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How do you manually eject CD or DVD

I have a DVD that i put into my computer, and my computer will neither acknowledge it nor spit it out. Now my computer won't start because it can't get past trying to figure out what's in the CD/DVD drive. I've tried starting while holding down the trackpad button, but that didn't work.

There used to be a little hole on the side you could stick a paper clip end into in order to manually eject the disc, but I can't find one. What's the procedure for manually ejecting from my optical drive?

It's a white MacBook, slot-loading drive, Fall 2007

Thanks.

--Dave

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Mar 21, 2010 10:27 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 21, 2010 10:52 AM

Three options:

1) Try restarting again while holding the trackpad button; this should always eject the disc.

2) If the computer will boot (it should eventually), then use the eject feature in Disk Utility.

3) Take it in for service; it may be possible to use some tool to get the disc out but it may damage the drive.

bd
4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 21, 2010 10:52 AM in response to Dave Slaven

Three options:

1) Try restarting again while holding the trackpad button; this should always eject the disc.

2) If the computer will boot (it should eventually), then use the eject feature in Disk Utility.

3) Take it in for service; it may be possible to use some tool to get the disc out but it may damage the drive.

bd

Jun 3, 2010 5:25 PM in response to Dave Slaven

Heres a whole bunch of remedies, some already mentioned:

The standard stuff
For the sake of being complete, let’s start out simple. When a disc won’t eject from your Mac, try the following: 1.) Press and hold the Eject key, 2.) Right-click on the disc icon on the Desktop and select “Eject” from the menu, 3.) Drag the disc icon to the Trash. No luck? Read on for more tips!
Disk Utility
Launch Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities) and select the troublesome CD or DVD in the sidebar. Click the Eject button at the top of the window.
Terminal command
Launch Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and copy the following command: drutil eject
Mouse/Trackpad button
Restart your Mac and hold down the left mouse button (or trackpad if you have a laptop) as it boots up. Keep pressing it until the login screen or desktop displays.
Tilt and shake
Pick up your Mac laptop and tilt it so the CD/DVD drive is pointing downwards. Restart and hold the Eject key down while gently shaking the computer up and down.
The self-fixing Mac
Shut down your Mac, turn it back on, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Make sure the power cord is plugged in as you do this and the disc just might pop out on its own.
Disrupt the spin
If you listen carefully, you can probably hear your optical drive powering up & down over and over again. As long as the disc spins, it’s not coming out. The first step is to get your hands on a very thin piece of cardboard or even a folded business card (so it’s twice as thick). Now restart your Mac and hold down the mouse/trackpad button as you poke the cardboard inside the SuperDrive slot. The goal is to slip it above the CD or DVD — towards the left side of the drive — and gently jiggle it around to put pressure on the disc. You might have to continue this for up to a minute or so, but it often works when all other methods fail.

How do you manually eject CD or DVD

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