My Macbook Air M2 will not recognize my external CD/DVD player

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Level 1

6 points

My Macbook Air M2 will not recognize my external CD/DVD player

My MacBook Air M2 (2022) with macOS Sonoma 14.0 does not recognize my external LG DVD Player SP80 (bought it in 2020) when connected to it. I will connect the DVD player to the USB-C to USB Adapter and then the adapter to my MacBook Air M2. I then, insert the CD or DVD disc into the player. After doing all those things, the DVD player doesn't appear on the desktop or sidebar on Finder after connecting the devices together. When I put a CD or DVD into the player, it makes a repeating clicking noise and flashes a green light repeatedly. And the player was not recognized by the MacBook Air M2. I never damaged the DVD player before the issue occurred.

I once had a MacBook Air i5 1.6GHz 13" (Late 2018) and it easily recognized the same exact DVD player when connected to it via the USB-C to USB Adapter. How can I make the MacBook Air M2 recognize the DVD player? Any tips would help.

Thanks in advance.

MacBook Air, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 29, 2023 9:31 PM

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Answer 1

TheLittles

Level 10

195,711 points

Oct 29, 2023 10:05 PM in response to tbone3224

tbone3224 Said:

"My Macbook Air M2 will not recognize my external CD/DVD player: [...]When I put a CD or DVD into the player, it makes a repeating clicking noise and flashes a green light repeatedly. And the player was not recognized by the MacBook Air M2. I never damaged the DVD player before the issue occurred. [...]How can I make the MacBook Air M2 recognize the DVD player? Any tips would help."

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Troubleshooting External DVD Drive:

A. Single-Out this User:

What happens when you create a new administrator user, and log into it? Do you still get this error? If not, then it is likely an error with the current user. If so, then it is likely an error with your Mac.

B. Make DVD Player a Login Item:

Go here: Change Login Items settings on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

TheLittles

Level 10

195,711 points

Nov 4, 2023 6:55 PM in response to tbone3224

tbone3224 Said:

"My Macbook Air M2 will not recognize my external CD/DVD player: I have tried these steps but sadly, they didn't make any difference. I will have to contact Apple support."

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Troubleshooting External DVD Drive:

Get the Correct Drivers: Contact the Manufacture of the DVD Player. If it was working before, then you may need to install firmware updates. Google their Home Page, and find the Contact Us info there. Ask if this device is compile with Sanoma. The drivers may have yet to be released.

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Answer 3

Nov 4, 2023 7:34 PM in response to tbone3224

Someone else had a problem with a Dell CD/DVD burner not working, and making a repeated clicking sound. A trip to the Dell site revealed that the drive was specified as drawing up to 8 watts of power. That's more than the 2.5W that USB 2.0 says a host port can provide, or the 4.5W that USB 3.0 says a host port can provide. My guess – that the clicking was because the drive mechanism wasn't getting enough power.

I don't see a power consumption specification on the LG site, but could something similar be going on here?

https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/lg-sp80nb80-slim-external-dvd-drive

What happens if you try connecting the drive through an external POWERED USB hub?

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