Ziatron
Level 4 (3,931 points)
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Q: Need help from Old Toad

Hello Old Toad.

 

I wanted to ask you about a problem I'm having with one of our DVD burners. We are both using the same type of unit so maybe you can shed some light on the problem.


OWC Mercury Pro 24X DVDRW


http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MR3F82SD24S/


I have all identical units from OWC.  Same exact part number.  All work perfectly, except for this one recent purchase. I am using the USB 3 interface on the Mac Mini.


 

A 2014 Mac Mini (OS 10.9.5) would never “see” the drive.  (The DVD tray would open and close just fine, but that's it.) I would insert a blank disk into the drive and Disk Utilities would simply refuse to burn the disc because it thought I had no drive connected.   I would unplug the drive and replace it with an identical unit and everything worked perfectly.   I swapped the drives out about 3 times, always with the same results.

 

So here's the odd part.   I returned the unit to OWC and they are unable to cause failure.  I understand we could be dealing with a weird intermittent problem but I wanted to ask you if there are any “settings” in my Mac Mini that might cause this, or if you have any other ideas.

Posted on Jan 23, 2015 8:10 PM

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Ziatron

Q: Need help from Old Toad

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Old Toad,Helpful

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 24, 2015 9:22 AM in response to Ziatron
    Level 10 (141,773 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 24, 2015 9:22 AM in response to Ziatron

    Did you try all available USB ports on the Mini?

    Were you able to try that drive with another Mac?

    Did you swap out cables also?  

     

    I use my drive with a Thunderbolt to FW adaptor since I don't have USB 3 and want the fastest read throughput possible.

     

    With the unit attached to the Mini is it recognized in the Disk Burning section of the System Information window?

    Screen Shot 2015-01-24 at 9.21.33 AM.jpg

    OTsig.png

  • by Ziatron,

    Ziatron Ziatron Jan 31, 2015 9:50 AM in response to Old Toad
    Level 4 (3,931 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jan 31, 2015 9:50 AM in response to Old Toad

    The manufacturer is sending me a new drive to try. If I have troubles, I will go through the steps you outlined above. Thank you again for your excellent assistance.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 31, 2015 11:04 AM in response to Ziatron
    Level 10 (141,773 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 31, 2015 11:04 AM in response to Ziatron

    Let us know how the new one works out.

  • by Ziatron,

    Ziatron Ziatron Feb 3, 2015 1:41 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 4 (3,931 points)
    Apple Watch
    Feb 3, 2015 1:41 PM in response to Old Toad

    Let us know how the new one works out.

     

    Although OWC could find nothing wrong with the unit I returned, they sent me a replacement unit anyway.  The replacement unit is working perfectly. I'm now back up with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09.  Thanks for your help !

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Feb 3, 2015 3:08 PM in response to Ziatron
    Level 10 (141,773 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 3, 2015 3:08 PM in response to Ziatron

    Glad to hear it.  OWC once again lives up to its excellent customer support reputation.