Lame SuperDrive?

[Flynnstone]

Hello all.
I've been having problems with my PowerMac G5 Single 1.8 SuperDrive.
I've tried some of the "software" fixes. ie fixing permissions & zapping PRAM.

It seems to read CDs fine. Will not mount a DVD (data or movie).
My daughter burned a music CD and she seems to be having trouble with playing them on other CD players.
I had a little issue about a year ago where iDVD didn't burn a reliable disk. I'd have weird problems playing the disk in my Panasonic DVD player. I had iDVD create an image, then used Toast to burn the disk (DVD). This worked much better. I noticed that "burn pattern' on the disk was a bit different with the Toasted disk (vs iDVD).
Is my Superdrive going bad?
Software problem?

Any help/comments would be appreciated.

 

[gman71882]

What type of Discs are you using : DVD-R is what you need with that Older G5
some DVD+R wont work right.
The Same goes for DVD players... They will play certain types of discs but not others. See if you can find out what type of discs are officially supported by your Panasonic Player.

Ive found that i was able to burn some DVD+R's on a similar G5 but when i bought some cheaper DVD+R's from another manufacturer they didnt work.

I had to go back to DVD-R's, and now they all work reliably.

 

[Flynnstone]

I've always used DVD-R.
I can burn a DVD using iDVD. When I put the disk back in the computer, it spins up, does some seeking then spits the disk out.

 

[gman71882]

That sounds like what happened to my Superdrive before it failed. It would spin up and try to read it and the pop the disc back out.

 

[Flynnstone]

How did it fail?

 

[gman71882]

I have no idea why it failed.. the first one was prety old(almost 3 years). i used it alot.
The replacement one just went out as well after about 6 months.
probably just refurbished drive.

 

[yellow]

If you're out of warranty, there are very reasonable OEM versions of "SuperDrives" that will work just fine for a reasonable price.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/powermac/

($57.99 for a Pinoeer DVR-111D (+ crap))

 

[mmmcheese]

If you're out of warranty, there are very reasonable OEM versions of "SuperDrives" that will work just fine for a reasonable price.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/powermac/

($57.99 for a Pinoeer DVR-111D (+ crap))

Luckly for him, optical drives are a cheap fix....better than having a processor die.

Plus the replacement is likely an improvement over the original

 

[yellow]

better than having a processor die.

Or and LCD on a laptop!! That alone is enough to justify AppleCare everytime!

 

[HughJ]

If you're out of warranty, there are very reasonable OEM versions of "SuperDrives" that will work just fine for a reasonable price.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/powermac/

($57.99 for a Pinoeer DVR-111D (+ crap))

i have the 110D version in my G4 iMac, its a superb drive

 

[mmmcheese]

Or and LCD on a laptop!! That alone is enough to justify AppleCare everytime!

That and you can call Apple when you're lonely.

 

[gman71882]

I wish the Superdrives in the notebooks were that cheap.
HAHA. The notebook drives are about half the size & speed, shouldnt they be half the price.

 

[iPhil]

I wish the Superdrives in the notebooks were that cheap.
HAHA. The notebook drives are about half the size & speed, shouldnt they be half the price.

The smaller in size in the computer world it's more expensive until more companies of drives start doing the same only then the small drive prices will begin to fall to same level as 3.5" drives

 

[Oryan]

That sounds exactly like my superdrive before it died. I got the Pioneer 110D (16x DL superdrive) from Newegg.com for under $40 to replace it. It is an incredible drive and extremely quiet compared to my original 8x superdrive.

 

[Flynnstone]

Looking back to the original post,
Does anyone think I have a software problem, but hardware OK?
Or that I have a drive problem and it will die soon?
Is there any diagnostic tool that will say "drive is fine" or "go buy a drive now"?

 

[mmmcheese]

Looking back to the original post,
Does anyone think I have a software problem, but hardware OK?
Or that I have a drive problem and it will die soon?
Is there any diagnostic tool that will say "drive is fine" or "go buy a drive now"?

Yes, do an erase and install of Mac OS....if it starts working after that, it was software, if not, it's hardware.

You may find spending the $50 for a different drive might be a better investment though...most people don't like reinstalling their OS.

 

[Flynnstone]

...most people don't like reinstalling their OS.

That seems so ... Windows

 

[jbernie]

That seems so ... Windows

Given the cost of newer/faster drives these days, i smell the sweet aroma of an upgrade .

If multiple software programs are used to burn the disc and you get the same bad results every time it sounds more like the hardware. If one application burns perfectly every time and another doesn't then it would suggest software.

Given your descriptions, and others responses, a new drive seems to be the fix you are looking for. Of course you can always try swapping drives with a friend if you know someone who has a mac as well.

 

[mmmcheese]

That seems so ... Windows

Sure, but it's the only way you'd know for sure. I'd probably just go buy the drive and hope it's that....but you never know.

 

[Dahl]

Looking back to the original post,
Does anyone think I have a software problem, but hardware OK?
Or that I have a drive problem and it will die soon?
Is there any diagnostic tool that will say "drive is fine" or "go buy a drive now"?

I think it's an software problem.

Besides you are not alone, many have problems with their superdrives and mostly it has nothing to do with bad media. My Superdrive won't mount DVD's (commerical yes, but not my own burns) and I only use top brands.
There's longer thread on Apples site about the issue.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364920#2364920