Next Problem: macOS Ventura 13.2.1 breaks compatibility with LG - Slim Portable DVD Writer.

Problem SOLVED:

I have discovered the problem with the drive is USB-C and the M1 MBA. While the drive worked previously on my M1 Mac mini. when I switched to a M1 MacBook Air using a USB-C to USB A adapter the drive would not function.  While the System information on the M1 MBA would see the drive, the Finder and Disk-utility would NOT.

However, I recently downgraded (or side-graded, depending on how you look at it) to a 2019 iMac with 16 GB Ram and 256 GB SSD.  The difference wasn’t so much the processors as it was the ports. The similarity of the 2019 iMac and M1 Mac mini are the ports.

While, I did test several different brands of USB-C to USB-A adapters the drive simply was not being recognized by the Finder although running Parallels Desktop 18 w/Windows 11 Pro for Arm did in fact work with the drive.

My brain began to churn LOL, and I then realized the similarity between the ports on the iMac and Mac mini although the iMac does not have the HDMI port on it  It does have both USB-C and USB-A ports.

1st, I decided to make sure the Intel iMac had the same version number of macOS Ventura 13.3.1 on it. then I proceeded to connect the drive with the adapter to the iMac like I did with the Mac mini, and sure enough a NO go!  But wait there is more…

I then remembered that when I had my Mac mini I only had the DVD drive connected directly to one of the USB-A ports. So, after disconnecting the drive from the iMac, I reconnected it to one of the USB-A ports and BAM! it works! So, once my budget allows me to move back to an Apple silicon Mac, I know that the drive may not work so either I ditch the DVD drive altogether or I find one that is compatible.  so, problem self resolved.

I have learned to live without it! its NOT worth my time to continue to seek a solution. Just like it's not Apple's fault that the mail app was crashing after I upgraded to Ventura 13. - 13.2.1. Gave Apple all of the information they needed to resolve the issue. They never resolved it. I did! The Drive I have has worked perfectly fine since Big Sur with M1 MacBook Air since I bought it the same day as the MBA. LG says it's not an issue on their end that it's on Apple's end and they go back and forth. The drive works perfectly fine in Windows 10 and 11 Pro both in Parallels and on Separate Windows PC's It worked as expected Prior to Ventura macOS 13.

I have come to the conclusion that after Thousands of dollars spent on Apple hardware since 1991 - Maybe it's time for a change. I don't like the direction Apple is taking macOS. Stage manager is a joke and I don't care for it. to take away the choice of selecting an email address from a list or to use "hide my email" was taken away now you either use "Hide my Email." or you manually have to enter your email address. While it may not be a huge deal for others it is for me. That is a feature Apple should have left alone or at the very least given the user the option of either using it the way it was or how it is now.

The tight integration and ecosystem is what kept me on the Mac and Apple devices for years, I always advocated Apple over the other brands. And I am dreading the move to Chrome, Linux, or Windows. When you installed previous versions of macOS you used to have the option to either install the default and features or turned off those you had no use for.

I purchased this M1 MacBook Air a few months after they became available. While I love the way it works for the most part the lacking ability to upgrade the Ram and or SSD is a sore point. Some of us have to go with the basic hardware and build up from there as budget allows. While 8GB of Ram and a 256GB SSD seem to be plenty for an everyday user like myself, I am finding that with a few glitches here and there it becomes frustrating. - While I can honestly say I love not seeing the Beachball in these days Apple's basic MBA should have 16GB Ram. the browser freezing and have to quit or force quit does not make me a happy camper. I only use 3 apps for most of the day, Safari, messages and mail. and few times I fire up numbers or notes. and while I am impressed at how the M1 MBA can actually Run Windows 11 PRO in Parallels surprisingly fast. - I am baffled at how it chokes with only 4 tabs open in Safari. I made sure that all apps are using the M1 version and not Intel versions of the apps. And I have totally cleared out the MBA wiped the SSD and started a clean install from a USB drive and fresh copy of Ventura 13.2.1. same results.

I have been a lean machine user, I only have Apple branded software installed. I do not have encryption turned on but I have it secure and I have two back up methods one being Time Machine and the other iCloud. I have 1.2Gbps WiFi with Xfinity and my 802.ax cannot get past 685Mbps download no matter where I sit. I put Comcast through **** and they switched out several modems. I tested a Windows 11 Pro PC with 802.11AX and they fly and the I am pushing over 900Mbps on those to the same WiFi service.

I cringe at the thought of the possibility of moving to a Windows PC. Its like betraying a family member or a very close friend. But, I can't help but feel like after all of the money I spent all I am getting from Apple is "Good Luck with that." Why does that remind me of Microsoft? LOL

Well, I believe so, because as I mentioned the Mac mini (which I once had) has two USB-A ports in addition to the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. I now remember connecting the slim drive to the USB-A port and it worked. When I tried using it with a USB-C to USB-A dongle on the MBA - M1 all it did was click. I since downgraded to a 2019 21.5 iMac with 16GB of ram. I plugged the drive into the USB-A port and it works. I might add that this iMac has macOS Ventura 13.3.1 (a) installed.

I need to mention I thought about the Apple External Super Drive, but it's my understanding from Apple that its not supported on the Apple Silicon Macs either.

If someone is wondering why I downgraded back to an Intel iMac, is was price. I wanted the extra 8GB of ram that this iMac had. (total of 16GB) and I wanted a 4K screen. It was basically an even trade although the iMac has a i3 Processor. Yes, I can tell the difference in performance and when I can afford an iMac with at least 16 GB of Ram I will then purchase a new one. While the 8GB version of both the MBA-M1 and M1-Mac mini. were very responsive I began noticing the hit I was getting with only 8GB of memory.

Thanks for your reply, interesting at how many different responses I have gotten regarding the Super Drive and apple Silicon Mac's - I know that you need a dongle (USB-C to USB-A) for the drive the same for LG drive. But doing research many say it doesn't work while others like yourself have no problem with it working.

I am glad the external drive is not the reason I downgraded to a Intel iMac. And truth be told, I only use it for one old 80's movie that no one seems to have it on their service like Apple TV, Prime etc. it's only on DVD at this time anyway, thanks for your response hopefully this will be helpful to those that need one of these external drives.