CD/DVD drive broke and right speaker connection destroyed; cosmetically tarnished.

[calaverasgrande]

Taking the bottom off is easy. I work helpdesk at a mostly mac company. Do it every day. Make sure you have a nice large clean area where you can leave it undisturbed if ya gotta take a bathroom break. Use a very small jewelers screwdriver. $5 tops for a set at home depot. I usually go clockwise starting at the bottom right.
Just arrange the screws in a little pattern next to the mac so you know which one goes where. I like to use a wide flat box to hold the screws.
All the screws are the same size save for ones in the back by the hinge and the one on the top right (bottom right when its upside down) is shorter because of the optical drive.
I'd check around inside for loose bits and to see if the dvd drive is dislodged. These are fairly hardy beasts. I have seen them bent so that the ethernet jack is partly diagaonal! Our companies president beats on these things like a redheaded stepchild and well they stop working eventually, but they do last a while!
What is slightly possible is to swap out the DVD drive for another slot loading one found online. Though I am sure it will cost more than a common tray loading one.
Good luck!

 

[lilo777]

Just another case

that laptops should not be made from aluminum. Apple, it's time to start using carbon fiber. Stop skimping on your customers!

 

[sjinsjca]

You're very lucky; the hard disk seems okay for now. Still, I'd start saving up for a new hard disk before long. Sometimes, after a drop, they'll wake up and pass all diagnostics, only to crap out a few weeks later from hidden trauma. That's more likely if the drive was running when the machine dropped than if the drop occurred with the machine shut down or sleeping. Even if it was running, the sudden-motion sensor may have saved you. But just in case, get everything backed up and be obsessive about backing up until you're certain the drive is going to live.

If you don't have or can't afford an external backup drive, then you can at least back up 2GB of your important files to a free Dropbox account online. Sign up at https://www.dropbox.com. Frankly, I do all my current work in my Dropbox so it's always backed-up and current. And Dropbox automatically keeps versions of my files-- if I screw something up, I can go to the Dropbox site and download an older version. It's really quite wonderful, and the price is right!

So. (1) Make backing-up your immediate priority. (2) Try to save up for a new drive in case you need it. (They're not terribly costly, $75-100ish or so depending on size and speed, but I understand if $75-100ish is steep for you right now.)

Now, as to your DVD/CD drive. It sounds like the spindle is in its engaged position. Try rebooting while holding down your mouse/trackpad button. Else http://osxdaily.com/2009/08/28/eject-a-stuck-disk-from-your-mac-dvd-super-drive/ has various suggestions to try.

If none of that works, I agree with another poster here: at that point you lose nothing by carefully opening your machine to see what's up with the optical drive. You might be able to persuade it back into operation. (Test it using a disk you don't particularly value, as it may get scratched up if the drive is really and sincerely broken.) Or, you can get or even borrow external CD or DVD drives which connect via USB or Firewire.

I'm sorry you're having a rough year and hope it gets better. Remember to count your blessings, there are always those worse off than you are. I hope your situation brightens-- perhaps it's time to start your own business and leverage your talents and work ethic.

 

[gorjan]

People on this forum are so cynical. No help at all.

I NEED MY CD DRIVE.

It's sad that your superdrive died and that you can't afford to fix it, but wow, cynical? What do you actually want? You lost your MBP and the superdrive is obviously bent. Either you can open the MBP and try to bend it back if it's possible, or buy a new one. It's as simple as that.

 

[sjinsjca]

that laptops should not be made from aluminum. Apple, it's time to start using carbon fiber. Stop skimping on your customers!

-1. Al is a marvelous material. Carbon fiber, meh, costly and not as protective as you seem to think, not recyclable, scratches, doesn't sink heat (necessitating bigger/noisier/more power-hungry fans), lots of toxicity in its manufacture, etc. There are drawbacks, is my point.

In general it's unwise to drop any precision mechanism, even if it's machined out of solid diamond Aluminum is far preferable to plastic, in my experience. My past several ThinkPads have all developed cracks from ordinary usage. No cracking with aluminum!

 

[Alvi]

People on this forum are so cynical. No help at all.

I NEED MY CD DRIVE.

I don't know what do you expect us to say, do you want us to PayPal you 500$ for the fix?
Maybe it isn't even that bad, if the rest works well maybe go to apple and ask them how much it is to fix it

 

[sjinsjca]

the superdrive is obviously bent.

