Anar here...
Actually with a good news :) at least for me.
The Problem.
This story started about a year ago. My MacBook Pro 15", late 2008 model, started to complain when writing DVDs. So, he refused some of medias :( I didn't actually pay any attention to it, since I am not burning much. I just tried to use good Verbatim disks, that all.
Some months later, my laptop started to refuse to read some DVD. That was a kind of disturbing... I looked in internet and found a verrrrryyyy long thread on Apple Discussion forum with the similar issue, and all kinds of suggestions how to fix.
I, personally, think, that there you find just similar symptoms, which actually come from different problems/errors. This is why I was very careful, when reading the thread...
Anyway I tried couple of solutions from that thread - none worked for me. Problem persisted.
Well, since I didn't have time (a lot of work) to send my laptop to Apple store to fixe the issue, I decided to give up and just ignore it. Some discs can't be read... not a big deal :)
Now my laptop is 1.6 year old and last Friday I needed to check some important backups (on DVD-R) and.... my mac just refused to read any of the disks!
So, I tried to check some of other DVDs... He just refused to read ANY of them. It spins a disk for a moment and ejects it...
What the FUCK, I thought!!!
The Solution.
NOW, the solution, which actually worked for me.
I could't believe that SuperDrive just got broken. I mean, common... ;)
So after some investigation and googling around, trying all possible solutions I came up to a conclusion, that it is most probably the dust on the lens, which "damaged" my SuperDrive. I mean, that was the only "bug", which can be fixed without sending the laptop to warranty. :)
Now, since that was the weekend and I could'n get a CD cleaner from anywhere... I decided to use some simple "solution". :)
I used a business card and a cleaning cloth, which comes with the mac or iPhone. I switched off the laptop. I wrapped the cloth around the business card and while holding the ends of the the cloth I very gently dived it for a couple of centimeters in the optical drive, pushed and pulled a bit. I cleaned on the left side of SuperDrive, since the lens should be at the left hand side.
This dirty and free trick actually worked. It took me a minute of "cleaning", after that my Mac reads everything I pop in ;) What a miracle :)
Now, I think, my problem is solved. At least I didn't fined any DVD which I can't read now. I also tried to write couple of DVDs. Worked perfectly.
I mean, I know, that I need to get my superDrive cleaned properly and I will do that some time later, but as a short term fix that was a quick solution, I guess :)
Update: I came across a post, which explains with pictures and step-by-step instruction how to properly clean SuperDrive.
123 comments:
Awesome!!!! That worked for me!
It would have been really difficult to get another drive here in Mexico.
Thank you so much for posting this!!!
Hi Enrique,
last week I had to repeat this procedure as my drive refused to burn a DVD-DL disk. After a short cleaning I got it working again :) So... obviously there is some dust issue in MacBook Burners...
Best of luck!
Wow. I will have to try this. I a experiencing a similar problem. It reads cds and dvds but not dvd-r or dvd+r format...just spits em right back out. I hope this works. I'll have to go get a cleaning cloth from a pharmacy though... I don't think I still have the one that came with the mbp. Do they really come with those? Would an eye glasses cloth work?
I'll post how it went later.
2 GetaRedPanda,
yeap I think you can also use something like an eye glasses cloth. Should work if your driver is also dusty.
I can only confirm, that it works for me. I just have to do that every 3-4 Months.
Just be very gentle while cleaning :) dive it deeper, especially on the left side of the driver... Hope it helps ;)
You rock so incredibly hard right now. That completely worked. If you're ever in Fort Lauderdale, I'd like to buy you a beer.
Peter, I'm glad it worked out for you! ;)
thanks bro
Worked!
Thanx a lot, been looking for the answer to this problem for a while now.
Cheers
I used a kleenex wrapped around a business card.
Thanks kindly for the post/info Anar. This verified my thoughts yesterday as I went searching for a reason why my superdrive read the dvd for about 5 min and then went to error msg of 'Disc Read Error' 'Searching for next readable area'. It then went back to the beginning of the disc and repeated this same process. Moved the disc to another machine and worked w/o problems.
Thanks again -- Have a great day! Next project is to find out why SNL/Safari, Firefox won't talk nicely to facebook and loops the login process.
To Casasdeluz. You are very welcome. Thanks for the comment, by the way ;)
Thanks, it's also worked for me!!!
;)
Anar,
Worked like a charm for me also! Thanks for the suggestion - far better than turning my MacBook over to the repair Nazis for who knows how long! We live in an extremely dusty area (construction) so I'll be repeating the process on all the Macs.
