eMac can write, but can't read CDs

[dllavaneras]

I've been having trouble with my CD drive lately. I can burn blank cds with no problems, but I can't read a single cd! I've tried the cds I just copied, music cds (original and my own mixes), even cd cleaners and nothing. It doesn't report an error, it doesn't spit them out again, and I can't hear the drive spinning the cd.
Is there anything I can do? I have a 700 Mhz eMac, 384 Mb memory, OS X 10.4.8

Thanks in advance


Dan

 

[Eidorian]

Probably easier just to open it and install a Super Drive yourself.

My local Mac shop will do a drive installation in an eMac for $60 + hardware. $90-100 and a new Super Drive isn't to bad of a deal. You could get an external too.

Or you can start saving for a new Mac...

 

[mkrishnan]

Wait, this is an overly stupid question, but are you sure you didn't just disable having discs show up on the desktop and/or sidebar? Finder -> Preferences -> General (check CDs, DVDs, and iPods) and Sidebar (check Removable Media). Just to make sure.

By default if you are succesfully writing a disc, you are also verifying it (because most / all of the Apple software -- iTunes, etc, does this by default). If you are verifying it, you are reading it. If you are reading it during a burn, then you *can* read it, and the likelihood it's a disc defect is low. Which means that the likelihood that replacing the drive will fix the issue is also low.

 

[Eidorian]

Wait, this is an overly stupid question, but are you sure you didn't just disable having discs show up on the desktop and/or sidebar? Finder -> Preferences -> General (check CDs, DVDs, and iPods) and Sidebar (check Removable Media). Just to make sure.

By default if you are succesfully writing a disc, you are also verifying it (because most / all of the Apple software -- iTunes, etc, does this by default). If you are verifying it, you are reading it. If you are reading it during a burn, then you *can* read it, and the likelihood it's a disc defect is low. Which means that the likelihood that replacing the drive will fix the issue is also low.

Oh another possible problem!

 

[dllavaneras]

Thanks for the tips, but unfortunately, that's not the problem Every other removable media shows on the sidebar and the desktop (pen drives, CF cards from my camera, etc), and I can burn cds (with Toast and iTunes, haven't tried with the finder) but I just inserted a cd full of photos froma recent class trip and nothing happened.

I'll look into getting it fixed/replaced. I've thought of upgrading my mac, but haven't done so for two reasons:
1) There's a Canon 30D coming this christmas, and my savings are for that, lenses and accesories
2) I don't really need one! Sure, Photoshop CS could be faster (as everything else), but it's not my top priority right now. It serves me just fine for what I do (light PS work, music, surfing, folding, etc)

There's really nothing else I can do before having the cd drive fixed/replaced?

EDIT: Oh, and the cds that I burn can be read just fine on other machines, both Mac and PCs

 

[Xenesis]

Check that all the connectors are secure? Apart from that; not much.

 

[mkrishnan]

One more thing to try...Open disk utility and then put the disc in the drive... does it show up in Disk Utility? I still think that if you can burn discs without getting at least a warning message, then the likelihood of bad hardware is low.

 

[dllavaneras]

Just tried the Disk Utility thing; no luck
The connectors may be what's causing the problems, since I started noticing the issue about the same time I added some RAM. I may have moved the connectors, but that doesn't explain why I can't read but I can write