So I got a used 2010 mac mini, the guy said the dvd drive didn't work. Took it home and installed an SSD, installed mountain lion and discovered that the DVD drive did seem to work. He said it was just ejecting discs instead of reading them. I put in a dvd movie and it seemed to play it alright. Then I tried to use a windows 7 iso to burn a windows 7 disc, it recognized the blank disc, begins the burn and then after a few seconds of burning it finishes and ejects the disc and gives an error about the medium. I have used these same dvds in my imac and had no issues burning onto them. I searched for help but can't seem to find anything that works. Turning the speed down didn't help, running it as a test only completes fine (without burning anything obviously). I tried using a straw and blowing into it to try to get any dust off of the lens but that doesn't seem to have helped either. I don't really want to have to replace the superdrive and it loads and spins and reads, any ideas as to how to get it to write
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Mac Mini (2010) won't burn but will read
- Thread starter newdeal
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If you cant fix it (and I cant be of any assistance there, sorry), just get a cheap external drive. No need to pay for a SuperDrive when a cheap drive will give the same functionality.
Blowing on the lens with your own moist air won't work. If the lens has been contaminated with smoke, for example, you'll have to get serious and carefully wipe the lens with a fine, clean cloth, such as spectacle cloth.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Ok. In that case, the lens is out of position, and needs an expert to put right. Perhaps, as mentioned above, an external drive is the cheaper solution.
Are there separate lenses for reading and burning? I noticed that a replacement internal drive is more expensive than an external anyway plus I damaged the optical drive heat sensor connector already so an external makes more sense. Luckily I could fix the sensor connector because without if the fan runs full blast all the time
I had a similar problem on my non SuperDrive 2006 Mini. It would read fine, play discs fine but sometimes(4 out of 5 times) when burning a disc in itunes I had the same exact problem.
My way of getting around the problem was when the Mac would request a blank disc I would immediately at that moment insert the disc. The drive would start to spin and take a minute, then the burn would begin. Again, it worked very sporadically and would only work if I timed it perfectly.
My way of getting around the problem was when the Mac would request a blank disc I would immediately at that moment insert the disc. The drive would start to spin and take a minute, then the burn would begin. Again, it worked very sporadically and would only work if I timed it perfectly.
No, it's just that reading requires a less accurate positioning than burning.
Lens position is one of the reasons why a burner will cope with most disks, when new, but become more fussy over disk quality as time passes.
I had a similar problem. I opened up the mini and opened up the superdrive and wiped it with a tissue. My mini previously couldn't read any discs but now it read movie discs but not data discs.
I opened it again and this time used water on a tissue to wipe the lens. Now it works perfectly fine.
The problem with the mini is that the dust recirculates and gets clogged in any opening like the dvd drive. A good cleaning should get you back up and running.
I opened it again and this time used water on a tissue to wipe the lens. Now it works perfectly fine.
The problem with the mini is that the dust recirculates and gets clogged in any opening like the dvd drive. A good cleaning should get you back up and running.
If you are game to opening up the chassis, try replacing the DVD RW unit. Then again, given that they are so beyond slow, consider a good external fw/usb connectable drive. OWC has a few and possibly check out a good blu-ray RW unit.
I have a simular issue with the burner in my 2009 mbp. It reads ok, it burns DVDs ok. It will not burn a cd. At one time it worked fine. I use an external burner now for the few times I make something.