iMac g3 333mhz - Tray completely came out, how to pop back in?

[Lime795]

So I recently acquired this iMac G3. Works well, but the CD unit itself popped out during shipping when it arrived. Any way to place it back in? It's a fully working drive.

Photo attached to show the problem (I did remove the plastic speaker and power button assembly)

 

[Intell]

Just push it in. That's what they're supposed to do so that you can put the disc on.

 

[Lime795]

Just push it in. That's what they're supposed to do so that you can put the disc on.

Attempted that, but the whole tray still won't go in. Its so far out you can see the ribbon cable connecting it.

 

[Intell]

Does the image you posted show it as far out as it can go? Looking at the image, everything is normal.

 

[Lime795]

Does the image you posted show it as far out as it can go? Looking at the image, everything is normal.

Edited post to show true extent of "damage".

 

[Altemose]

Edited post to show true extent of "damage".

Welcome to the forums... I am thinking you are going to have to pull the whole drive out to work on this.

 

[Lime795]

Welcome to the forums... I am thinking you are going to have to pull the whole drive out to work on this.

Alright, I'm fine with that, but once I do that, how do you slide it in?

 

[weckart]

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+G3+Model+M4984+Optical+Drive+Replacement/1502

I suppose that once you get the drive unit out, you unscrew it to see what parts are broken, if any.

 

[Intell]

The drive rails are broken. You'll have to replace that drive. They're standard PATA/ATAPI tray loading drives. With some you will be able to use the iMac faceplate on them. Others, you'll have to use the not as pretty black/grey/golden/rainbow faceplate that comes with the drive.

 

[Altemose]

The drive rails are broken. You'll have to replace that drive. They're standard PATA/ATAPI tray loading drives. With some you will be able to use the iMac faceplate on them. Others, you'll have to use the not as pretty black/grey/golden/rainbow faceplate that comes with the drive.

Could it be possible to rebuild the drive with a donor drive to ensure compatibility with the iMac face plate?

 

[Intell]

Maybe, but at that point you'd have an identical drive to the one you're switching the rails from. Those rails aren't as standard as the faceplate.

 

[Lime795]

Okay, drive is out, so I can live without having a CD drive in it. But my question is: Can I boot a USB stick with a copy of Mac OS 9 on it? (9.2.1 specifically)

 

[Intell]

That iMac cannot boot from a USB drive, only an internal or NetBoot volume.

 

[Lime795]

Well, lucky me, I found a PATA drive, and have put it in the old ones place. Now I am trying to figure out how to put the whole board assembly back in without kinking anything.

 

[Altemose]

Well, lucky me, I found a PATA drive, and have put it in the old ones place. Now I am trying to figure out how to put the whole board assembly back in without kinking anything.

That's the fun part...

 

[Lime795]

So far, no dice. Anyone know of a guide on how to put it back in?

 

[Altemose]

So far, no dice. Anyone know of a guide on how to put it back in?

iFixit has a great guide.