I wanted to upload some photos from my SD card, and I accidentally put it in the cd/dvd slot instead of in the SD slot. Now it's stuck there, and I can't get it out - anyone knows if it's possible to get it out without harming the iMac, or do I have to go to the Apple Store to get help?
You're not the only one - a friend of mine did the same.
We removed the card by using a large unfolded paperclip, bent into an 'L' shape (so as to create a hook)
Gently insert the paperclip into the middle of the slot, as far as you can, then move the paperclip down until you feel the end of the hook hit the side/bottom of the optical drive.
Then pull the paperclip out slowly, and it will bring the SD card with it.
You may have to try a few times to snag the card, what with it being so thin.
Might have been better if Apple had put the card slot on the other side!
I did that very same stupid thing! I imagine lots of people will - the slots are just too close together and they are not visible from the side you are typically looking at. Oh, well, it is a BEAUTIFUL and powerful machine, just not quite perfect, yet!
My husband fished out the card for me. Here is what he did:
I took a sheet of cereal-box cardboard (about .4 mm thick and folded it in half vertically and then horizontally to get a quadruple thickness. From this I cut an "L" shape 13cm tall, 6.5 cm across the base, and about 1.7 cm wide, with the second fold along the tall back of the L and the first fold along the base. This way, the base tends to spread out somewhat. (Previous sweeps with single thicknesses of cardboard had failed to catch the SD card.) Compressing tip
of the base with my fingers, I inserted it high into the CD slot (unit unplugged, by the way), hooked it downward until it felt as if it hit the bottom of the slot, and dragged it outward. It pushed the SD card out. At no point was any noteworthy amount of force required.
Thanks so much, everyone. Can't believe I did that, but at least I know to be more careful next time I'm inserting the SD card (which will be shortly; a friend's wedding pix at that). I shut down the machine, unplugged, turned it on its side (no joy until I did that) and inserted an L-shaped piece of mat board. Out came the SD card and everything still works. Love these forums a lot. The video link posted helped a lot, too.
Thanks so much, everyone. Can't believe I did that, but at least I know to be more careful next time I'm inserting the SD card (which will be shortly; a friend's wedding pix at that). I shut down the machine, unplugged, turned it on its side (no joy until I did that) and inserted an L-shaped piece of mat board. Out came the SD card and everything still works. Love these forums a lot. The video link posted helped a lot, too.
I tried the cut out ereal paper as shown on youtube in previous post and it didn't work.
Any idea why? Am I doing something wrong?
How do you mean you turned the machine on its side; which side was it?
Should the tool be made of materal thicker than cereal paper?
Hopefully by now you've cracked the code, but if not...First I tried some cardboard that was the equivalent of cereal box thickness. Didn't work. I then rummaged around and found some photo mat board and cut the L-shaped thing out of it. Still didn't work. I had to shut down and unplug the machine, finally, and carefully turn it on its side so that the slots were facing down. Then the SD card shifted slightly, I guess, because I was then able to extricate it with the L-shaped mat board. Good luck!
I just posted this problem myself, and then found this forum. I used a doubled over business card cut into an "L" shape, but to hedge my bets I then taped the short ends together so that if I caught the sd card, it couldn't slip out. I have to admit, it worked like a charm! Thank you all!!! This seems to be a design flaw if so many of us have experienced it, hope they address it in newer models.
OK I must say Thank you to all you guys who have done this before me. I stuck my SDCARD in my CD SLOT and felt quite stupid. However, thanks to your posts. The Cereal Box Top method worked for me and it came right out!! Thank you everyone
I've heard many people having this problem but I don't quite "get it".
I always put in the SD card "blind" but it's easy enough to feel the slot with the tip of a finger to make sure you don't put it in the wrong hole. Hasn't been a problem for me.
When a friend of a friend of mine had this issue, I used a bent piece of .75mm copper wire I had laying around in much the same way the paperclip trick is done, worked like a charm and everything still works fine.
I accidentally pushed in an SD card into the CD drive of my iMac. Don't try to put a CD to get it out because we did and they both got stuck. I used the previous suggestion of using a large paper clip and bent in an "L" shape. Push it all the way in and then the CD came out and grab it quick. Then I put the clip all the way in again and I was able to drag in the SD card.