Partial DVD burns: faulty Superdrive, or OS problem?
I have a 2009 iMac, 27", core i7, running 10.6.8. I have been trying to burn a DVD using iDVD and Disk Utility, but the burns do not complete. The disk ejects before the burn finishes. DU throws up a "medium error" alert. These incomplete DVDs play up to a point and then freeze and will play no further.
Things I tried:
Creating an .img in iDVD, then burning with Disk Utility.
Burning directly from iDVD
Using a different brand of DVD-r (Have tried Verbatim and Memorex, both of which have worked in the past.)
Burning at slowest speed available (2X)
Cleaning the Superdrive using compressed air
Cooling down the room ⚠
Reset SMC & PRAM
Ran the Onyx maintenance app
Observations, clues:
The drive plays CDs fine.
The drive plays commercial DVD, and even these incomplete DVDs, without trouble.
When burning at Fastest Speed, more of the disk is burned than when using 2X, as if the drive quit burning based on time rather than a mechanical issue, such as an obstacle in the lens track.
A second, different .img wouldn't complete either.
The iMac has been running hot of late. I reinstalled the 10.6.8 package update for some reason earlier in the year, and it has been running hot since then, but I am not sure the heat problem came right after the update or later. I notice it because the fans speed up from time to time.
So I am wondering if the Superdrive is faulty, or if something else is going on. I'd hate to replace the drive only to find out that the drive isn't the problem. Thanks for reading.
iMac (27-inch Late 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8), null