Drive won't read any dvd-ejects it automatically after spinning some time

Just to show the numbers of machines involved I am adding my Macbook Pro 2.16 to the list. I have $60 of DL DVDs that never are accepted and are spit out. CD reading and burning work fine. Apple please say something....we are your supporters!
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GWA4080MA:

Firmware Revision: AE39
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media: Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds

Add mine to the list. I'm in Iraq and we get what's called "hadji movies" essentially, burned movies. When I got my MBP a month and a half ago, it read everything I put into it. Just over the last 3 weeks or so, it wont read anything that is "original" and now it has a habit of ejecting the disk anytime I either lift the cover and wake it, or access any info regarding dvd/cd settings. Here's my info.

MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-868:

Firmware Revision: KA14
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -R DL, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media: Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.0074.B01
SMC Version: 1.33f8
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

And another one! I'm not surprised at all, I must add: I brought my MBP back in on Friday, since it was still under extended warranty with the retailer I bought it from. I'm posting this from my other computer carrying Windows Seven, by the way...

No so bad...

Anyway, hopefully I'll get my MBP back in a few weeks with a fully functional SuperDrive, and the other minor details I mentioned to the Apple Techs (a fan not working, the power button sometimes unresponsive when I boot after a long moment not using my machine) will be addressed too.

Still, I consider myself lucky to have that extended warranty. Other users here have had their machines for more than two years, and started to experience SuperDrive issues all of a sudden. Most mention their troubles started soon after installing Security Update 2009-001, just like me.

And Apple isn't doing a thing, it seems.

I would strongly recommend anyone to try using a dvd lens cleaner before trying any of the other measures people have posted; I thought I had the same problem as many others here (discs just getting spat out without being read) and I bought a lens cleaner. Really did the trick, every disc works perfectly now! I bought a Philips one from Amazon, cost me pittance and has saved me a lot of hassle.

Yeah, I guess you're right, but for that you'd need the CD to stay in the drive long enough to do its Jobs...

In my case, it didn't work, and I brought my MBP back in for a SuperDrive change, along with a few other minor things. I'm a lucky guy in the sense that I still enjoy three more months of extended warranty, but by looking up all the threads dealing with SuperDrive in this very forum, you'll notice that a lot of people are complaining about their optical drive going AWOL and Apple is not doing anything about it except asking more money simply to conduct a diagnostic...

I tried the DVD cleaner - or at least wanted to. i bought one from Amazon but it does ust like all my other disks, ust spins around for a short time then ejects. I tried to get the DVD player to play it but no joy. So how do you use it? Whatever I'm doing is not working.

Pretty much the reason why I had, first to buy an external optical drive, then to bring my MBP back in before the extended warranty ran out... The cleaning CD didn't work in my case either: it would spin for a few seconds, by short bursts, then get ejected without cleaning anything other than my bank account (more or less 15 bucks for one of those things, can you believe it?!).

These things are pretty straightforward, since all you have to do is pop them inside the drive and let them do their trick, but you need your drive to cooperate in order to succeed...

And Apple isn't doing anything about this, are they now...?

I'll keep you posted when I get my machine back.

I'm having the same problems.
My computer simply spits out the dvds, I've tried most of the tips I've seen on different forums. Has anyone heard anything from apple?

What's the deal with the security update? Is there anyway to downgrade?

Has anyone tried to reinstall the system?

For me it looks like it's a software problem.

Regards,
Andreas

------------------------------------------------

Drive details:

HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N:

Model: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N
Revision: AP12
Serial Number: K7R83 *224
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
Low Power Polling: Yes
Power Off: Yes

I honestly do no believe this is related to the security update. My orignal super drive failed within a couple months of purchase. Now the second one has failed but it began exhibiting the problem long before the software update. It began rejecting some disks while accepting others and then worsened until it no lnger reads anything. I think it's hardware. The timing of the software update seems to me to be coincidental. Still Apple says and does nothing!

I can't say for sure, of course, but before this update, my SuperDrive used to work just fine. I could read and burn CDs and DVDs, homemade, commercial, you name it.

