I bought an older iMac this weekend to have a desktop again and it seems to be fine. However when I try to import a cd into iTunes the disk drive isn't reading the cd. I've tried a few different things I've seen on line but none of them have worked. Any thoughts?
iMac 27″, macOS 10.13
I assume this iMac has the built-in CD/DVD drive? It may just be that the drive has failed and an external drive is needed. But I would try one last thing. Buy one of those CD/DVD drive cleaner discs you can usually find in an electronics store. It’s a disc with a small brush that cleans the optical head of the drive as it spins. Sometimes it helps restore function. They’re cheap and worth a try.
It sounds like you are trying to import audio CDs.
If those CDs have any scratches, try gently washing them with a diluted mixture of water and hand dishwashing liquid (like Dawn), rinsing them off, and letting them dry thoroughly. Optical drives that cannot read audio CDs through dirt and dirty scratches sometimes can read audio CDs through clear scratches.
My initial thought is the optical drive in the machine you bought is bad.
I suppose you could try an external optical drive.
Any Mac with a built in optical drive is long obsolete.
KiltedTim wrote:
Any Mac with a built in optical drive is long obsolete.
If the Mac that the OP bought is a 27" iMac with a built-in optical drive, it must be from Late 2009, Mid 2010, or Mid 2011. (The last iMac to have a built-in optical drive was the crippled 21.5" Late 2011 model.)
All of those Macs can be upgraded as far as High Sierra – but no further.
iMac isn't reading CD's