Maybe, maybe not. The symptoms he describes could indicate the spindle is in its "engaged" position. Rebooting with mouse/trackpad button held down should cycle that. Worth a try.

Meanwhile, while I'm all for tough-love an' all that, let's not kick a guy when he's down. He's had a rough go of it. I hope he can marshal a bit of positivity and optimism, pick himself up and dust himself off. It's tough out there, but the solution, as ever, is good old fashioned gumption and a can-do attitude.

 

[mrsir2009]

Well why don't you get a optical drive for $50 off eBay and install it?

 

[billyjoegibsonx]

you can kiss your warranty goodbye, apple isnt gunna touch that macbook pro unless u hand over the paper, lots of it most likely. if u've lost ur warranty then might aswell open it up an see if the drive is damaged. if it is you could always take it out an stick more HD space in there and buy an external hard drive. im sure u can get cheap ones. even the super drive for the macbook air. i dont know how much apple charge to fix whatevers wrong but im sure it'd be cheaper to buy an external hard drive (and maybe even stick an extra HD drive in there )

an dont get at people. its ur own fault it was dropped. deal with it until u can fix it i understand why u'd be upset. if it was my macbook i'd be too but just gotta do the best u can do.

 

[gorjan]

Meanwhile, while I'm all for tough-love an' all that, let's not kick a guy when he's down. He's had a rough go of it. I hope he can marshal a bit of positivity and optimism, pick himself up and dust himself off.

It's just that I don't see the need to come in here and call people cynical as I'm sure everybody here would help him if they could, but he can't expect people to send him $300 to fix his DVD-drive. It's too bad that he has a rough time with the recession and all, but there's not much anybody here can do about it.

(And even though I don't really want to go there it's too obvious not to: If you can't afford insurance, why buy a MBP? Luxery is fine and all, but come on, maybe the time's not right for it? What if you get sick?)

Edit: and the cheapest/easiest solution is to just buy an external DVD-drive.

 

[therealdeal]

tough lesson to learn ... you are very lucky it is not dead completely.

Try to see the glass as 1/2 full

Yeah. I just saw another thread in which the persons Mac is completely dead, from a drop of water. At least your Mac still works

You have my sympathy.
Like others have said, an external drive is your cheapest option.
It may also be worth trying to find an independent Mac specialist who might be able to repair it for less than Apple would charge, there are plenty out there.

On a brighter note, had you dropped a cheaper plastic bodied laptop you would probably be looking at a total loss, not much comfort I know but it`s something.

Hope you get it sorted.

Well, thanks I guess. Still, 3 1/2 feet seems such a small distance to go for so much damage...

First, the bright light at the end of your tunnel shouldn't be a laptop, it should be your savings.

Library cards are generally free and you can read all the books you want for entertainment. I suggest you do this until you can afford to fix your luxery items.

Savings?! I'm 18! And that is not helpful at all. You have no idea who I am or what happened to me.

this 4000000000x

[SARCASM]Gee, what a helpful, detailed reply! Your a genius![/SARCRASM]

You could try to take it into the store and plead your case. They've been known to fix for free sometimes, even out of warranty.

Yeah, this is what I was kinda hoping for. I'm going to call them later today and see if some of that 'Apple store magic' happens. But from what i saw at Apple discussions and here, I don't think that is going to happen.

Luxery is fine and all

I suggest you do this until you can afford to fix your luxery items.

If you guys are so smart, why can't you spell LUXURY correctly?

are you expecting us to club together and buy you a new one?

Nobody here is paying to fix your MBP. :rolleyes

do you want us to PayPal you 500$ for the fix?

but he can't expect people to send him $300 to fix his DVD-drive.

NO I DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO PAY FOR IT. NOW STOP PLEASE. I was hoping for... I don't know... a HELPFUL reply... like these:

You're very lucky; the hard disk seems okay for now. Still, I'd start saving up for a new hard disk before long. Sometimes, after a drop, they'll wake up and pass all diagnostics, only to crap out a few weeks later from hidden trauma. That's more likely if the drive was running when the machine dropped than if the drop occurred with the machine shut down or sleeping. Even if it was running, the sudden-motion sensor may have saved you. But just in case, get everything backed up and be obsessive about backing up until you're certain the drive is going to live.

