Gulp! My Apple Superdrive no longer recognizes DVDs!

[schmeg]

Can anyone shed light on what's just happened to my Apple Superdrive (Pioneer 104)? Literally overnight it no longer recognizes DVDs. It just churns away for a few moments then spits them out.

CDs play fine off the drive in iTunes, and Apple's System Profiler continues to identify it. Shows up as an available device in Toast, too, but won't accept a blank disc.

I'm running OS 10.3.8, no hacks. Firmware of the drive is 1.40 (I think).

Ideas? I ran Norton Utilities and repaired permissions. Nada.

[gregorym]

Well, the bad news is that it's time to replace the ailing drive. Same thing happend to me, but I can't tell you the number of discs I've run through my old Pioneer-104, and when it did exactly what you discribed I replaced it with the current number 106 or 108 at the time.

Haven't looked back since.

Good luck!

[maetel99]

These DVD writer drives are dual laser units, containing one laser to read/write CDs and one to read/write DVDs. It sounds like the DVD laser died in your drive, while the CD laser is still working. I'm afraid it's time for a new drive.

[schmeg]

Well, that seemed like the obvious explanation (laser is dead). I was so hoping for someone to identify a problem with the latest Mac security update or something.

I've been searching for instructions for replacing the optical drive on the mirror-door G4. Seem to recall something like that on XLR8yourmac....but of course now that I need them, I can't find anything!

Can some lovely person please help me find instructions for managing a replacement with those doors?

I do have a LaCie/NEC 2510 DVD burner connected via Firewire, but it would be nice to have a second internal drive.

[terryj]

go to xlr8yourmac.com.
i just did a Pioneer -109 in a mirror Door Dual G4.
it is here, sixth one down.
http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso

just follow the instuctions, you'll be fine.