[HELP] Disk Drive Won't Work Properly!

[IL TRIVELLA]

Hi everyone,

Just got a problem which I'm not really sure how to describe, but I'll give it a try, bare with me:

My MacBook Pro never had any problem with my disk drive, to be honest I rarely use it but it never had any problem in inserting any disks or ejecting them, anyway tonight I had some nostalgia and decided to install again The Sims 3, I took the cd and inserted it without any problem, I installed it and once in the game I get a pop up window with two possible choices, to insert the cd and press retry to play or to quit, the thing is that the cd was inside, so when I got this problem I removed the disk to try cleaning it and putting it back in, but now the drive won't work properly, I mean I really need to push the disk almost all the way through before the drive actually takes it and the disk gets read without problems because it appears on desktop, it spins, I can open it's folder etc, I tried even with a dvd from a movie and no problems at all, just that for I don't know what reason, now I need to push the cd all the way through and when I press eject it comes out without problems, just I have no idea why when I'm in The Sims 3 it won't recognise that the disk is there even if to launch the game you need the disk otherwise it won't even start...

I searched on Google possible explanations or solutions, even on this Forum but I didn't really encounter anything like it, I found similar things and I've tried different options before posting here...

Anyone can help? and I hope you understood my message and what is happening to my Mac.

Thanks! 😔

[EDIT] I just called an Apple Store support centre and they told me that because it's an older model there si no more support on the disk drives...

 

[Fishrrman]

How old is the MacBook?
The CD/DVD drives do sometimes "go bad".

You could try a "CD drive cleaning kit" on it.

If that still won't fix it, it's not worth replacing.
If you need "CD/DVD connectivity", get a 3rd-party EXTERNAL USB CD/DVD drive and try using that.

 

[IL TRIVELLA]

How old is the MacBook?
The CD/DVD drives do sometimes "go bad".

You could try a "CD drive cleaning kit" on it.

If that still won't fix it, it's not worth replacing.
If you need "CD/DVD connectivity", get a 3rd-party EXTERNAL USB CD/DVD drive and try using that.

all the info of my Mac are on the picture below... you mean one of those disk drivers that you connect with an usb?

And what's a CD drive cleaning kit?

 

[MSastre]

I have a SuperDrive in my 2009 MBP that will read, but not write DVDs. I tried an external USB SuperDrive that works with my 2013 rMBP (no installed drive) and the 2009 MBP does not recognize ther external drive at all. I don't think the externals will work on the older Macs that had internal drives.

 

[IL TRIVELLA]

I have a SuperDrive in my 2009 MBP that will read, but not write DVDs. I tried an external USB SuperDrive that works with my 2013 rMBP (no installed drive) and the 2009 MBP does not recognize ther external drive at all. I don't think the externals will work on the older Macs that had internal drives.

well that's sucks then... what I should do then?

 

[Sanpete]

I've used a cheap external third-party superdrive with my 2011, whose internal superdrive gave out years ago. You can also get an internal drive to replace it, if the portability is a big enough issue to spend what I recall was some extra cash.

The cleaning kits attempt to remove dust that may be obscuring the reader lens. There's stuff online about do-it-yourself versions.

 

[IL TRIVELLA]

I've used a cheap external third-party superdrive with my 2011, whose internal superdrive gave out years ago. You can also get an internal drive to replace it, if the portability is a big enough issue to spend what I recall was some extra cash.

The cleaning kits attempt to remove dust that may be obscuring the reader lens. There's stuff online about do-it-yourself versions.

So you think that with an external disk drive it should work fine?

 

[Fishrrman]

A 3rd-party external USB DVD/CD drive should work fine.

BE AWARE:
Some of these drives cannot get enough "bus power" through a single USB port.
Sometimes they come with "Y-cables" for connecting to the computer.
The single end goes to the drive.
You connect BOTH plugs on the other end to TWO USB ports.
This provides enough power to run the drive.

Not all drives are like this, but some are.

 

[IL TRIVELLA]

A 3rd-party external USB DVD/CD drive should work fine.

BE AWARE:
Some of these drives cannot get enough "bus power" through a single USB port.
Sometimes they come with "Y-cables" for connecting to the computer.
The single end goes to the drive.
You connect BOTH plugs on the other end to TWO USB ports.
This provides enough power to run the drive.

Not all drives are like this, but some are.

wow that's a very important information there, thanks... and it's really interesting to know...