Hi all, I got a business card cd in a book from school today, and I went to go and put it into my iBook so I could see the content. However, it doesn't seem to be loading in the slot like a normal cd would. Also, it won't eject. I don't know how to get it out! Anyone know how I can do this without having to take it into a repair shop to have them do it in 30 seconds and charge me 80 bucks? Thanks for the help in advance!
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Getting a business card cd out of my iBook?
- Thread starter isthisonetaken
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Never put non-standard CDs/DVDs into a slot-loading drive.
OK... try turning off your Mac and shaking it gently and see if gravity will help you out since it's unlikely it's properly loaded.
If that doesn't work, then try tweezers but that's more likely to cause damage.
OK... try turning off your Mac and shaking it gently and see if gravity will help you out since it's unlikely it's properly loaded.
If that doesn't work, then try tweezers but that's more likely to cause damage.
yeah...
Yeah...sorry you didn't get the warning about NEVER putting smaller than standard sized CD/DVDs in a slot-loading drive...
In all honesty, the only way I've seen it done is by an Apple technician of some sort. They usually have to take apart the computer and the drive.
Yeah...sorry you didn't get the warning about NEVER putting smaller than standard sized CD/DVDs in a slot-loading drive...
In all honesty, the only way I've seen it done is by an Apple technician of some sort. They usually have to take apart the computer and the drive.
well its not easy to get them out yourself without any damage.
tilting it while off may help. small thin ruler may help move it too, tweezers may be to abrasive though.
honestly i don't know what i would try first, but thin and plastic is a good start if you attempt to get it out, which if you don't want to risk it, take it in.
by no means is anything i said recommended for anyone unsure of damaging their computer, you might, you might not, its up to you.
tilting it while off may help. small thin ruler may help move it too, tweezers may be to abrasive though.
honestly i don't know what i would try first, but thin and plastic is a good start if you attempt to get it out, which if you don't want to risk it, take it in.
by no means is anything i said recommended for anyone unsure of damaging their computer, you might, you might not, its up to you.
Did it the drive try to spin up when you stuck the disc in? If so, there's a very good chance your drive is totaled.
In which case, the "simple" solution is to buy a new drive and take the old one (CD and all) out.
In which case, the "simple" solution is to buy a new drive and take the old one (CD and all) out.
you could go to a medical supply store of some sort and get really thin plastic tweezers...perfect for pulling it out. Ive seen them before, @ the state fair theres a lady that sells them.
Of course, you should read manuals, but most info from the book you know already or can easily understand (esp. if you already owned a mac before), and the legal background has made these books amazingly loaded with "do not" and "don't".
Excerpts:
- from my toaster, "do not use in water when plugged";
- from my baby stroller, labels of "do not use prior to reading the manual" EVERYWHERE, which includes the handles, the accessories, a piece of string (?), the seat...
More often, I consult the manual (or the website) when something goes wrong, i.e. too late...
Excerpts:
- from my toaster, "do not use in water when plugged";
- from my baby stroller, labels of "do not use prior to reading the manual" EVERYWHERE, which includes the handles, the accessories, a piece of string (?), the seat...
More often, I consult the manual (or the website) when something goes wrong, i.e. too late...
I think this is a major omission on the part of Apple. If course if you were systems-savvy you would know not to put business card CD's in the slot loading drive, but they are pretty popular and Apple's excuses, whatever they might be doesn't really hold water. As a computer with an optical drive it should be tested to accept WIDELY AVAILBLE discs. You can argue it on that basis when you go into an Apple Store to have it looked at. Heck, even we have reference CD's which fit in a wallet.
Lighten up. Obviously the OP isn't particularly savvy based purely on his predicament. It's nothing but pithy pomposity to think that everyone should have intrinsically known better than to try to put a pretty popular style of CD in his new Mac.
Should he have known better? Maybe he should have been more careful. Should he have read the manual? Probably--that's why it's there. But the MacRumors community has always been open and helpful to folks with all levels of computer knowledge. The guy feels bad enough with a broken drive on his new computer without people posting with no redeeming helpfulness whatsoever--there is no need for that. It's not like he's planning on making this mistake twice.
If you can't help the guy at least be decent enough not to berate him.
Should he have known better? Maybe he should have been more careful. Should he have read the manual? Probably--that's why it's there. But the MacRumors community has always been open and helpful to folks with all levels of computer knowledge. The guy feels bad enough with a broken drive on his new computer without people posting with no redeeming helpfulness whatsoever--there is no need for that. It's not like he's planning on making this mistake twice.
If you can't help the guy at least be decent enough not to berate him.
Sesshi said:
I see it a little hard for a vertical, slot-loading drive, to accept a business-card shaped CD, which is even harder to take care of than a 80mm-disc...
I guess a vertical, slot-loading drive for all standards would be thick because of the added mechanics.
All-in-all, I'd rather avoid non standard discs and keep my thin machine !
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58641
NB: Are there really that many non-standard discs out there nowadays?
apple2991 said:
Uh, ok, maybe the thread went a little off-road...
If I had done this, I'd try (as proposed above):
- gravity, by shaking lightly the machine on the side (although the dust cover mightblock);
- one thin plastic knife (like for picnics...), to try to get the cd closer;
- maybe two plastic knives, as tweezers, but I don't think it'll work - too thick, too slippery.