Soon after the update, I suddenly had no optical drive anymore... Maybe the update lowered the tolerance to dirt/dust on the lens and rendered the drive inoperable because of that. I don't know, all I know is, I had to buy an external drive to be able to reinstall Mac OSX, in the hope that somehow it would bring my SuperDrive back to life.

Fat chance...

Now, my MBP is in repair somewhere (sniff), and I have to make do with my (somewhat faithful) Toshiba laptop. And Windows...

i tried the can air and the cd/dvd cleaner. It now works. But I guess it worked for some people aswell. And then it stoped working again.

I hope it was only the dirt issue!

I still believe it has something to do with the security update. The timing and the drivers that are involved.

I think the security update is conflicting with the drivers of the cd/dvd reader.

Regards,
Andreas

yeah, i have had this problem which was just over a month after buying it. apple replaced it but since then me, my wife have both had problems with what I would call build quality & the experiences that I'm reading here & all over the net are clearly telling me that THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!!!
As a company they clearly think that people are stupid & that by employing some chimps to intervene on forums & try to undermine what is a massive problem, they can stonewall the truth. Is this the Dick Cheney customer service model?
I am appalled by this company & it's lack of ethics.
I haven't had my macbook a year & am already looking for a replacement.
People, vote with your feet & keep spreading the message about your experiences & Apple will learn the hard way.
There's numerous threads about slow internet & unstable os x that constantly hangs & crashes. Trust yourselves & each other & walk.
There's no doubt about it, these are beautiful machines & they may have once built with care & quality, but the evidence shows this changed somewhere along the road.
Why not start a 'declaration to walk' thread on here (oh, yes, but they'll censor it won't they...) or other forums & tell your friends & family...
We have so much power if we learn how to use it...
There's some great people on this forum & they deserve better than this disgraceful service & quality.
I'm gone & I won't forget my experiences & how other people have been treated by Apple.
It speaks volumes...

Message was edited by: pimpsugar

I agree with you on many accounts: Apple doesn't quite live to its reputation here, what with all the hardware problems (not only optical drive, but logic boards, hard drives, network cards, etc...) affecting its recently-built machines.

I also concur when you say that we customers deserve better than a simple pat on the back and a laconic "Come back later". I'm going to start a thread that will assemble as many hardware complaints as possible, if only to make Apple fully appraised of the situation...

As of starting a revolution or walking away from Apple, that's another matter, one only each one of us customers can decide on: I'm a translator, and I need a reliable, multilingual machine to work. I can't do that on a Windows machine because keyboard layouts are few and far between, and you have to install othe languages from the Windows DVD, and it usually leads to an unstable machine. Not so on the Mac. Many translators like to work on the Macintosh because of that, and I'm not leaving my MBP, SuperDrive working or not.

On the other hand, since I paid almost 2000 euros for this machine, I feel entitled to a little bit more than your average buyer of a 300-euro netbook...

I'll start this thread sometime today, unless someone beats me to it... The more, the merrier, right?

Got my MBP back this morning from the aftersales services at FNAC, the French retailer I bought it from.

SuperDrive now works (for how long?), at least I think, because I only popped a DVD with a Linux distro on it in the slot, and sure enough, it mounted the disk on the Desktop.

So far, so good.

I still have a problem with the right-hand fan, though. Still appears not to be working, though I went out of my way to let it be known to the Apple techs who'd take care of my machine that it wasn't working. I thought that since they were going to open my Mac up, they would also check or change said fan.

No dice...

<Edited by Host>

Finally due to another issue (NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor failed, see: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377) I was forced to take my MBP to an Apple Store for repair. They sent it in for service on Friday afternoon, and even though Monday was a holiday, my laptop was delivered to my by 9AM Wednesday, data intact. 3 short business days from drop-off to delivery.

They replaced my logic board (for the NVIDIA issue) and also replaced the SuperDrive (for the disc reading issue). Now my drive works good as new; discs are no longer ejected.

I'm not sure if the service center would replace the drive if all it needed was a little cleaning, but it's impossible to say for sure. At least in my case, the solution was to get a replacement.