Brand new MBP won't read Win7 Pro DVD?

[someguy]

I am helping someone set up a brand new 15" MacBook Pro today. We wanted to get Windows 7 running in VMWare Fusion, but it doesn't seem to be going well.

We've got VMWare Fusion installed, but when I put the Windows 7 Professional DVD in the drive, it spins up and down a few times (as if it's trying to read the disk) and finally spits it back out.

What's the deal? Something to do with the type of disk? Both the machine and the DVD are brand new, fresh out of the packaging.

 

[someguy]

I did some searching on Google and I see a few with the same problem while using the 64-bit copy of Windows 7, so I thought I should clarify that mine is the 32-bit version.

Also, I was able to install VMWare Fusion and Office:Mac 2011 without issue.

 

[revelated]

I am helping someone set up a brand new 15" MacBook Pro today. We wanted to get Windows 7 running in VMWare Fusion, but it doesn't seem to be going well.

We've got VMWare Fusion installed, but when I put the Windows 7 Professional DVD in the drive, it spins up and down a few times (as if it's trying to read the disk) and finally spits it back out.

What's the deal? Something to do with the type of disk? Both the machine and the DVD are brand new, fresh out of the packaging.

Generally notes a drive issue. Test by booting, holding down Option before the chime, try to see if it recognizes the Windows disc. If not it's definitely a drive issue.

 

[someguy]

Generally notes a drive issue. Test by booting, holding down Option before the chime, try to see if it recognizes the Windows disc. If not it's definitely a drive issue.

Same exact behavior using this method.

I'm hesitant to believe that it's a drive issue, only because the drive has performed just fine with the other apps. Office:Mac 2011 is on a DVD as well and that gave me no issues. Does anyone know if the exact type of disk that Windows 7 Professional comes on (+R, -R, whichever) is not read by the type of drive that the current 15" MacBook Pro has in it??

 

[kgallag1]

Could the disk be scratched?

 

[someguy]

Could the disk be scratched?

I literally took it out of the packaging and inserted it into the machine.

Ugh, my 13" Unibody MacBook Pro reads the disk fine!

I don't understand! This new machine reads other DVD's just fine. Is it possible the new systems use a drive that doesn't support this type of DVD??

 

[someguy]

Whatever. I don't have time for this!

Hooked up a USB DVD-RW drive and it's installing Windows 7 Professional now..

 

[revelated]

Whatever. I don't have time for this!

Hooked up a USB DVD-RW drive and it's installing Windows 7 Professional now..

That's a drive issue, trust me. It points back to a hardware incompatibility.

If I have my X25-M SSD in my 2011 MacBook Pro, it will NOT run any non-Apple DVD properly. If I go back to the platter drive that the MBP came with, it runs them fine.

I've been long convinced that there is a hardware issue with the SATA connections in the 2011 MacBook Pro that lend themselves to bizarre behavior when the components are not "Just right". Nobody believes me though. But I guarantee you that it's a hardware issue.

 

[Ccrew]

From experience I can tell you that Fusion won't "see" a Windows 7 DVD in the optibay that has the latest Service Pack slipstreamed. Not even a direct from MS one. Just sits there and interminably spins.