Burner - device failed to calibrate the laser power level for this media.

I was having this same problem on my older MBP while stuck at work so I couldn't use my air compressor at home or go buy a can of air. I just blew air into the drive and after a few tries and my eventual light-headedness, it worked. The moisture that comes from this probably isn't great and may ultimately cause more damage than it saves, but if you're desparate it can work.

parkerpress wrote:

Just FYI, A quick, 2 second burst of compressed air into the slot-loading drive on my MBP C2D solved my problems....

Blowing air into the drive worked for me! i didn't have compressed air, so i just did it ghetto style by using a straw and blowing air into it myself, and it solved the issue!

I tried the credit card/ microfiber, a DVD cleaning disk , blowing inside the drive and then finally caved and bought the compressed gas duster. It didn't work at first and i was starting to lose hope- but then i sprayed the crap out of it after my 5th try and even sprayed it while the disc was inside and it worked.

DONT GIVE UP!

Same problem here, but it only began AFTER I upgraded to Lion. I've been running Snow Leopard for a while with no problems on either of my two SuperDrives. But, as soon as I upgraded to Lion, they both went to crap. I'm trying the compressed air, but so far no luck. I'll try a CD cleaner disc next. But, because of the timing, I have a sinking feeling that Lion is responsible.

Sorry for the double post. Firefox crashed when I tried to post the previous one and since I didn't see the post show up on the forum, I assumed it was lost. So I re-posted. Then, of course, the first post shows up. Hah. Go figure. 😉

Anyway, I've tried the air until I ran out. No dice.

I have two SuperDrives and both were working well until I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Lion. Now neither drive will burn. And, when I do try to burn and get that error message, the Finder locks up and I have to relaunch the Finder. Every time.

I'll buy a CD cleaner and try it, but I don't believe it's due to a mechanical failure, because the odds of both drives going out at the exact same time are astronomical. Though I'm getting the exact same error you all are, I believe my issue is due to a conflict with Lion.

Waddya think?

Right on! My superdrive in my MacBook Pro (MacBookPro3,1) was not recognizing blank Memorex DVD-R disks. I tried the thin plastic card with fiber cloth. No go. I then issued three mighty full-diaphragm blows with my lips pressed to the superdrive orifice. It fixed the superdrive. Now Lion recognizes the problem disks. I can burn DVDs.

Interesting note: Before I blew into the superdrive, it was able to recognize blank Memorex LightScribe DVD+R disks, as well as blank CD-R disks. I was also able to play aleady-written CDs and DVDs.

Be well, Apple lovers.

idnapper's suggestion (credit card wrapped in ipod cloth) worked like a charm. just to be sure i also slowed it down to 2x.

thank you

+1 for the cleaning cloth and credit card solution ! Had to try 3 times.

Here is an update on the dual burner problem:

"I have two SuperDrives and both were working well until I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Lion. Now neither drive will burn. And, when I do try to burn and get that error message, the Finder locks up and I have to relaunch the Finder."

The solution for me seemed to be the combination of a Lens Cleaning disc and a new and different brand of blank DVD. I don't know what went wrong with the stack of blank Memorex DVDs I had been using for over a year, but they still didn't work even after I'd cleaned the lens. However, after buying some new Sony blanks, everything works fine. And this solution applies to both of my SuperDrives. They both stopped working at the same time, which suggested a software problem, but the simple act of cleaning the lens and using a different brand of DVD proved to be the correct solution. That makes me very happy.

Blowing air into the slot worked for me too! But you can avoid the

terrible environmental impact of the so called "compressed air" (which

actually contains all sorts of harmful greenhouse gases) by using a

hand pump of the type used to inflate basket balls, volley balls, etc.

Just use the little "needle" attachment and insert it in the slot of

your drive instead of your volley ball. This is also cheaper, if you

already have a pump like this.

Obviously, be careful not to damage anything with the metal needle.

Used the blower brush that I use to clean my camera lens, and it worked perfectly. Thanks a lot parkerpress.

Update...

Well, it worked for a while. Starting to act up again.

Still haven't gotten the 2nd drive to work.

Maybe they're just too old to be fixed. They are from 2005, after all. 😉

Macbook Pro Early 2008.

Wrapping an Apple cleaning cloth around a credit card + blowing in air actually worked! Thanks so much guys

Macbook Pro from early 2010. Never had a problem burning DVDs. Got he same error message about laser calibration on about 5 discs from a spindle that all worked perfectly before. Discs??? Drive??? Software??? Was convinced that it was due to an update overnight as I regularly burn DVDs and did one yesterday. In desperation tried blowing in the slot and then the credit card wrapped in Raybans cleaning cloth. Slid it back and forth a few times. Burned immediately afterwards on a disc from the same spindle. Go figure! Thanks all

One thing to remember on the earlier CD/DVD Burners they were very picky about the blank media they liked. Many of us found that some of the lower cost Media was a problem like Memorex. However as time progressed the Burners did a much better job but still preferred Higher end Media like Maxell, Sony and the like. A shot of Air in them has never seemed to hurt and often solved the problem.