Sept. 2006 17" 1.83GHz Intel iMac Combo drive won't read discs...

Question

When I insert a CD (audio or data), the drive spits the disc out after about 15-20 sec.  Nothing shows up.  Nothing said.  The disc just comes back out.  Hardware Info shows the drive is there:MATSHITACD-RW  CW-8124:  Model:          MATSHITACD-RW  CW-8124                    Revision:          DACH      Serial Number:                                Detachable Drive:          No  Protocol:          ATAPI  Unit Number:          0  Socket Type:          Internal  Low Power Polling:          Yes  Power Off:          NoBut nothing else.  Doesn&#x27;t show the serial number either.  Can&#x27;t find any tools to test the drive with.  A friend suggests I remove the drive and try manually cleaning the lens (Using CD/DVD cleaning disc did nothing).  But I don&#x27;t want to go to all that trouble, if there isn&#x27;t a more than likely chance of it working.  Too much disassembly/reassembly effort  I&#x27;d rather just replace the drive while I&#x27;m in there.I don&#x27;t have the original discs that came with this system, so I can&#x27;t run AHT.  I&#x27;m told it won&#x27;t tell me anything either, just that the drive is there, which the Hardware Info already says.Should I try to go in and manually clean the lens or just replace the drive?  Has anyone else manually cleaned their lens and had their drive work or is replacement really the only option at this point?I&#x27;m told I should just get a USB external CD/DVD drive and be done with it... but I&#x27;d like to restore this computer to fully working order, if possible.

den.thed · Answer

The Early iMac&#x27;s are one of the most difficult iMac&#x27;s to open and work on. Another problem given it&#x27;s age, is that display cables and other connections are very brittle and it is very likely that more harm than good will come from working on it.On that note: I suggest finding and using an OS X compatible External tray loading CD/DVD drive for several reasons.1. External CD/DVD drives are faster and more reliable than slim-line super drives.2. For about the same cost or less, a good External CD/DVD drive should also give you the ability to burn CDs and DVDs.3. Using an External CD/DVD drive is a lot easier than ripping into the iMac and replacing the internal drive.Personally I am happily using an older LG GE24LU20 with both my Early Core Duo and Mac Mini, but others here have also recommended that the GP10 DVD and Blu-ray, the LaCie&#x27;s and the OWC FireWire drives are all very good solution for a busted internal super or combo drive.