MBP's most common Unfixable problem

[Codeseven]

Is it true that my MacBook Pro's HD not recognizing DVD's is the most common and unfixable problem with Apples laptops? My otherwise bulletproof late 2008 Core2 Duo has this problem. An internet search shows this to be a very, very common problem with many homemade 'solutions' all of which I have tried without success. Was there ever an official Apple fix to this like a Firmware update or something? Or, is the only real solution having to replace the drive or buying an external drive?

In case your one of the few MBP owners that haven't heard of this problem. Many MBP's HD's have no problem with CD's but eventually when a DVD is inserted the HD will spin up several times until finally it it will say it can't recognize the disc and either eject it or continue to endlessly just spin up and down.

 

[gmikesell]

Is it true that my MacBook Pro's HD not recognizing DVD's is the most common and unfixable problem with Apples laptops? My otherwise bulletproof late 2008 Core2 Duo has this problem. An internet search shows this to be a very, very common problem with many homemade 'solutions' all of which I have tried without success. Was there ever an official Apple fix to this like a Firmware update or something? Or, is the only real solution having to replace the drive or buying an external drive?

In case your one of the few MBP owners that haven't heard of this problem. Many MBP's HD's have no problem with CD's but eventually when a DVD is inserted the HD will spin up several times until finally it it will say it can't recognize the disc and either eject it or continue to endlessly just spin up and down.

I don't remember the last time I tried to read or write DVD. I've only used CDs, that I can recall, over the last 5 or so years. Nowadays, I only write to CD when I want to burn a disk of mp3s but even that's become obsolete with the more portable phones and thumb drives.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Wut's a DVD?

 

[A7ibaba]

For 15 $ you can buy USB stick 16 GB.What's the use of CD or DVD !? Not to mention external USB HDD's 750GB.

 

[Laco]

Is it true that my MacBook Pro's HD not recognizing DVD's is the most common and unfixable problem with Apples laptops? My otherwise bulletproof late 2008 Core2 Duo has this problem. An internet search shows this to be a very, very common problem with many homemade 'solutions' all of which I have tried without success. Was there ever an official Apple fix to this like a Firmware update or something? Or, is the only real solution having to replace the drive or buying an external drive?

In case your one of the few MBP owners that haven't heard of this problem. Many MBP's HD's have no problem with CD's but eventually when a DVD is inserted the HD will spin up several times until finally it it will say it can't recognize the disc and either eject it or continue to endlessly just spin up and down.

I have experienced some errors reading DVDs on my Macbook Pro but that could be related to problems with the discs, such as scratches. Overall I think the DVD/CD combo drive in the Macbook Pros works just as well as any other.

I would also like to add that it is really annoying when people on this message board write smart aleck responses to genuine questions. The person who started this thread has a question that he or she would like an answer to and I do not use DVDs/CDs or DVDs/CDs are outdated technology do not answer that question.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

Is it true that my MacBook Pro's HD not recognizing DVD's is the most common and unfixable problem with Apples laptops? My otherwise bulletproof late 2008 Core2 Duo has this problem. An internet search shows this to be a very, very common problem with many homemade 'solutions' all of which I have tried without success. Was there ever an official Apple fix to this like a Firmware update or something? Or, is the only real solution having to replace the drive or buying an external drive?

In case your one of the few MBP owners that haven't heard of this problem. Many MBP's HD's have no problem with CD's but eventually when a DVD is inserted the HD will spin up several times until finally it it will say it can't recognize the disc and either eject it or continue to endlessly just spin up and down.

It has been a while since I burned a dvd on my macs but I remember having once or twice trouble. It was related with the type of dvd's (+R or -R). I don't remember what type worked but look at the type you use and try the other.

But when you say recognize the inserted dvd, I'm assuming a blank one right?

 

[Elbert C]

Is it true that my MacBook Pro's HD not recognizing DVD's is the most common and unfixable problem with Apples laptops? My otherwise bulletproof late 2008 Core2 Duo has this problem. An internet search shows this to be a very, very common problem with many homemade 'solutions' all of which I have tried without success. Was there ever an official Apple fix to this like a Firmware update or something? Or, is the only real solution having to replace the drive or buying an external drive?

In case your one of the few MBP owners that haven't heard of this problem. Many MBP's HD's have no problem with CD's but eventually when a DVD is inserted the HD will spin up several times until finally it it will say it can't recognize the disc and either eject it or continue to endlessly just spin up and down.