Thanks again.
glad it worked!
Thanks for the comment ;)
Thanks for the Tip! Just did it and now my Drive is back to it's old self (2004 old self) again! Yippie!
;)
Thanks for the comment!
I took a more minimal approach. I simply blew into the left side of the drive... took about 5 seconds to fix. Didn't even need to turn of the computer.
thanks a bunch!
I had the same problem but haven't thought about that.
and it didn't even charge my credit card... LOL
Just worked for me! Yippee!!!!
Unbelievable... I have been searching all the Mac forums for ages for a fix for this... just tried your solution and everything works fine now... you probably just saved me a small fortune, thank you so much :o)
Kate, thanks for the comment ;)
Be prepared to clean it every two-three months. :D In my case I have to do that so often. :(
All the best,
Anar
I just did it without even turning off he computer. Worked perfectly, and I was amazed at how much dust there was on the black cloth. Thanks for the great solution!
Wow - I've been trying to fix this for months. I was really skeptical of this, but it worked on the first try. Thanks!
thanks a trillion - you are a flippin genius, i salute you sir!
Anar,
This is awesome as I was about to order the new one. The diagnostics and status was showing everything was ok but refused to read or recognize the disks. One indication you may have dirt problem can be had from disk utilities. Where when you click on info button it shows media not present as I was able to somehow keep the disk inside without ejecting. I used the credit/business card trick on another mac for removing the stuck DVD inside.
So far everything seems to be great. Thanks for your blog man you saved me $$.
Anant
Thanks for the comments guys.
I hope Apple will find a way at least to reduce the dustiness in the DVD-drive.
I have a two years old MacBook Pro, but my fried has a new one and has just reported the same problem after three Month of usage :(
BTW, I heart Apple wants to remove the DVD-drive from the future MacBook Pros. It would be another solution for the issue, I guess :D ;)
thank you so much for posting this. i've read forum post after forum post with dozens experiencing the same problem and no known solution. i cleaned my drive like you said and several months of frustration have been ended.
That worked to me as well, thanks a thousand.
Anar, you are The Man!!! It worked like a champ. Now why in the world could Apple not post this information on their support site? Or, why couldn't the Apple support tech I just talked to have told me this? Very sad that Apple deliberately withheld this simple fix from me.
This rocks my world! Been living with a broken superdrive for six months. This tip fixed it in 30 seconds. Thanks!
Oh my god it works. Incredible. This post was on the very bottom of my search results, and I was about to give up completely. You have made my day.
Holy Sh*t!± it works!! After 2 years of no DVD drive!
work for me ,thanks....from greece :DDDDD
Okay, I want to give you a big hug! That was the perfect solution. I used the cloth from my iPhone wrapped around my health insurance card (sturdier than a business card). I checked out that link for disassembling and cleaning the drive...too scary! I hope this keeps it clean for a while.
It only bloody works!! Just done it on my 2010 Mac Mini after losing the ability to read blank DVD -R
Well happy now!
Thanks!
I had the same issue, all CDs and DVDs were ejected after a few seconds and cleaning the optical drive with compressed air fixed it. Thanks!
Awesome thank you so much! i had to try it twice but i finally got it to work~
Oh. My. God. You saved years from my life by saving me from more stress. Like you I don't burn CDs much so I ignored this and I've been pulling my hair out these last 2 days. Genius. Now, why was your post buried in the search results????
If you are ever in Peru, I too will buy you a beer! That did the job!
:) I am happy the post is actually helping someone. :)
I just came across this post and tried it in my 2007 MBP. It now reads DVDs. Although I did use a lens cd cleaner for it.
You saved me a lot of time. Thanks
Worked for me too, amazing. Thank you. :D:D:D Nothing else had worked until I came across your post!
thanks dude!! you saved me a lot of money on that one...
worked great to solve a year old problem! thanks!
Thanks for the great tip!
Have been having the same problem for 2 years, now it's solved. Thank you very much!! I'm beyond happy
Gentleman, scholar etc.
Seriously, thanks so much for the hint with cleaning the lens. I just used a tissue wrapped around some cardboard bookmark + a few drops of isopropyl alcohol. Couple of swipes later no more ejecting blank disks, much obliged <3
Just crazy! It worked for me. Thank you for the tip.
Thank you so much for posting this! It worked for me.
... and worked for me too. I can't believe it.
Thanks for the info.
Wow, I was about to bring my mbp to the shop but this tip worked just as great as described.
