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Mac mini won't eject cd! Please help!

S

starla76

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 22, 2005
13
0
I have a regular CD in the disc drive that won't eject. There isn't even an icon recognizing the disc. I've tried everything that Apple suggests, including holding down Command- Option-O-F and typing eject cd and holding down the mouse at start-up. I'm guessing there's no emergency eject button on a mini?
What else can i do? Thanks very much.
 
starla76 said:
I have a regular CD in the disc drive that won't eject. There isn't even an icon recognizing the disc. I've tried everything that Apple suggests, including holding down Command- Option-O-F and typing eject cd and holding down the mouse at start-up. I'm guessing there's no emergency eject button on a mini?
What else can i do? Thanks very much.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear of this. Not good.

Give this a shot and good luck!
 
As the linked article suggests I'd try Holding Down the (left) mouse button at startup, that usually works for me.
 
Eraserhead said:
As the linked article suggests I'd try Holding Down the (left) mouse button at startup, that usually works for me.
Click to expand...
He tried that already. I guess you should keep trying the standard methods a few more times. Otherwise take your Mac to a specialist. Good luck!
 
Remove a CD mechanically

Nothing digital worked with my PPC Mac mini and an audio CD that OS X would not even recognize as there, much less eject.

Since the top was off anyway to replace the hard drive, I decided to take the top off the combo CD/DVD drive. Nothing could have been simpler. I just removed four tiny Phillips screws on the sheet-metal top and two slightly larger ones on the side next to the RAM. The cover then slipped off and the CD was easily removed. Since the drive doesn't have a mechanical eject, I suspect this is the fix for a stuck CD/DVD that Matsushita engineers built into their design.

Mike Perry, author of Untangling Tolkien
 
Unix command line?

Try Terminal located under Applications->Utilities->Terminal
Then from the command line try

drutils status

This should show you the disk information.
Then try

drutils eject

If this does not work then reboot and retry.

:(
 
my solution to the problem..it gets the CD out...

This may not be the most tech savvy way to do it, but this is how I've solved the problem of a CD that won't eject on my mac mini. Mind you I have multiple macs at home so that's why I have the option.... here goes: set up the mac with the stuck cd to start up in firewire target mode, when the cd appears on the desktop of your "helper" mac simply eject the cd from that mac's desktop..it should spit it right out. Hope that helps.
 
thank you, yoyodl!

tried all sorts of things, but your suggestion worked! i love the internets!
 
Soodi.. I know you got the CD out, but another way to eject a stubborn disc is by holding down the space bar while the computer is starting up. This is just for anyone else that is having troubles.
 
yoyodl said:
This may not be the most tech savvy way to do it, but this is how I've solved the problem of a CD that won't eject on my mac mini. Mind you I have multiple macs at home so that's why I have the option.... here goes: set up the mac with the stuck cd to start up in firewire target mode, when the cd appears on the desktop of your "helper" mac simply eject the cd from that mac's desktop..it should spit it right out. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

I too just had the same problem with my mini and this was the ONLY thing to work. Thank you sooo much!! You saved me a trip to the Apple Store and lots of frustration!! :D
 
For future ref if everything fails pop the top off the mini and locate the manual eject hole located at the bottom right side of the cd slot. The mini must be powered on though.
 
Here is a solution for a stuck disc in the CD drive of a Mac Mini when all other posted procedures seem to fail and before you grab a screwdriver, butternife or spatula ...

(This applies to Mac Mini OS X 10.6.2, 2.26 GHz Intel Core Duo)

1. Shut down the Mac Mini
2. Connect a corded USB keyboard to the Mini
3. On the keyboard, press and hold the D key, then press the button to start the Mini (keep pressing the D key until hell freezes over)
4. Eventually, a window appears that says Apple Hardware Test Version 3A150 (you might be asked to select English as your language of choice before you see the test version)
5. Click on the Test button to start the hardware test (the option for the lengthier test is not necessary)
6. Once the test is over, the results will likely say that everything is okay. Choose the option to SHUT DOWN the Mini.
7. Suddenly, the CD will be ejected from the Mini.

This worked for me when all other methods failed. I must give thanks to Kris for helping me find this solution.

Chronos
 
Have you tried doing a hard shutdown (hold the power buton tll the machine turns off) and then turning it on, while holding the Option key? I've done this with my iMac and if I can get it to the bootcamp menu I can mash the eject key on my keyboard and it works.
 
Oh dear!

