External Superdrive keeps ejecting disc

Question

External Superdrive keeps ejecting disc

Ok, I've had my Superdrive since March this year and it's possibly seen around 20 - 30 discs in total.

Given that it's just over 6 months old, why the **** has it started to play up?

Cd's load and play with no issues but load any DVD and it just gets spat out.

Looking around the Apple (gated) community and it does seem to be an issue with these drives - funny how my old DVD player (and CD players) are all happily ticking away with at least 12 solid years of use each.

Any ideas people, before I take my sledgehammer to this seemingly worthless piece of crap (lost the receipt so it's probably a paperweight - my bad)?

Thanks in earnest,

Gary

Posted on Oct 29, 2012 4:18 AM

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Answer 1

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Oct 29, 2012 4:22 AM in response to Community User

Have you tried any of the steps in: Apple Computers: Troubleshooting the slot-loading SuperDrive ?

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Answer 2

Oct 29, 2012 4:37 AM in response to b j t

Yed BJT I've tried all that. Next stop will be to reset the NVRAM / PRAM and see if that helps,

if that doesn't fix it the last gasp will be finding my trusty old CD/DVD lens cleaner tomorrow - although I can't see how the lens on my near new and hardly used Superdrive could be dusty.

I've had two Mac Mini's with Superdrives and they both were 100% reliable, and I can't ever remember using a lens cleaner on any of them.

If this is f#$@ed, I won't touch another Superdrive - it'll be a Samsung instead 🙂

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Answer 3

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Oct 29, 2012 4:42 AM in response to Community User

Gazzaman wrote:

if that doesn't fix it the last gasp will be finding my trusty old CD/DVD lens cleaner tomorrow - although I can't see how the lens on my near new and hardly used Superdrive could be dusty.

How to clean Apple products

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Answer 4

Oct 29, 2012 4:47 AM in response to b j t

Thanks man, a lens clean tomorrow will decide whether Apple's overpriced yet elegant Superdrive gets the Gazzaman baseball bat test. I certainly hope not, but it'll be a release after the frustration it has caused me.

Gaz.

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Answer 5

Oct 29, 2012 3:33 PM in response to Community User

Sadly the lens cleaner did not work, so it's the death sentence for my Superdrive. I find it odd that it reads CD's perfectly but doesn't want to know any sort of DVD. Still, I'll probably use a pickaxe instead of a sledgehammer - it's a more dramatic looking execution weapon IMHO.

I'm not happy at all, it seems this isn't an isolated issue but Apple keep banging these out and flicking them on to the unsuspecting Apple fan base. Not me though, I've learned my lesson.

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Answer 6

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Oct 29, 2012 9:24 PM in response to Community User

If you are still able to play CD's, but not DVD's, you may have already changed the SuperDrives "Region Code" 5 times, that may be why it will not play the DVD's you are inserting.

DVD Player 5.x: DVD region codes:

Important: You can set the region code for your DVD drive only five times (including the original setting). The fifth time you change the code, it will be permanently set.

DVD Player 5.x: Change the region code of a DVD drive:

Determine the drive’s current region code

Choose File > Get Disc Info and click Regions.

Are these DVD's that you have burned?
If they are DVD's that you have burned, are you trying to play disks from different manufacturers?
Have you tried a number of DVD's to check that they ALL will not play?

You might need to wait for one of the more experienced forum members to help answer your question if these haven't helped.

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Answer 7

Feb 6, 2014 4:24 AM in response to Community User

HI, I had the same problem too because everytime I change regions for different DVDs like Asian drama DVDs (either Region ALL, Region 3, etc). But then when I am trying to watch another DVD like American movie that has Region 4. And then it won't let me play because it keeps ejecting disc. I didn't it says up to 5 times... How weird! Why can't it be like "Unlimited" instead of "5 times"? 😟

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