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External CD drive needs power?

New Mac, when I attach the CD drive nothing happens, cd will not go all of the way in. Power? but how?

iMac 24″, macOS 15.2

Posted on Jan 10, 2025 6:53 AM

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14,514 points

Posted on Jan 10, 2025 9:05 AM

is your optical drive an Apple USB Superdrive? if it is, how is the superdrive connected to the Mac? if it's through a dock or hub, it will not work. it needs to be connected directly to the Mac. and for Macs that only have TB3 (USB-C) ports, you will need an USB-C to USB Adapter to be able to connect it directly.

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Level 6

14,514 points

Jan 10, 2025 9:05 AM in response to Adaboy

is your optical drive an Apple USB Superdrive? if it is, how is the superdrive connected to the Mac? if it's through a dock or hub, it will not work. it needs to be connected directly to the Mac. and for Macs that only have TB3 (USB-C) ports, you will need an USB-C to USB Adapter to be able to connect it directly.

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Jan 10, 2025 7:53 AM in response to Adaboy

Which player is it?

How does it attach to the Mac? Through a hub?

Some CD's do need external power, though that should have been clear when you bought it. I have seen some that plug into *2* USB ports with a funky cable that parallels up the power.

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External CD drive needs power?

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