBP via my LAN when I need em.

I wonder how long external SuperDrives will be available vs how long my MBP SuperDrive will last...

Yep, iMac with

MATSHITA CD-RW  CW-8124

No longer accepting disks of any type.  Just spits them out after 10 seconds or so. 

Doesn't sound like there's any hope for me. 

Ugh. 

I haven't had much faith in writable DVDs.  I know they are SUPPOSED to work, but I've had bad media with certain brands of media.  If I were in your situation, I would simplly get a nice external drive that I could back up your computers using something like Carbon Copy Cloner as just a precaution.  External hard drives are cheap.

The problems with using an external drive is that it might not be compatible with the sytem(s) you have.  You'll have to check to make sure. Hopefully, they are.

I personally would rip the DVDs onto the hard drive and watch from there rather than constanly playing DVDs.

The problem is that computers, as much as we like em, aren't designed for the best experience with watching a movie.  I do it once in a while, but I prefer to watch movies on a TV with a DVD player that is designed to work in that environment.  Movies?  I just download them from iTunes, or I would rip them onto the HD if I REALLY need to do that.  CDs, i just rip them from the original.

The external SuperDrives are replacing internatl ones for new machines.  There are some cases where having an external won't work.  Why?  I don't know why, but I've heard that some people have difficulties installing some software from an external Superdrive if the computer already has an internal Superdrive, working or not.

Since just about every model Apple makes (with exception to the current MacPro and MacBookPro w/o Retina) don't have internal Superdrives, the external model seems to be what they are moving customers to since it's purely optional.  My advice, do what you can to get off of relying on DVDs. The drives do miuch better playing CDs. I think it boils down to the lasers for them are just more reliable.

My SuperDrive needs vitamins as well.  Apple recalled my iMac to replace the hard drive, but there is nothing wrong with that.  It sounds like the guy that handled the new "Maps" app for mobile devices ran the SD line of things earlier.  I got a new SDHD instead of the Apple fix on my hard drive, why cant they poney up for that, since it cost less?

Anyway... 

Are there any internal drives that will fit as of 2-26-13?  If not, what's the best external based on peoples experience?

There is obviously a classless suite here, especially when you consider the cost of a replacement, and the fact that you have no physical input without the drive.

"You have included content in your post that is not permitted."  Oh, but spend a small fortune on filtering software for posting.

Highly recommend RockPlayer2 and Media Player to you. Personally, I like the Media Player. Works well on my device

A quarter of a MILLION views. It's official. Apple Corporation doesn't give a flying f***. They are the new Microsoft.

I'm going Nokia for my next phone. Can't stand the lack of care or reply. Guys, you have BILLIONS in the bank. How many DVD drives are we talking?

AH, after sales service. Apple's model is new sales.

Not for me. I ain't coming back.

Where now?

I just want to know the facts, are there more Apple DVDs in things like the iMac, Mini and MBP that have failed in recent time compared with other models and PCs? I've spoken to repaires at the store level and they don't report many returns. Maybe people are just not using them any more, thus the reason Apple is removing them from it's products.

I just want to know the facts and you can't trust forums like this as most of the time its only the people with problems who report them. Tell me the last time you went to a forum to say something was working 100%?

Actually many people never bother to come to places like this to report problems.  They contact Apple, get the big FU because their warranty expired and then just give up and buy something else.  So in reality we're only seeing a fraction of the people on this thread who've had issues with their DVD drives. 

Imagine all those elderly people who thought they were buying something that would last a lifetime.  You know they just went back to the apple store and bought something else.

Aye, I see your point but I have an iMac, a Macbook and my bro has a MBP all of which has a useless DVD drive.

And the irony is that my little daughter has an old work HP, XP version (for DVDs) that works and my son has my old Dell (Dell for chrissake) that is 8 years old. Oh and I have a G4 iMac tha works fine.

So all my Intel macs (one is defunt because my wife stepped on it a month after I'd repalced the DVD drive), all of them no longer has a working DVD drive.

So, I'm not being scientific, but the stats look bad in my household.