If you don't have or can't afford an external backup drive, then you can at least back up 2GB of your important files to a free Dropbox account online. Sign up at https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTQ3NzczNjk and I'll get a little referral storage-space bonus ;-) ...Frankly, I do all my current work in my Dropbox so it's always backed-up and current. And Dropbox automatically keeps versions of my files-- if I screw something up, I can go to the Dropbox site and download an older version. It's really quite wonderful, and the price is right!

So. (1) Make backing-up your immediate priority. (2) Try to save up for a new drive in case you need it. (They're not terribly costly, $75-100ish or so depending on size and speed, but I understand if $75-100ish is steep for you right now.)

Now, as to your DVD/CD drive. It sounds like the spindle is in its engaged position. Try rebooting while holding down your mouse/trackpad button. Else http://osxdaily.com/2009/08/28/eject-a-stuck-disk-from-your-mac-dvd-super-drive/ has various suggestions to try.

If none of that works, I agree with another poster here: at that point you lose nothing by carefully opening your machine to see what's up with the optical drive. You might be able to persuade it back into operation. (Test it using a disk you don't particularly value, as it may get scratched up if the drive is really and sincerely broken.) Or, you can get or even borrow external CD or DVD drives which connect via USB or Firewire.

I'm sorry you're having a rough year and hope it gets better. Remember to count your blessings, there are always those worse off than you are. I hope your situation brightens-- perhaps it's time to start your own business and leverage your talents and work ethic.

Sounds like the superdrive itself is bent. If you are at all comfortable following the iFixit.com guide's, you can try repairing it yourself without buying a new drive. I would open it up and remove the drive. Then if there is twisting to the frame correct it or if the case is pinched in the middle or along the lip correct that.

Then look at the body of you laptop. The slot for the disc to be inserted may be pinched. At this time I would also straight the frame to the laptop. Dents or pinches to the case can usually be removed using needle nose pliers and a body hammer. You will still have small dents, waving and scratches. But it would at least be in a fully functional state.

Taking the bottom off is easy. I work helpdesk at a mostly mac company. Do it every day. Make sure you have a nice large clean area where you can leave it undisturbed if ya gotta take a bathroom break. Use a very small jewelers screwdriver. $5 tops for a set at home depot. I usually go clockwise starting at the bottom right.
Just arrange the screws in a little pattern next to the mac so you know which one goes where. I like to use a wide flat box to hold the screws.
All the screws are the same size save for ones in the back by the hinge and the one on the top right (bottom right when its upside down) is shorter because of the optical drive.
I'd check around inside for loose bits and to see if the dvd drive is dislodged. These are fairly hardy beasts. I have seen them bent so that the ethernet jack is partly diagaonal! Our companies president beats on these things like a redheaded stepchild and well they stop working eventually, but they do last a while!
What is slightly possible is to swap out the DVD drive for another slot loading one found online. Though I am sure it will cost more than a common tray loading one.
Good luck!

Thank you to these people. I appreciate it.

--

I did execute this command:

drutil eject

and I did hear it try to eject... 3 times. it sounded muffled and stuck though. It still doesn't work.

Rebooting with the trackpad button held down didn't do anything.

Like I said, I'm going to call the Apple store and hope for a miracle.

If no miracles happen, I'll try and open it myself and see if i can fix it.
(Which is kind of a scary thought... I'm much better with software than with hardware...)

--

Thanks to the people that DID help, I'm trying out your suggestions one-by-one with my fingers crossed.

I'll update you guys soon.

 

[Rizvi1]

I know it's user damage but most of the time, Apple's still helped me in my past 8 years with them. It's the only extended warranty I buy.

Its still under the warranty (going by the serial number) but my Apple phone support ran out and I have no idea what to do...

your phone service may have ran out but you can have them still call you to talk about it if you select the hardware issue option

I wouldn't mention that I dropped it though (hopefully I won't trigger too many responses by people saying "you're taking advantage of the company", etc). I've even gotten Applecare to fix a broken screen by just being very patient on a phone call until they gave in.

A local store would be less helpful but possible. I've visited a local apple store w/ a mac mini I bought off craigslist which had 1) the wireless get messed up during the hd swap he did and 2) the internal audio get messed up. They took care of the internal audio, not the wireless.