My early 2008 MBPs SD slowly headed south until it wouldn't read or write to DVDs and it would only read CDs. The replacement SD from Apple didn't fix the problem either. The new SD can only read DVDs and CDs, cannot write to either media.

If you have tried everything and nothing works, then the only solution is to replace the SD or use an external.

 

[Jesla]

...I would also like to add that it is really annoying when people on this message board write smart aleck responses to genuine questions. The person who started this thread has a question that he or she would like an answer to and I do not use DVDs/CDs or DVDs/CDs are outdated technology do not answer that question.

1 up vote for this....

 

[ColdCase]

Is it true that my MacBook Pro's HD not recognizing DVD's is the most common and unfixable problem with Apples laptops? My otherwise bulletproof late 2008 Core2 Duo has this problem. An internet search shows this to be a very, very common problem with many homemade 'solutions' all of which I have tried without success. Was there ever an official Apple fix to this like a Firmware update or something? Or, is the only real solution having to replace the drive or buying an external drive?

In case your one of the few MBP owners that haven't heard of this problem. Many MBP's HD's have no problem with CD's but eventually when a DVD is inserted the HD will spin up several times until finally it it will say it can't recognize the disc and either eject it or continue to endlessly just spin up and down.

I'm working from memory here, and dunno how reliable my memory is, but I believe its a laser or mechanical issue. Over the years many have picked up a $40 USB DVD drive to use.

 

[gmikesell]

I would also like to add that it is really annoying when people on this message board write smart aleck responses to genuine questions. The person who started this thread has a question that he or she would like an answer to and I do not use DVDs/CDs or DVDs/CDs are outdated technology do not answer that question.

Seriously??? "Smart aleck"??? I simply posted a simple response to a post. Geeze people! This was a post about an issue and I responded without malice or ill intent but simply my perspective, understanding that others with more information would post as well. What is up with the high level of over-sensitivity on these threads these days? Between people clinically OCD about their MacBooks and people on these threads misinterpreting message intent to benign responses, I really have no real solution to this beyond having a coke and a smile and, well, you know the rest. To the OP, if I unwittingly offended ya by my post, please accept my apologies. Again, that was not my intent, however unhelpful it may have been. (...and thank you for posting this issue. Things like this is what makes these forums interesting and give me something to do on lazy Saturday afternoons, like posting benign responses and seeing how many people I can offend, apparently. lol)

 

[Codeseven]

I would also like to add that it is really annoying when people on this message board write smart aleck responses to genuine questions. The person who started this thread has a question that he or she would like an answer to and I do not use DVDs/CDs or DVDs/CDs are outdated technology do not answer that question.

Thanks you Laco.

I have to agree that the use of CD/DVD's is quickly becoming a thing of the past. The lack of built in CD/DVD drives in newer laptops such as my wife's MacBook Air reflects that.

The DVD's I'm attempting to load are software discs that are like new but a couple years old. Two years ago I could load them without a problem but slowly over the past year my HD has increasingly been having problems with them to the point they will no longer load at all. As common a problem this has been I was hoping by now there was a simple fix. External drives are cheap but I've got a built in one right in front of me thats worked flawlessly with exception to this one problem.

Thanks for the replies. It looks like picking up a cheap external optical drive will have to be the solution, no problem.

 

[adjeff8]

For 15 $ you can buy USB stick 16 GB.What's the use of CD or DVD !? Not to mention external USB HDD's 750GB.

I'll tell you the "Use" of a DVD. I am a DGA member and every year the Academy sends me DVD's for every movie up for Oscar consideration. Yes, I would LOVE it if they'd send me a bunch of Flash drives with the movies on them, but they don't. This past year of the 30 movies they sent me on DVD 7 of them my drive on my 15' MBP couldn't read them, just like the OP. So there you have it. Optical drives may be on their way out, but a good portion of the world hasn't been told yet. When's the last time you went to a Red Box or movie rental place and got your movie on a flash drive? When's the last time Netflix sent you a movie on a flashdrive?

 

[Lolito]

optical media are like floppy discs; someone should kill them all, the sooner the better.

 

[A7ibaba]

I'll tell you the "Use" of a DVD. I am a DGA member and every year the Academy sends me DVD's for every movie up for Oscar consideration. Yes, I would LOVE it if they'd send me a bunch of Flash drives with the movies on them, but they don't. This past year of the 30 movies they sent me on DVD 7 of them my drive on my 15' MBP couldn't read them, just like the OP. So there you have it. Optical drives may be on their way out, but a good portion of the world hasn't been told yet. When's the last time you went to a Red Box or movie rental place and got your movie on a flash drive? When's the last time Netflix sent you a movie on a flashdrive?