I agree with Frostyglitch, all those old folk thought they were paying more for class and got a Microsoft type experience. I hope Apple Corporation is not proud of this rip off thinking.

Rant over.

I'm not saying there isn't a problem just that the majority that come here do so to complain and I'd like to know the actual numbers. My mum have a 2011 MBP and has never used the DVD outside of installing software when it was new and last month when I installed Office 2011, which I could have down online.

I've had the DVD fail in my G5 tower, but that was an easy repair. I think Apple has done the right thing removing DVD from it's recent releases. If you need DVD then get a USB one, it's much easier to replace if it fails.

In the spirint of this forum, offering solutions, may I suggest the following for your particular situation:

Replace the SuperDrive in your MacBook Pros yourself

Replacement Superdrives are available at two very popular online retailers for $30 to $50 that would replace the failed component in your MacBook Pros.  The replacement process is low-risk and does not, in my opinion, require any technical skill.  Numerous step-by-step guides are available online.

Replace the superdrive in your iMac

This is much more tricky and although the individual steps aren't very difficult, I chose to have someone else do this for me after reading the procedure and understanding the risks of further damage to my iMac.  If you're willing to take the risk - the replacement part lists for $30 to $50 on a popular online retailer and the specialized tools for prying apart your iMac will run you around $20.  At the Apple Store, the repair cost me $129 (parts) and labor.  The labor was covered under the hard drive replacement program.

Repurpose the Superdrive Slot in your Mac and shift to USB Optical Drives

If you want to give up on having a Superdrive in your Macs, the dead Superdrive can be replaced by a tray that fills the space in your machine coverting it into a secondary internal 2.5in harddrive bay.  Due to thermal management concerns I would advise on getting a SSD or, if you must, use a "Green" HDD that is specifically rated for cooler operation.  USB DVD Burners are dirt cheap (the same retailer named after a river lists many for around $30) and you could even add an External BluRay Player that also burns CD & DVDs to your Mac for as little as $50 + the Software Costs for playing BluRay Media.

Best of luck.

Notice when you go into the Apple store that none of the new iMacs have a slot for disc insertion. You need to buy an external drive to go with the new computer. iMacs are not really meant to be opened, not without serious effort and special tools. Read about doing it on YouTube. At least with the powerbooks you can open them up and get at the insides more easily. The moral of the story is... you are going to be buying a new computer. Mine is 10 years old, so I guess I'm going to have to do it. AS FAR AS I KNOW... an external drive won't solve the problem because there isn't any way to make the computer select it over the internal drive. I'm going to go to the Mac store and ask some questions, but I've got a bad feeling about all of this. Glad I have an entire copy of my computers contents on a storage device.

Are you saying that you know... for certain... that a USB drive can be used to replace the internal DVD drive? I'd do it immediately, but I haven't heard that this always works. Some of these drives that you can buy specify that they are only for machines without a drive inside, like the new iMacs. Frankly, I don't care if the internal drive works... as long as I can get a DVD player/burner to work in any way I will be happy. Be glad to hear your further thoughts on this. I'm not sure that the computer will recognize the external drive for playing movies etc, although it will probably allow data to go OUT of the computer in order to burn discs.

I think it depends on the model you have and what you are trying to do.  The external Superdrives only work with certain models, i think it has to do with the firmware, however that's just a guess on my part.  I haven't spent much time trying to figure out why.    You might want to talk to Apple directly or if you are looking at a third party like OWC, then talk to them directly.  Some DVDs like installation might not work, while playing a DVD or burning a DVD might.    But these are just guesses.

If the computer doesn't have an internal, then you have to get an external, but Apple has been preloading the OS and restore on the drive/ssd.  By all means, talk to Apple directly, I would call their Sales line if your computer is an older model.

Burning shouldn't be an issue as long as the external drive is compatible with your computer.

I had a problem on an older computer that just didn't work with an external Superdrive because my system was too old and didn't have a Superdrive to begin with, so in my case it was probably the firmware didn't recognize it.  But my new iMac, the Superdrive works just fine, but I rarely have a need to use it.