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TheShortTimer

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Mar 27, 2017
3,314
5,745
London, UK
Hey, I've got a iBook G4 with the classic problem of a CD-ROM stuck inside the Superdrive and it's not even a Mac software title, so I don't know that the original owner was up to! When the iBook is powered on, you can hear the drive spinning intermittently and I suspect, attempting to eject the drive. A couple of times, the CD-ROM actually mounted but it could not be ejected.

So far, I've tried the widely suggested tricks of turning the machine to one side, forcing an eject from Terminal, from boot up with the trackpad button, from Open Firmware, with cardboard but it just won't budge the noise from the drive constantly attempting to read/expel the CD-ROM quickly grates on your ears! Would a pair of long flathead tweezers be able to lock onto the disc and prize it out of the drive? The only other option is to dismantle the iBook and potentially also the optical drive itself.

Could the tweezers work or will I have to do things the hard way?
 
It might work, assuming you can catch it at the right moment and that the mechanism has actually released the disc.

Don't expect the disc to be usable at all if you manage this though. You probably know that anyway but just making sure.

I destroyed a DVD trying to get it out this way once, only I used a paperciip and not tweezers. The disc got scratched to hell and back.
 
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I’ve used tweezers as well as a couple of thin butter knives to help expel a stubborn cd. Granted this method was on a slot loader iMac G3 & not an ibook but it did work.

and yes the disk was scratched deeply by this. If you want to preserve the CD, Idremove the drive.
 
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I've got no desire to save it. The CD was an unexpected (and unwanted!) addition to the purchase and I only became aware of when I'd attempted to insert a CD of my own and discovered that there was already a disc inside. :D

From when it did mount a couple of times, I saw that it's a copy of PC Studio! Why the original owner was attempting to use that on a PPC Mac, is a complete mystery. Tweezers it is then, I'll take the iBook with me to the hardware store and ensure that I buy a set that can fit inside the Superdrive and grab onto the disc. Thanks all. :)
 
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I've got no desire to save it. The CD was an unexpected (and unwanted!) addition to the purchase and I only became aware of when I'd attempted to insert a CD of my own and discovered that there was already a disc inside. :D

From when it did mount a couple of times, I saw that it's a copy of PC Studio! Why the original owner was attempting to use that on a PPC Mac, is a complete mystery. Tweezers it is then, I'll take the iBook with me to the hardware store and ensure that I buy a set that can fit inside the Superdrive and grab onto the disc. Thanks all. :)

FYI I found the one or two thin butter knife method to work a bit better because I could apply more pressure (better leverage) on the cd as I pulled it out vs the tweezers. It also allowed me to grasp the cd deeper in the machine vs the edge with tweezers.

With that being said, the tweezers worked too but will have a weaker grip & shallow range. It’s hard to describe fully in words but you’ll see what I mean in application if the tweezers slip. Good luck.
 
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If you don't mind opening the iBook, that is the best option. Once you get to the Superdrive it's only a matter of unscrewing the top of the enclosure and lifting the disc out. It's just unfortunate that iBooks can be a chore to take apart.
 
There is one other thing to try. Most slot loading optical drives should still have a manual eject function, even if hidden.

Apple published this for its iMacs. Something similar might work on iBooks/PowerBooks.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT2285

On a 17" PB G4 I bought, a slightly bent slotguard around the inside of the slot caught the disc and stopped it ejecting. I had to slide a slim plastic shim in to ease the disc out.
 
I had this same issue with my macmini G4. Even replaced the superdrive and had the same issue. The only thing that worked for me, hit the eject button in iTunes. For some reason it would eject I have no idea why.
 
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If going the butter-knife way it might be helpfull to wrap them with a balloon...

Good suggestion @bobesch.

I would dismantle the machine and make an opportunity to blow the dust out and re-paste the CPU/GPU and/or replace the thermal pads while you’re in there. :)

Edit: throw an SSD in there while you’re at it!
 
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Is there room for a pata/sata convertor in an ibook or would you need a pata ssd?
 
Is there room for a pata/sata convertor in an ibook or would you need a pata ssd?

I bought a cheap 44pin PATA/SATA adapter in case I find a chance to use it, but no Mac portable has been suitable and there’s no point trying to adapt it for a desktop... Apple designed the HDD bays pretty tight.

A PowerBook G3 might possibly have room to accommodate an adapter, but then there are capacity limitations...
 
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An mSata / IDE enclosure would be most effective.

Yeah I’ve used msata in my powerbooks but have quite a few sata ssds laying around & was curious if there was a tiny solution that would let me use them in older portables that used pata drives.
 
Yeah I’ve used msata in my powerbooks but have quite a few sata ssds laying around & was curious if there was a tiny solution that would let me use them in older portables that used pata drives.

Those should be used in desktops (with adapters, if necessary).

The portables...there's just no space. For most of their HD bays, there's always barely enough room for a 2.5" to squeeze in. Of course, it's a different story for the SATA-equipped ones...
 
