MacBook Pro spits out every single disk

Question

MacBook Pro spits out every single disk

Hello,
I was wondering if someone would be able to tell me if it is possible to fix my problem on my
own, or if I will have to send my laptop to Apple (or however that works) in order to get my laptop back on track.
When I first bought it, my Macbook Pro was fine, however now it will not read anything, when I put disks in the drive it hums around like it's reading it, but in the end just spits it back out, regardless of media. Is this a bad disk drive, or can I fix it by myself? Or, will I have to send it to professionals and pay in order to replace the disk drive ( and if this is the case, who do I send it to and if you know how much it will cost). BTW I am not a computer expert, so any technical words will be lost on me. Much thanks.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on May 24, 2008 12:37 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

-Kryten-

Level 4

1,481 points

May 24, 2008 1:17 PM in response to Danielle Mermell

Hi Danielle,

Welcome to the forum.

It very much sounds like the superdrive will need to be replaced. Two things that you could try though:

1. Reset the SMC

*Resetting an Apple portable's System Management Controller (SMC)*
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411

and....

2. Reset the PRAM

*Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM*
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

If, as I suspect, the symptoms still persist, then you'll need to either call Apple, take it in to an Apple Retail Store or an independent Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP).

If it's still under warranty or you have purchased AppleCare then this type of repair will be carried out free of charge (presuming that there is no physical damage that may have caused the fault).

If it's out of warranty and you have not purchased AppleCare then you'll have to pay for a replacement to be fitted. It's not as expensive as you may suspect (of course that's a relative statement) and you'll almost certainly get a better deal by going to an AASP as opposed to Apple direct.

Kryten

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Answer 2

Docal97

Level 1

65 points

May 24, 2008 2:18 PM in response to -Kryten-

I had the exact same issue. I tried every possible fix on my own, including those mentioned above. I ultimately had to take the mbp to the genius, who agreed that the superdrive needed to be replaced. Because they had one in stock, the computer was ready for pickup the next day.

The new superdrive is working flawlessly.

I suggest that you just take it in and get in taken care of........Good luck.

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Answer 3

Welzo

Level 1

5 points

May 26, 2008 10:35 AM in response to Danielle Mermell

Hey,

I had the exact same problem on my 2 weeks old MBP 2.6 and I just got back from apple store, they said the Optical Drive has to be replaced... However it's in the warranty so I do not know how much it would cost.

Good luck

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Answer 4

May 29, 2008 9:43 AM in response to Welzo

Thank you all for your suggestions, they really helped. I found an Apple Service provider in my area, and asked him how much it would cost to replace the drive ($300). Unfortunately, that is more money than I thought it would cost, but he recommended getting an external dvd drive (disk drive, whatever it's called nowadays). Went to all the local places for computer accessories, and the only place I could find one that was Mac compatible was in this computer store inside my college's Bookstore. They only have one left in stock, and it has all this stuff for burning disks and whatnot, but also has Lightscribe.
The price was a lot cheaper than replacing the disk drive. However, I have no idea what Lighscribe is. The disk drive works just like an internal one, right? Just wanting to be sure it can be used to play computer games and other media 🙂

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Answer 5

May 29, 2008 9:52 AM in response to Danielle Mermell

Yes, it will work. Lightscribe is a feature that allows you to burn data to the disc, then flip it over and burn a label onto the "top" of the disc (requires special blank discs, of course). Otherwise, it's a normal optical drive.

Hope this helps...

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