Apple Superdrive (USB-A) not working with the 2021 Macbook Pro

ar_hoi Said:

"Apple Superdrive (USB-A) not working with the 2021 Macbook Pro: As captioned, plugging in a Apple Superdrive (USB-A) with USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter connecting to a Oct 2021 Macbook Pro 16in M1Pro running the latest macOS Monterey does not work. Is it a power management problem? Obviously I am trying setting up the a new macbook pro with some older software on DVD that I wanted to installed. Any idea how to fix it?"

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A. Is there a Drive Even Seen?:

To Find Out:

1. Go to: Apple menu
2. Select: About this Mac
3. Click: System Report... button
4. View: Hardware on left-column
5. Click: Disc Burning
6. Confirm if a Superdrive is Even Seen

B. Try Using a New Administrator User:

See what happens when you create a new Administrator User and login to it and perform and eject. If it works, then it is something misconfigured in your current user.

C. Connect to a Different Mac:

Connect this to a difference Mac, seeing if you can get it to work. If you don't have another Mac, ask someone else (i.e. friend or family member) if you may use their Mac(with their permission, or course).

ar_hoi Said:

"Apple Superdrive (USB-A) not working with the 2021 Macbook Pro: I can confirm that B works. Thank you very much indeed! Now may I also ask if there is any way to know what was 'misconfigured' in my original user profile and how to go about fixing it?"

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Thanks for the followup....

Finding the Culprit:

Unfortunately, there is not way to determine what the culprit ultimately is. It likely has to do with multitasking (running many apps at once). Too much is likely running in the background, resulting in system resources being swollen up quite a bit. So, here is what to try....

Boot into Safe Mode [Hold Down: shift key upon boot] and then perform the following:

A. Remove Login Items:

See if Safari and/or Chrome are Login Items. If so, remove them as such and then restart the Mac, seeing if it/they no longer load(s) at login.  Go Here: Change Users & Groups Login Items preferences on Mac - Apple Support.

B. Uninstall Security Software:

Any Security Software installed on your computer? If so, uninstall it. Use the Uninstaller for to do so, getting the Uninstaller directly from my Developer’s site, as getting it else where may result in Malware or Spyware being installed. If you are uncertain which to download, then as the Developer. What is it doing is running you through VPN (Virtual Private Network), and your location is seen elsewhere — perhaps a location that this site is inaccessible to.

C. Scan your Mac for Malware: 

Use MalwareBytes for Mac --- This is software that searches for malware/adware. So, scan with it and then remove what is found. Once removed, uninstall MalwareBytes for Mac. Then restart the Mac.

Downloads:

1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac
2. Malwarebytes Uninstaller

D. Clean Space:

Delete: Unneeded, Large Files:

Remove all unneeded files from your TV and Music Libraries. Full-Movies take up 2-4GB typically, and a bunch of those would take up a load of storage, ideally. So, if you have any movies that are not needed, then delete them.  Virtual Machines can be in the double and triple digits of GBs of data.

E. Clear Temporary Internet Files:

• Cookies perform remembrance of certain site-entered data.
• Cache keeps a snapshot of the last time you visited a site.

Go Here: Clear the History and Cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch - Apple Support

If nothing above works...

F. Reinstall the macOS:

Sometimes changes (i.e. updates) are made to the Mac, in which case system files (caches), become manipulated (technically). So, reinstall the macOS to fix these issues. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support. Important: Be certain to create a backup of your Mac prior to all of this. That way, you can have something to restore from the Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall. Once reinstalled, try this once more.

that reader draws 900 milliAmps. the typical USB-A provides 500 milliAmps. You can see the bid and asked on

 menu > about this Mac > ( system report) > USB

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If you try C) and get it to work, you can use

system Preferences > Sharing > DVD/CD sharing ...

... as a possible solution.

You are welcome.

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