Thanks soooo much
this is quite amazing. i personally used the microfiber bag that comes with oakley sunglasses.
you know what i did to fix it? since i didn't have my cloth... i took a can of liquid air, aimed into the left side of the dvd rom and sprayyyyyed for a few seconds. all better.
I can't believe it really works!!! Funcionou mesmo!!! I used a spatula and this cleaning cloth!!! Tks!!!
Sir, If you ever happen to come to San Jose, I will buy you a beer. I was having such trouble with my computer, and your suggestion completely eased my suffering immediately.
it works!! Amazing... and I'd left that drive for dead. I used a stiff business card and a clean hanky (gave it a few good shakes first).
thanks a million
THANK YOU!!! Finally found something that works!!
It worked for me too! Thanks a ton man!
You Absolute hero, thanks so much, worked a treat!
You're awesome, it worked!
This is so awesome. I tried a million different things to no avail. Your fix worked on the first try.
THANK YOU!
I used your technique with a credit card and cloth, and now my super drive which hasn't been able to read a disk since 2008 has magically started working.
Thanks!
This is magical! My drive suddenly screeched to life after using an alcohol-soaked microfibre cloth to 'explore' its innards. Thanks!
Did the trick for me too! Great solution! If only my Imac 4,1 drive worked the same way...thanx a million man!
If cleaning doesn't work, try the procedure outlined at http://www.macos.utah.edu/documentation/hardware/pm_g5_superdrive_fix.html. It worked beautifully for me.
Well Done... Mine hadn't worked for a year and i thought i needed a new drive.. just tried your idea and it's suddenly working again!
Thanks!!
I have to say, after having bought my Pro for only 5 hours only to find this problem was very frustrating for me. I Googled non-stop in hopes for a solution then I came across your blog and attempted your solution.
At first I tried wrapping the cloth with my Credit card and inserted it sideways (not edges) and then that failed.
I almost gave up, but I tried one more time. This time, as I insert the Credit Card, I blew inside the CD driver really hard several times and then inserted my card and stroked back and forth.
Voila! My CD now works! :) You saved me the trouble of having to go back to the Apple Store, thank you very much! :)
Wow, I'm amazed. I tried your method and it didn't seem like I was doing anything since it wasn't a very tight fit. In addition, the cloth didn't show any dirt/dust but holy cow, my dvd drives works once again after so many months of non use. Thanks so much!!!
Anar, thank you SO much for posting this!! I'm extremely happy with this simple (and free) solution. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it works GREAT.
The superdrive of my MacBook Pro only rejected DVDs (CDs were running fine) but now it reads all discs without a problem. You're a hero!
(BTW: Only 73 comments in more than two years? How come? This solution should be common knowledge!)
Wow - I can't believe this worked. THANKS SO MUCH for the tip. It looks like you could start a global beer tour with all the happy customers offering you drinks.
Excellent solution to a problem which I thought was due to broken drive. Thanks!
You are a genius! After almost throwing out a bunch of DVD's, I found your post! Awesome!
Thank you for the simple but great solution. :)
I'v got the same problem with my MacBook Pro 15" 2008. The SuperDrive rejected any trial to burn a DVD.
Now it works.
Greeting from Poland. :)
Thanks a lot, you saved me! :)
Thanks a lot Bro !! You saved me some $$$.
Magnetic power connector keeps falling off. Thanks Apple, for solving a non-nagging problem that I wasn't having, by replacing it with a new, actual problem. Can't thank you enough. I have dropped notebooks, stepped on them and cracked the screen, spilled breakfast cereal on the keyboard, but I have never had a problem with the power connector not disengaging and causing a fall or a break. Have you? Really? Naaaah. Macbook pro repairs.
Thank you so much for this post - tried everything else and all my dirty Mac needed was a bit of TLC. i will be cleaning the cd drive on a ore regular basis from now on thanks again
Regards
Big Tony
Good macbook information. I appreciate the writer for the efforts to make this article so informative for the people
Worked like a charm on my mid-2009 MBP. The drive was refusing to see any blank CD and now it's back to normal again.
Thanks a bunch!
Anar, many many thanks for this post, you've helped many people avoid a needless and expensive replacement. My drive sat useless for two years, I couldn't even put a disc in. Then, trying to solve an intermittent WIFI connection problem, I reset the PRAM. This had the unexpected bonus of allowing the DVD drive to accept discs again, although, it would not read any information on them. Then your suggestion returned it to full operation. Can't thank you enough.
Brilliant, many thanks, a low tech solution that works extremely well.