...15 years ago, I slid a 3"5 disk in a Mac IIfx in a company, in the second disk slot in the computer. However, there was no disk-unit behind the slot (it was a possible upgrade by then), and I felt the disk slide inside and fall flat on the motherboard
(Just think about the metallic cover of the disk, and the motherboard, and then you go ).I had to move away the 20kg-monitor and open the box to get the disk before frying something in there...
I guess I've done worse than that too !
Arnaud said:I see it a little hard for a vertical, slot-loading drive, to accept a business-card shaped CD, which is even harder to take care of than a 80mm-disc...
Ok, quoting myself there... The iBook drive is obviously not a "vertical" slot-loading drive - unless you're used to work in weird conditions.
Please forget the references to the "verticality" in my post, although the rest is still the same...
Sesshi said:
To my knowledge, there are no slot-loading drives on the market that can accept non-standard discs (other than a few that can deal with the round 80 mm discs, but even that is sometimes sketchy). Nintendo's Wii will have a proprietary slot-loading drive that can accept both Wii and GameCube discs, but it's not even clear how they're going to do it reliably.
I fail to see how this Apple's fault in any way. Yes, it sucks that it happened and I feel bad for the guy, but it's not Apple's fault. They have a warning in the manual:
Apple said:
What more are they supposed to do? Have an Apple rep follow you around to make sure you don't screw up? Maybe like those "dorky guardian angel" ads for Capital One...
Yes yes, I'm sure you can rationalise it that way but does that information automatically transfer by some sort of osmosis into the head of every Switcher, many of whom may never had experience with a slot-loading drive before?
In the light of no clear warnings you could at least have a plastic covering on the ~Books when you buy them like the iPods with some choice advice on it.
After all if Apple have time and the fatuousness to print "Don't Steal Music" on the relatively low cost iPod, I'm sure they can also make time to print up a similar thing with a far more important "Don't put anything other than regular CD's in here as it'll **** up your ~Book." on it.
Even I've never read the Mac manuals.
In the light of no clear warnings you could at least have a plastic covering on the ~Books when you buy them like the iPods with some choice advice on it.
After all if Apple have time and the fatuousness to print "Don't Steal Music" on the relatively low cost iPod, I'm sure they can also make time to print up a similar thing with a far more important "Don't put anything other than regular CD's in here as it'll **** up your ~Book." on it.
Even I've never read the Mac manuals.
I think those business card disks and whatever company makes them should be abolished. They don't even work in half of the slot loading drives. The CD format is a standard format for a reason. Any company that makes square disks or heart shaped disks or any other weird shape disk is asking for a lawsuit from someone. The business card disks (NOT the computer) should be clearly labeled with "May destroy your CD drive" on it in big bold letters. There, that's my rant for the day. Seriously though, I cringe ever time I have to put one of those things in my G5 at work. I feel for you isthisonetaken.
In my experience tweezers, preferably plastic tend to be the best solution for getting stuck CDs out of a drive. Otherwise I'd say an Apple store is your best bet.
In my experience tweezers, preferably plastic tend to be the best solution for getting stuck CDs out of a drive. Otherwise I'd say an Apple store is your best bet.
to me the bus card shape cds are more of a gimic than anything really useful.
now the 80mm cds are fine and I wish some one would make slot loaders than can handle them. 80mm are nice because I can put them in an evelop to mail and mail. Dont use them much but they do have there useage (plus I have a spindle of 50 that I got 5 years ago have only used 15 of them for different thing but have always found they are useful when a cd just is not pratical for it). Also I am not a huge fan of the slot loaders over the tries. To much of a chance something can go wrong with them. They have there useage and for those things they are great. But try loaders are by far more relaible and most stuff works on them
The OP made an honest mistake and he know it was a bone head one made in a momoment of not thinking about it. No point to beat him up over it. He doing a good enough job him self.
Another suggest that could be tried is use some compress air and see if you can dislog it from where it is stuck and then you can pull it out from there.
now the 80mm cds are fine and I wish some one would make slot loaders than can handle them. 80mm are nice because I can put them in an evelop to mail and mail. Dont use them much but they do have there useage (plus I have a spindle of 50 that I got 5 years ago have only used 15 of them for different thing but have always found they are useful when a cd just is not pratical for it). Also I am not a huge fan of the slot loaders over the tries. To much of a chance something can go wrong with them. They have there useage and for those things they are great. But try loaders are by far more relaible and most stuff works on them
The OP made an honest mistake and he know it was a bone head one made in a momoment of not thinking about it. No point to beat him up over it. He doing a good enough job him self.
Another suggest that could be tried is use some compress air and see if you can dislog it from where it is stuck and then you can pull it out from there.
Try a large Post-It note.
Do at your own risk.
More radicle, take an index card, insert on the bottom of the drive, you will hear a click. Then take a piece of single sided extractor/film tape (the tape used to extract the leader from 35mm film canisters, and slide in from the right, not on top of the card, and move back and to the left until you "grab" the disk. Get a piece of extractor tape from most 1hr photo labs. Just ask for 7 for a bit. Should give it to you.
That's my 2 cents.
Do at your own risk.
More radicle, take an index card, insert on the bottom of the drive, you will hear a click. Then take a piece of single sided extractor/film tape (the tape used to extract the leader from 35mm film canisters, and slide in from the right, not on top of the card, and move back and to the left until you "grab" the disk. Get a piece of extractor tape from most 1hr photo labs. Just ask for 7 for a bit. Should give it to you.
That's my 2 cents.