Quadra 650 internal Sony SCSI CD ROM reads only commercial music CD's

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Level 1

12 points

Quadra 650 internal Sony SCSI CD ROM reads only commercial music CD's

I was given a Quadra 650 some time ago that is in working order with OS7.6.2 on the HD. My problem is with a Sony CD ROM built for Apple.It will only read and play store bought music CD's. Nothing else will mount on the desktop and work including system install CD's or Utility CD's. Also,no disks made with any burner will work.

The System Profiler sees the unit as a Sony CD-ROM-CDU-8005 ,SCSI Interface 2,and SCSI ID3

But on the outside of the unit,the model is a Sony CDU75S-25 REV2 Made to Apple Specifications. Made in 1995.

I have an old external Apple SCSI CD150 I plugged into the external port, and it worked and mounted all disk types.

Just wondering why it will only read one specific kind of CD. If I could find a cheap used drive from another junker,it would solve the problem. SCSI drives are harder to find now,as everything else is IDE or SATA.

Posted on Jun 23, 2011 4:48 PM

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Answer 1

Jeff

Level 6

12,328 points

Jun 23, 2011 10:05 PM in response to Ross W

You've already verified that this isn't a software problem, since you had the external unit to test that possibility. In your case, I'd say that the internal drive has developed a quirk and needs replacing. As for reading burned CDs, I also had problems with some of the older SCSI CD-ROM drives and found that the brand of media made a difference. CD-R disks that had an aqua-colored reflective side seemed to read better than those with the common, mirror-like reflective side of the disk. Check for any thrift stores in your area that accept donated computer equipment or for a computer recycler. You could probably pick up an older Mac for less than the cost of the optical drive + shipping from eBay.

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Answer 2

Ross W Author

Level 1

12 points

Jun 24, 2011 4:42 AM in response to Ross W

Thanks for the quick reply Jeff.You have confirmed my suspicion about this drive.Interesting though,those music CDs that workrd all had a mirror finish. This drive acted like a stand-alone CD player in the 1980's that were for music CD's.

I guess the circuits that processed data off computer disks failed.

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Answer 3

Jeff

Level 6

12,328 points

Jun 25, 2011 1:14 AM in response to Ross W

Although the mirror-like reflective surface on commercial/retail music CDs looks similar to certain CD-R disks, the manufacturing process is different. The music CDs are "pressed" disks, created from a master disk. The optical burners in computers use a different process.

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