I just recently got my Mac Mini. A friend of mine sent me one because he was upgrading. Put in a CD to install an external modem, I should have known something wasn't going right when that little CD-ROM grabbed it out of my hand and swallowed it! Well, I got the modem all installed and now the CD won't come out. Here is the deal: I am on the XP partition for starters. I have a PC keyboard and I understand some commands do not work with PC keyboards or mice. So, I am counting on it coming out when I shut down. I anticipate it won't given the questions in this thread! So, in advance: HELP!!!

Thanks

Jann
 
JannE said:
I just recently got my Mac Mini. A friend of mine sent me one because he was upgrading. Put in a CD to install an external modem, I should have known something wasn't going right when that little CD-ROM grabbed it out of my hand and swallowed it! Well, I got the modem all installed and now the CD won't come out. Here is the deal: I am on the XP partition for starters. I have a PC keyboard and I understand some commands do not work with PC keyboards or mice. So, I am counting on it coming out when I shut down. I anticipate it won't given the questions in this thread! So, in advance: HELP!!!

Thanks

Jann
Click to expand...

Why not right click it and then select "eject"?

If you have the bootcamp driver installed, pressing the eject key on the keyboard will spit it out too :)
 
Thank you, Nullx86, if you're still reading this thread.

nullx86 said:
Have you tried doing a hard shutdown (hold the power buton tll the machine turns off) and then turning it on, while holding the Option key? I've done this with my iMac and if I can get it to the bootcamp menu I can mash the eject key on my keyboard and it works.
Click to expand...

I tried everything else, short of getting out the butterknife, screwdriver, etc., and this was the thing that worked. I was trying to Backup to a CD, but my iMac didn't' even recognize the CD, I could hear it spinning, but not even an icon showed on the desktop. Using your method worked perfectly. THANKS!
 
Eject CD stuck in iMac

I spent hours trying all the different suggestions. The following worked for me.
Turn off your computer. Press down the mouse button and hold while the computer is OFF. Then turn ON the computer while still holding down the mouse and wait for your CD to eject. The important thing is to hold down the mouse button while the computer is OFF and keep it down while you turn ON your computer and till the CD ejects.
 
None of that helped me.

My mac mini was trying to eject and was not successful. I found this winning suggestion at... drum roll please... The Apple website! :p

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/151298?start=0&tstart=0

Since it's making 'eject' type of noises but then nothing happens, it sounds to me like the disk is not clearing the inside of the casing properly - ie, that it's being ejected against the inside of the case rather than into the slot.

Try using a thin piece of card, gently inserted a small distance into the slot to help guide the disc out. If that doesn't work, it may need an Apple authorized person to take the casing off and retrieve the disk. He/she would at that point also need to check that the drive and the casing are properly aligned. A call to Apple should get you sorted with a local service center if there is no Apple store available.

*Note it says to use a thin card. The thin card was giving way to the pressure of the disk, so I used the cardboard backing from a package and turned my mac mini upside-down. Finally the *&#@ing disc came out. Oh, and that "command, option, O, F" suggestion. I tried pushing those keys together at every new thing I saw as I started up my computer. I never saw what I was supposed to, just the same log-on screen. :mad:
 
I had to take apart the Mini and the DVD drive

Follow this guide... it has may steps but it will save you a trip to repair shop.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+mini+Model+A1347+Optical+Drive+Replacement/3167
and then this:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Optical+Drive+Disc+Removal+Technique,+or+Foreign+Object+Removal/772

None of the tricks worked and since I've already replaced my hdd, I took the plunge again and dismantle the top cover of the DVD drive (4 screws) and now I have my DVD drive back :).

The faulty disk is in the bin now... I hate it :)
 
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I've had TVs that wouldn't eject stuck dvd movies. I ended up sticking another DVD disc into the slot just enough to shift the stuck disc. Then pressed eject and the TV spit out the stuck dvd. So essentially like the card method. But with another DVD disc.

Stuck in TV is a bit more daunting. Cause who wants to disassemble a big screen tv just to hopefully get to the DVD mechanism. I'd rather open a computer. Less chance of killing it.
 
flyinmac said:
I've had TVs that wouldn't eject stuck dvd movies. I ended up sticking another DVD disc into the slot just enough to shift the stuck disc. Then pressed eject and the TV spit out the stuck dvd. So essentially like the card method. But with another DVD disc.

Stuck in TV is a bit more daunting. Cause who wants to disassemble a big screen tv just to hopefully get to the DVD mechanism. I'd rather open a computer. Less chance of killing it.
Click to expand...

They make TVs with built in DVD players?
 
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