:)
First try, didn't work. Second try, worked like a charm. Dude, collecting some very good karma with this one :))
Wow! It worked! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this post. I can't believe it took me so long to stumble on it. I have tried every work around I could think of or was suggested. I stopped bothering with the DVDs on this machine. This solved my problem in 2 minutes. Thank you.
Thanks for the tip! Simply blowing into mine worked.
Thank you!! I have been attempting to fix this problem and never would have thought of something so simple.
A billion thanks!
I tried a CD cleaner disk that didn't help at all, but your trick has revived my DVD reader in two minutes!
I want to tell you thank you for 1000 time really your post help me
You saved my so much time and money! You are a hero it worked freakin awesome the first time! Thanks a bunch!
Worked like a BO$$
Worked like a charm !! Genius :)
Worked a treat. Thank you! My train from Edinburgh to London just got a little less dull
Man, You are a God!! I was about to take my iMac apart and throw that sh*t out, because it has never written DVD, but recently it refused to read any DVDs. But this little trick fixed the problem in 5 seconds. Now I can write even dual layer DVDs! :D
This worked perfectly! I'm glad I found your post.
I can't belive it but... IT WORKED!!!!!!
Thank you, i haven0t been using my Superdrive since one year and it couldn't read neither my SL installation DVD, but now everything works!
Thank you!!!!
Sadly now joy for me. Tried a cleaning cloth, an oakley case and a glasses wipe tissue which I think covers all the bases.
Noticeably at no point did I get a load of dust out so perhaps mine is just broken
Tried this with a thin, smooth store card (no raised up numbers or anything), a pair of thin spandex shorts, with a light dab of vodka on the spandex. Worked like a charm. If I knew who you were sir, I would buy you a drink
Article is useful.
I hate those verrrrryyyy long thread on Apple Discussion forum, but a lot of them are very useful. Thank for the post.
-Apple TV WiDi
Thanks! This worked for me. I just used a plain business card, slipped it in while my Mac was running, slid it back and forth, concentrated on the area where the lens should be -- and after that, the first DVD I put in it worked fine, whereas no disc has worked in this drive for many months.
so nice
+1
Cool. It worked for me. Nice trick :-)
....IT WORKS!!
This is the kind of fix you hope to God you'll find - a 5 second job for a seemingly hopeless problem.
BIG THANK YOUS FROM BUDAPEST :)
I ued toilet paper and a business card.
Let me add my own personal thanks to the low tech, very effective solution posted here. Same issue as everyone else. I tried loading turbo tax, no luck or was it, then tried the business card + lint free cloth and there it was working once again. Thank YOU!
Hi,
I would just love to say thank you for sharing, coz you really helped me a lot! :-)
Thanks again!
I had been trying all kind of solutions w/o success before reading your post and ...it works.
Thanks a lot and best regards.
This worked for me! turns out I had an alcohol wipe in my CD drive so no wonder it wasn't working. I used a glasses cleaning cloth and debit card.
So great. Thank you, thank you. For months my drive would not read most dvds. Couldn't get it to read a disc tonight. It just sat there spinning and chugging no matter what I did. I looked all over the internet and spent hours trying different solutions. Then stumbled on your suggestion. Didn't bother turning off the computer. Got a thin card. Wrapped it with a microfiber cloth. Stuck in it my drive and dabbed around for a few second. Inserted the DVD. And BOOM, it worked. Again, thanks.
Five years later, this post continues to be as helpful as always. My MBP 2009 still works great, only the SuperDrive wouldn't read any CD or DVD. Simply rubbing the inside of it with an eye glasses cloth wrapped around a bank card did the trick! Thank you so much!
It worked for me as well! Awesome! Thank you so much for this!
Your solution worked for me right now as well.. Have been wondering what would have been the problem with my ROM
Thank you very much for your solution. It has worked for me too!!! Wonderful!
I tried the disk repair bit but no joy, then I tried my travel card wrapped in my a new glasses cleaning cloth and FIXED!!!!!!! I have never tried to fix anything on my Macbook Pro before as I'm a technophobe and usually completely baffled by anything on it. But NOW not only can I play DVDs again but I feel much more confident about trying to sort issues out myself with suggestions rom great forums like this one. THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!
I cannot believe how easy that was. Genius.
You are the best my Friend!!! This worked!
It worked, thank you!!
On my 2011 MacBook Pro Optical Drive, I used my Sam's Card with my lens cleaning cloth wrapped around it. Did not turn off my MacBook, just made many passes in and out getting dust off, and eventually when I put in the DVD, it worked!
You are incredible. Thank you.
Post a Comment