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

indigopete 

So, while I accept many of your points about the merits of optical for long term archiving, it doesn't begin to make a case for comprimising all other design priorities just to cram a ruddy great peice of mechanical "junk" with a rotating disk and lots of parts which can go wrong into the body of the machine.

Yes, I know about external DVD burners.

Given the form factor of the current macbook Pro non-Retina, there is a large empty space, you can either toss in a second hard drive or have a DVD burner......., which 2nd HD is seemingly "neat", but realistically anyone trying to making their laptop a "mass storage device" is barking up the wrong tree in general and mostly in specific.  Ive made several such mods, but not for myself.  External HD are very cheap, and should be autonomous to the notebook due to theft and countless other reasons.

The current Panasonic made superdrive has a LOT of parts, yes,....I "repaired" 2 of them just 48 hours ago, however it was only pet fuzz and dust buildup from a client, ...I only needed to blow them out. The drives are hardly "junky"

A replacement superdrive new is only $40, very very cheap.

In the current factor of the macbook Pro, you can either stick in a redundant HD which 99% of people dont need.....

..or have a DVD burner (notice I said burner, not player). Useful for burning home movies for your home DVD player, burning archives, creating data disks to mail to people.......and of course "watching commercial DVDs/playing music/ ripping music for your Ipod"

indigopete 

rotating disk and lots of parts  (DVD player)....which can go wrong

Having torn apart about 300 hard drives in my life, I might remind you that any current conventional HD has "rotating disks and LOTS of parts too"......................and they break a LOT more, a LOT sooner, a LOT easier than the superdrive by a wide margin.

A superdrive will take 20X more abuse and last longer than any Hard Drive will

I really can't believe it. My iMac 2011 was ejecting a Windows 7 instalation disk but acepting every thing else.  Without much hope I tried the Credit Card Trick and it just worked.  Thanks a lot.

I was having the same issue, your suggestion really helped!

Ya.

I had the same problem. I took it to best buy and they put a new dvd drive in it because of my protection plan but you can still get it but you will have to pay for it. You can also take it to an apple store and tell them the problem. They will go over it with you give you some bs about it and you just have to say "I paid for this you are going to fix it. If I would like to speak to your manager and that's final." Apple tries to give you a lot of crap so tell them that. Mine is fixed know the problem was they will be having and telling people that if you want it fixed call in a protical decal and they announce it to everyone.

my macmini disc drive failed to read and ejected discs for over a year. this solution fixed it:

What you need is a business card or a credit card + iPhone cleaning cloth (other similar cleaning cloth that's thin and doesn't leave marks for example for cleaning glasses). Wrap the cloth around the credit card, then while holding the ends of the the cloth insert few centimeters from the front of the credit card covered with the cloth in the optical drive, push and pull a bit and that's about it. The drive will work perfectly and like new

You don't need to insert it so much since the lens is not so deep inside. It's just few cm in.

This "cloth around the credit card" solution is brilliant!!!  It just fixed the optical drive on my 2007 MBP 15" 2.4Ghz!

Thanks!!!

Ira

This worked for me! You saved me 50 bucks. Thanks bro!

work for me! thanks!

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This solved the problem in my case! Thanks

Anyway, it can be useful to do also a "repair permissions" in utility disco to check your system.

absolutely i have same situation!!!

I'm replying to a very old post that I found in this discussion, but I want to report that this worked for me!  My DVD drive in my 7-year-old MacBook Pro was getting so it would eject almost every CD-R I'd insert when I would try to burn playlists in iTunes.  I tried lots of things (and I run Disc Repairs pretty regularly anyway), but the simplest answer (per Kotazzu, above) was of course the last thing I thought of!  All I did was to take a CD that it had just ejected, wiped it with a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth, and re-inserted it -- and voila!  It worked the first time.

I will look into a cleaner for my DVD drive now, because I am sure it is just old and dirty and that in my case, that's the reason it ejects most discs I try to burn.

Thanks David for this easy solution to the same problem I have had for some time with my old white Macbook 13". It now appears to be working OK.

Can't thank you enough.. the credit card + wipe worked beautifully..

P.S: This is the only time I use the credit card without having any regrets !!!!!!!!

Thank you..

Doesn't work. But I did manage to tore off soft membrane that protects the inside of the drive.