Late 2008 Unibody SuperDrive Help

[simmonsjeffreya]

I've had my MBP since about a week after release date of the Late 2008 MBP's. It's been working like a champ since then, until recently I've had this issue with the SuperDrive. It sucks the disc in, clicks, pops, etc, pops it out a little bit, sucks it back in, repeats sounds, and then ejects. This happens 100% of the time, no matter what disc I put in.

I've made a video and thrown it up on YouTube so that you could get an idea of what I mean, and the horrible sounds it's making. Hopefully someone can help me fix it without the words "bring it to Apple." That's going to be my last resort as it's a long drive and I'm nervous about bringing the laptop in due to sensitive data for work on the hard drive.

Link to YouTube video.

 

[iBookG4user]

Unfortunately I'd have to say that it looks like the drive is failing. What I'd suggest that you do is backup all of your data and do a fresh install of Mac OS X. Then call Apple and you can have them send you a box to ship the Mac to them, and they'll ship it back to you. Usually it only takes about a week from leaving your hands to getting it back.

 

[simmonsjeffreya]

Ok, well I'm trying to install Snow Leopard onto my MBP. The problem is, the only other system I have is a PC Laptop which was my previous system. I've loaded the Snow Leopard DVD into the PC, installed the media sharing thing, then put it in remote install mode. When I reboot my MBP holding the Alt/Option key, there is no option to install OS X. I even tried going back into System Preferences and setting the startup disc to the Network Boot option with no luck. So basically I'm stuck having no way to install Snow Leopard on this MBP, any tips?

My setup is just two laptops, installing to the MBP from a windows xp laptop, both connected to a linksys wrt54g via ethernet. i've also tried simply using a crossover cable from the PC laptop to the MBP with no luck so I'd appreciate some tips on what I'm doing wrong.

Edit: Is any port forwarding required?

 

[simmonsjeffreya]

Well, I brought it in to the Apple store today and they said it needed to be replaced. 3-5 days repair time though seemed way too long for me? I hear about people on here getting things back same day or the next day, any ideas why it would take that long for a simple drive replacement? The drive was in stock and the guy said they would reserve it for my repair. Have things changed with Apple and they are now taking longer?

 

[iBookG4user]

Well, I brought it in to the Apple store today and they said it needed to be replaced. 3-5 days repair time though seemed way too long for me? I hear about people on here getting things back same day or the next day, any ideas why it would take that long for a simple drive replacement? The drive was in stock and the guy said they would reserve it for my repair. Have things changed with Apple and they are now taking longer?

3-5 days is perfectly normal and the average estimate that they give. Some will have shorter repair times and some longer. I've had one repair that took 3 days from sending it to receiving it back, and one that took almost a month.

 

[Boesky]

3-5...

 

[RKpro]

I've had them swap the screen (the whole top) in one day. I had a dead pixel and a very squeaky hinge. I came in with MBP, showed them my problems. They ordered the parts, it took 3-4 days during which I had my computer, I brought it in to get it fixed at lunch time, and they called me at the end of the day for pickup. Fast service, but they had actually screwed up the repair job to the point I walked out with a brand new unit.

 

[simmonsjeffreya]

Yeah, I always hear about 1 day repairs being done. I'm just annoyed I guess that they had the part there, and I have to wait 3-5 days for something I could easily do myself in ~30 mins, if that. What I don't understand is why when I asked if I could keep the MBP for 2 or so days and have them call me to bring it in the day they are actually going to repair it, they said it was not an option. Has anyone ever heard of them doing something like that? This is my only system besides a PC from '98 with a K6-2 333MHz system with 64MB RAM which I have only very limited use of.