pjensen4

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

When I insert a DVD or CD, after about 10 secs it spits it right back out. If I continue to insert the DVD or CD right after it ejects, the computer will finally accept it on about the 6th time and everything works fine. Is this a drive issue or software? any ideas?

Thanks

Imac, Mac OS X (10.5.3)

Posted on Aug 2, 2008 12:07 PM

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

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  • by Craig Best,

    Craig Best Craig Best Apr 8, 2013 12:38 AM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 4 (1,145 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 12:38 AM in response to Frostyglitch

    What about booting from a USB HDD or thumb drive?

  • by Frostyglitch,

    Frostyglitch Frostyglitch Apr 8, 2013 1:10 AM in response to Craig Best
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 1:10 AM in response to Craig Best

    Unfortunately it's the same situation, still a no-go.  I tried multiple external HDD's and thumb drives along with days of research.  These motherboards were simply built with the intentions of only booting from the internal DVD drive..that's it.

     

    Apple's only saving grace (which is indeed a great one) is that if you happen to need to restore OS X you can do so via the recovery system without the need for a DVD.  As long as you know the Apple login you used to purchase Lion/Mountain, this is a great solution.  The full instructions can be found here: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718  If anyone that reads this falls under these circumstances, understand that you'll be downloading the entire operating system, so I recommend a fast reliable internet connection.

     

    Otherwise, if you need to boot from a DVD for bootcamp or other software that requires it..you're sunk.

  • by Craig Best,

    Craig Best Craig Best Apr 8, 2013 2:25 AM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 4 (1,145 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 2:25 AM in response to Frostyglitch

    I used to boot my old G5 PowerMac with a FireWire external HDD, wouldn't that work on older Mac's also?

     

    I thought all Intel Mac's could boot from USB.

  • by Frostyglitch,

    Frostyglitch Frostyglitch Apr 8, 2013 2:45 AM in response to Craig Best
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 2:45 AM in response to Craig Best

    Unfortunately with iMac's this is simply not the case.  You end up with a black screen stating "Please insert a bootable device and hit any key".  If you do a bit of googling you'll see people have tried **everything under the sun to try to boot from anything other than the internal hdd/dvd drive but to no avail.  It was a bit short sighted of Apple, but there's nothing anyone can do about it now.

     

    A quick google search for firewire drives comes up with prices ranging from $194 up to $449 from online merchants I've never heard of or used.  The cheaper ones were refurbished.  So while I haven't tried this particular connection, I also have no desire to spend the money trying it.

  • by Craig Best,

    Craig Best Craig Best Apr 8, 2013 2:43 AM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 4 (1,145 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 2:43 AM in response to Frostyglitch

    Then what about the 2012 iMac?

     

    I have Time Machine and a 2nd CCC backup, bouth using USB3.

  • by Frostyglitch,

    Frostyglitch Frostyglitch Apr 8, 2013 2:57 AM in response to Craig Best
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 2:57 AM in response to Craig Best

    Apple changed it in the 2012 iMac and the Macbook.  Because it doesn't come with a DVD drive, bootcamp allows you to install from a thumb drive.  The software checks your hardware and automatically gives you the option to boot from the thumb drive.  (I can't confirm one way or the other on anything outside of bootcamp, you'd have to test that yourself.)

     

    This drove people nuts that had older 2010 iMacs, so they went in and tried to change the kernel to try to trick bootcamp into thinking it was running on a new iMac.  However after booting you still get the screen "please insert a bootable device and hit any key to continue".  This is how we found out that literally the motherboard wasn't designed to boot from anything external.

     

    Why they didn't make this an option on the older models is beyond me.  It's infuriating though to say the least.

  • by Craig Best,

    Craig Best Craig Best Apr 8, 2013 2:56 AM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 4 (1,145 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 2:56 AM in response to Frostyglitch

    Thanks for the info.

     

    I'll keep it in mind as my mom has a 2011 MBP.

  • by SWO2Cryppie,

    SWO2Cryppie SWO2Cryppie Apr 8, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Frostyglitch

    Which iMac are you talking about?  I have no issue getting my late 2009 21.5" iMac to boot from an External Drive.

     

    Look at Apple Support article ht4718 where there are detailed instructions on how to make a bootable Lion or Mountain Lion external hard drive.