So get it in the mail to them and cross your fingers. Luckily it's just the superdrive which, of all the thing that could go wrong with a drop, is really the best thing to mess up

 

[RKpro]

You should be really freaking happy that it still works at all. Three feet onto a hard surface, and impacts on the side with the logic board and ports. I think you're lucky. Broken optical drive is the best case scenario for something like this.

 

[gorjan]

If you guys are so smart, why can't you spell LUXURY correctly?

NO I DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO PAY FOR IT. NOW STOP PLEASE. I was hoping for... I don't know... a HELPFUL reply... like these:

English is not my native language, and sometimes some spelling mistakes get past me.

 

[j0hnnys]

Savings?! I'm 18! And that is not helpful at all. You have no idea who I am or what happened to me.

I've been dirt poor since I was young and I've been saving money since I was 9 and spending it wisely. If I needed a computer, I had to walk my ass to the library. And if you're gonna spend $1k+ on your one luxury item, next time consider some more money to protect it (a case).

NO I DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO PAY FOR IT. NOW STOP PLEASE.

Then next time don't mention how poor you are and try to make us sympathetic. It's obvious you want someone to pay for it (and the community knows it, and your not admitting it).

So here's my tip: Next time, just say you can't afford warranty or bringing it back to Apple. If you simply ask for the best way to fix it or get around a broken CD Drive the MacRumors community would've given more helpful tips.

 

[wpotere]

Savings?! I'm 18! And that is not helpful at all. You have no idea who I am or what happened to me.

Consider it a lesson learned then.... I'm not the one that came on here looking
what looked like a handout. Still, you are lucky that most of it works and you can always buy a USB DVD player to plug in. It ins't ideal, but at least it will function.

As for the rest, you clearly don't have the money to repair it and barely had the money to buy it (your the one that stated this). Perhaps you should have simply saved the money or looked for a cheaper solution that you could afford.

 

[therealdeal]

HELPPPP

How do I put back in the connector here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-Left-Speaker/1360/3#s7363

I need to RECONNECT it because i tried to fix it myself but i cant get it back in

im on my sisters netbook PLEASE HELP

 

[harleygold]

that laptops should not be made from aluminum. Apple, it's time to start using carbon fiber. Stop skimping on your customers!

that sounds like a patent.

 

[wpotere]

The connector should pop on the way it came off unless you broke it in the process. If you did, there is not much that can be done unless you are really good with a soldering gun.

 

[therealdeal]

The connector should pop on the way it came off unless you broke it in the process. If you did, there is not much that can be done unless you are really good with a soldering gun.

It isn't popping on!! ive tried everything! its like it needs glue or something...!!

 

[Apple OC]

let me get this straight ... the computer was working but not the DVD ... you HAD AppleCare and tried to fix it yourself ... If the warranty was not voided by the drop, you are well on your way to voiding it.

Advice ... 1 - do not do any more Damage yourself. 2- make an appt. with the Genius Bar. 3 - be very polite and sound desperate but not winey desperate.
4 - hope they will help. 5 - be extra polite when you get there.

good luck

 

[therealdeal]

let me get this straight ... The computer was working but not the dvd ... You had applecare and tried to fix it yourself ... If the warranty was not voided by the drop, you are well on your way to voiding it.

Advice ... 1 - do not do any more damage yourself. 2- make an appt. With the genius bar. 3 - be very polite and sound desperate but not winey desperate.
4 - hope they will help. 5 - be extra polite when you get there.

Good luck

i have no money

damn it

please post something helpful

im stressed to the limit

 

[kellen]

step 9 or step 10?

 

[Wattser93]

Quit being such a spaz and try to be receptive to the help people are offering.

If you don't have any money, don't buy a $1200+ laptop. It's that simple.

And please act like a civilized adult. Just because this is the internet doesn't mean you have to prance around with a pompous attitude and treat everybody else like idiots, when you're the one incessantly posting in caps and exclamation points, while spamming an ellipsis (...) every line. It's ridiculous.

Talk to Apple, identify the problem, and find a tutorial on YouTube of somebody replacing whatever part you've identified is the problem.

I swear common sense has become less and less common.

 

[wpotere]

i have no money

damn it

please post something helpful

im stressed to the limit

Probably shouldn't have opened it if you don't know what you are doing. You may have broken the connector and if that is the case, you will need a new subwoofer assembly. As for the post above, he was being helpful. We can't help you fix something that we can physically see. Get the library card, save and save up to get it fixed.