MacBook Air running MacOS 11.7.8 won't connect to my non-Apple CD/DVD drive.

FormerReaderofUserGuides wrote:

To repeat, again (because Apple doesn't seem to me to want me to continue two previous dialogues),

my MacBook Air, running MacOS 11.7.8 had connected automatically to my non-Apple (UHNDY) CD/DVD drive for two years.

Then I accepted an OS upgrade (to MacOS 11.7.8) in early June, 2023, and found later that my drive had stopped connecting and no longer put the drive's disc icon on the screen.

My search engine and search boxes can't even find the drive anymore.

Nor does a checkbox for drive choice appear in "System"

The connection to my drive is from the drive's USB C port to a 10-port, powered, USB3 hub, to a 7-port, powered, USB3 hub, to my MacBook Air's USB3 socket. Power, I think, is not the problem. If you guys respond this third time with the same limited understanding, I think my best shot would be to try to communicate with UHNDY.

Some vital information that seems to have been missing from another similar question elsewhere

For the purposes of continuity FormerReaderofUserGuides’s Subscriptions - Apple Community

Would suggest connecting the problematic Drive Directly to the computer without any HUBS.

Then Test if the device is detected

if it was me then I would rule out the drive being defect by trying to connect it to another computer maybe both a mac but also maybe a windows and linux box, if it does not work on any of them then I would write it off as dead

FormerReaderofUserGuides wrote:

I think my best shot would be to try to communicate with UHNDY.

No reason you can't do both.