     

    Second, I've had much better luck with Apple Hardware than with PC Hardware recently.  Ever look under the hood?  There's a reason why PC manufacturers can sell their machines for as cheap as $300 to $400.

     

    Finally, there are plenty of reputable guides with step-by-step instructions where one can replace their defective SuperDrive for as little as $50 if their iMac is out of warranty.  Optionally, they can convert their SuperDrive caddy into a secondary internal hard drive or SSD via the same process.

  • by SWO2Cryppie,

    SWO2Cryppie SWO2Cryppie Apr 8, 2013 4:27 PM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 4:27 PM in response to Frostyglitch

    Try this thread.  It addresses the failure to boot from external with some of the newest Macs:

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/20938457#20938457#20938457

     

     

    I hope this helps.

  • by Frostyglitch,

    Frostyglitch Frostyglitch Apr 8, 2013 11:41 PM in response to SWO2Cryppie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 8, 2013 11:41 PM in response to SWO2Cryppie

    Who's trying to boot mountain lion or lion from an external device?  Did I say that's what I wanted to do at any point? 

     

    Of course I've looked under the hood.  I've been building PC's for years.  Speaking of which, I built a PC the same year I bought my iMac in 2010 which is still running fine like a tank.  Plenty of air flow and good quality thermal grease goes a long ways.  Function before beauty is elementary...a rule jon ives obviously never learned. 

     

    These titanium crappers are heat magnets that scorch the screen covers and have low quality parts.  There's no way in **** I should have to worry about replacing a DVD drive two years after purchase that MSRP's for over two grand.  That's ludricous!

     

    Lastly I have no desire to take apart that expensive iMac.  I bought it with the intentions of having a kitchen appliance, not a project.  If i wanted to do that, I would have just built a second Windows PC that would still have a functional drive.

     

    What do you recommend people do that aren't technically inclined such as myself?  Pay Apple a crap ton to replace it?  I think not.  It's time the public learned just how horrible these over priced intel pc's really are.  And all of these long unresolved threads about fundemantal issues with Apple products will serve that purpose rather well.

  • by mkmatsumoto,

    mkmatsumoto mkmatsumoto Apr 9, 2013 11:29 AM in response to SWO2Cryppie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 9, 2013 11:29 AM in response to SWO2Cryppie

    Hey - I saw your post - I need to replace the Superdrive in my mid 2010 Imac but have no idea how to open the case - do you know how to do that or what tools I need? I appreciate any help you can provide me with.

  • by Frostyglitch,

    Frostyglitch Frostyglitch Apr 9, 2013 12:53 PM in response to mkmatsumoto
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 9, 2013 12:53 PM in response to mkmatsumoto

    iFixit is rather popular when it comes to replacing parts for Macs.  They have guides for other EMC's should the one I've linked not match your exact iMac.

     

    http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2390+Optical+Drive+Replacemen t/8918/1

  • by Craig Best,

    Craig Best Craig Best Apr 9, 2013 5:56 PM in response to pjensen4
    Level 4 (1,145 points)
    Apr 9, 2013 5:56 PM in response to pjensen4

    I guess this all shows Apple's decision to not have DVD in the new iMac was a good one, so much easier to replace an external USB one.

  • by ckaiserjr61,

    ckaiserjr61 ckaiserjr61 Apr 13, 2013 8:35 AM in response to Frostyglitch
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 13, 2013 8:35 AM in response to Frostyglitch

    AMEN TO THAT Frostyglitch. I'll never give another dime to Apple until they address this massive epidemic failure!!!!  (Which apparently is never going to happen)  My money is better spent elsewhere.

  • by pbj01,

    pbj01 pbj01 Apr 13, 2013 10:37 AM in response to ckaiserjr61
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 13, 2013 10:37 AM in response to ckaiserjr61

    First, before I solve your issue, I'd like to say I agree that Apple, at the very least, owes every iMac owner with a SuperDrive, one on the house.  I forgive them many indiscretions in hardware and software, but this is not one of them.  They have offered to replace my hardrive on my 27", but that's not where the biggest problem lies.

     

    Ok then.  Use your search engine by typing in "SuperDrive workaround."  You can add iMac if you like, but this works on almost all Mac's. Look for the string that takes you to luz' mac fixing page.  Follow his directions exactly.

     

    That's it.

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