TBH,i rent movie over the internet or maxtv.

 

[thekb]

I don't remember the last time I tried to read or write DVD. I've only used CDs, that I can recall, over the last 5 or so years. Nowadays, I only write to CD when I want to burn a disk of mp3s but even that's become obsolete with the more portable phones and thumb drives.

I'm going to have to echo Laco here. I don't understand the point of your post, gmikesell.

You don't have the problem, therefore, you don't believe or understand why OP would have a problem?

 

[PinoyAko]

Wut's a DVD?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD

 

[gmikesell]

I'm going to have to echo Laco here. I don't understand the point of your post, gmikesell.

You don't have the problem, therefore, you don't believe or understand why OP would have a problem?

Not really sure if I even had a point, TBH. Yeah, since I didn't have a specific solution to the OP's post, I 'spose I could have refrained from posting my perspective. Again, it wasn't like I was irritated or anything and certainly didn't have any ill intent. Never the less, live and learn. I'm really taken aback at all the haterade everybody is drinking on these forums. As for me, I already drank my coke and smiled. Now I'll just, well, you know the rest.

Oh, and for the question regarding if I didn't have the problem, therefore, I didn't believe or understand why the OP would have a problem, that's ridiculous. There are always going to be use cases for a DVD/CD drive, I totally understand that. I had no intention of minimizing what is a valid issue. For the record, I believe that even though I may not have a optical drive priority currently, it's ridiculous that these new machines can't seem to function properly to the same level of a Windows machine.

 

[Codeseven]

No offense taken, I appreciate the replies. I'll be looking for a cheap external optical drive, not a problem. It's an 'old' laptop in computer years so for the optical drive to be the first and only thing that has gone bad is actually, pretty good Thanks.

 

[gmikesell]

Thanks, Codeseven. In my last post where I mentioned that it is ridiculous that our MBP's don't function to the same level of a Windows pc, I would like to also say that that's not to say I don't enjoy my MBP. On the contrary, it's the best laptop I've ever used, as has been pointed out by others in many other threads. I, myself, would LOVE to have a blu-ray drive on board. That's not a new thing in Windows laptops but it almost feels like Apple has a hard time with it and so they are just copping out by saying "It's obsolete tech". Whether that statement is true or not is almost beside the point. I still would like to have the option to watch blu-ray disks. However, it is what it is. Even finding a third party solution for that seems to be an expensive and challenging experience. Never the less, I'll be jammin' on my MBP for many years to come.

Again, not much point here. Just an opinion. This was a fun exercise and makes me take a step back to think a little more about how my posts might be received, going forward.

 

[dastinger]

The DVD drive on my 2007 iMac stopped being able to write after some time of use. I guess the drives are doomed..

 

[Codeseven]

The DVD drive on my 2007 iMac stopped being able to write after some time of use. I guess the drives are doomed..

Still worth it to try some of the more simpler 'fixes' out there. Of the gazillion posts I've read about optical drive problems, many owners were able to fix problems on their own by doing things such as blowing it out with air, using a cleaning disc or wiping the optical eye clean with a credit card wrapped with lens cleaning cloth.

 

[G-Force]

How is this unfixable? The drive is broken and needs to be replaced. There's your fix...

 

[Codeseven]

How is this unfixable? The drive is broken and needs to be replaced. There's your fix...

Lol, true.

 

[dastinger]

Still worth it to try some of the more simpler 'fixes' out there. Of the gazillion posts I've read about optical drive problems, many owners were able to fix problems on their own by doing things such as blowing it out with air, using a cleaning disc or wiping the optical eye clean with a credit card wrapped with lens cleaning cloth.

I never got to even search for a solution because I don't know the last time I used a CD/DVD on a computer. If I missed it, I would've looked for a solution.

 

[duervo]

The people reporting to you that similar symptoms have been fixed by blowing air into the unit are most likely those that had some dirt covering the lens responsible for focusing the laser onto the DVD. (There are two lenses in a DVD drive. One is used when you have a DVD in the drive, while the other is used when you have a CD in it.)

It's possible that you could have some dirt on your DVD lense. Blowing air into it is worth a shot in that case. There are also some DVD drive cleaning products you can purchase that will probably do a better job than a can of air.

If it were the laser, then you would probably be having the problem with both DVD's as well as CD's. Problems with the laser are usually cheaper to address by just replacing the drive.