Yeah I’ve used msata in my powerbooks but have quite a few sata ssds laying around & was curious if there was a tiny solution that would let me use them in older portables that used pata drives.

It's very unlikely now but there was at least one SATA SSD, whose circuit board only occupied the first third/half of the casing that covered it. With a suitable adapter, it would fit into most PowerBooks/iBooks. Almost all, however, are too long hence mSATA. You could try opening up the casing of the SSDs you have (you will lose your warranty) and looking inside. You might just strike lucky.

Looking ahead, as SATA gives way to NVMe, the supply of mSATA or even short form m.2 SATA drives is going to vanish.
 
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It's very unlikely now but there was at least one SATA SSD, whose circuit board only occupied the first third/half of the casing that covered it. With a suitable adapter, it would fit into most PowerBooks/iBooks. Almost all, however, are too long hence mSATA. You could try opening up the casing of the SSDs you have (you will lose your warranty) and looking inside. You might just strike lucky.

Looking ahead, as SATA gives way to NVMe, the supply of mSATA or even short form m.2 SATA drives is going to vanish.

Oh man what a brilliant idea. These are all without warranty anyways - are parts of old torn up laptops that I fix and donate to a catholic charity & are then given to kids long on curiosity & short on means.
 
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There is one other thing to try. Most slot loading optical drives should still have a manual eject function, even if hidden.

After you pointed that out, I noticed the manual eject button on my MBP 2012 15". :)

Apple published this for its iMacs. Something similar might work on iBooks/PowerBooks.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT2285

On a 17" PB G4 I bought, a slightly bent slotguard around the inside of the slot caught the disc and stopped it ejecting. I had to slide a slim plastic shim in to ease the disc out.

Unfortunately this didn't work. After spending several days attempting to extricate the disc with tweezers, butter knives etc. I've concluded it's so badly jammed inside that the hard way is the only way. On that note...

If you don't mind opening the iBook, that is the best option. Once you get to the Superdrive it's only a matter of unscrewing the top of the enclosure and lifting the disc out. It's just unfortunate that iBooks can be a chore to take apart.

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this at all! :O

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G4+14-Inch+1.42+GHz+Optical+Drive+Replacement/733

Compared to the ease of the plastic MacBook and earlier MacBook Pro's, this will indeed be a chore.
 
Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this at all! :O

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G4+14-Inch+1.42+GHz+Optical+Drive+Replacement/733

Compared to the ease of the plastic MacBook and earlier MacBook Pro's, this will indeed be a chore.

Just go slow and methodical. You'll be alright.

I've taken mine apart several times now. It gets easier the more you do it.

As difficult as these iBooks are, they're still worlds better than proprietary screws, glued batteries, and soldered RAM. Count yourself lucky you don't have one of the new MacBooks instead.
 
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Just go slow and methodical. You'll be alright.

I've taken mine apart several times now. It gets easier the more you do it.

As difficult as these iBooks are, they're still worlds better than proprietary screws, glued batteries, and soldered RAM. Count yourself lucky you don't have one of the new MacBooks instead.

Thanks for putting things into perspective. The amount of stages in the guide unnerved me! :D

You're right, better this than the newer generation of Apple laptops. My MBP 2012 15" was the only Mac that I've ever purchased brand new and it was after discovering that the successors would not be catering towards my computing needs.
 
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For disassembly, I highly recommend using an icecube tray or pill box to keep your screws organized by step as there are quite a few in power and ibooks. This is a cheap way to stay organized and what I use every single time I work on a laptop or portable. A spudger is nice if you have one of those as well.

You'll do great. Best of luck ;)
 
Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this at all! :O

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook+G4+14-Inch+1.42+GHz+Optical+Drive+Replacement/733

Compared to the ease of the plastic MacBook and earlier MacBook Pro's, this will indeed be a chore.
I recommend getting a plastic spudger if you can. When I first took my iBook G3 apart I struggled using a flat tip screwdriver, but once I started using a spudger it came apart much easier. Separating the case is the only truly difficult part of the disassembly. And as @RhianB said, there are a lot of screws, so keeping track of the screws in a pill box/icecube tray will make the re-assembly an easier process.
 
Yanno I didn’t mention this earlier but I hotglued a small magnet to the underside of each ice cube hole to ensure the screws stay put. I know it seems kinda overkill but even with the tray, I’ve (well my nosey cat at the time too) managed on multiple occasions to knock or turn over the tray and in the process lose/mixup/misplace screws - and what a pita that is figuring out lol. Pill boxes work well but then you’re limited to 7 steps per pill box.

Anyhow, magnetizing the tray has eliminated this risk for me as everything stays in the tray if it’s accidentally knocked.
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I found that a few guitar picks actually worked better than spudgers. Usefully, these also come in various thicknesses for unclipping the tightest of casing seals.

Ahh man what an Excellent tip. As a musician, I have picks everywhere in all sorts of thicknesses. If you’re a guitar/bass/uke/mandolin/dulcimer playing musician, you probably have the perfect ibook tool in your pocket lol :D
 
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