New iMac and scratching cd's/dvd's

[metaltorock]

So i just got a new mac not that long ago, about 3 weeks ago and i went with the base price iMac with no upgrades and it runs perfectly fine, i love my imac the only issue i'm having right now is whenever i put a cd or dvd and when i eject the cd/dvd i notice i get scratches, so im wondering where it could come from. i been hearing from some people that the aluminium around the superdrive is the cause of scratches, also id like to mention i got the superdrive changed on tuesday and got it back today free of charge because of my 3 years of applecare, anyways im still having the same issue where the superdrive is still scratching the cd's/dvd's.

my question to anybody out there, have you had this same issue or heard about it?

also id like to mention that i talked with a apple senior advisor for about an hour today and he told me he'd be setting me up with a new imac to pick up at the ottawa apple store because thats where i bought my current one. I'm just hoping it doesn't scratch cd's with the next imac *crosses fingers*

 

[Britanie]

Hey, I had the exact same problem.
I inserted a newly purchased DVD into my new iMac (the one that just came out). I got it about a week ago. It came out scratched. I thought it was the CD itself, so I inserted it again only to find more new scratches on the disc. I tested it with blank CDs and sadly, they all came out scratched.
I read on another forum that the mac's CD slot may not be cut evenly. So, I decided to do what others did and stuck a piece of tape the length of the CD slot on both sides, just enough to cover the sharp edges of the slot. After doing that, I inserted a new CD without any scratches about 10 times over. It came out scratchless. I know its really annoying to have to do something like this to such an expensive and new device.. but for now its the only solution. I am going to contact Apple but I think most of the computers will be built like this, seeing as so many people have the same issue.

 

[MacHamster68]

get one of those and get rid of the sharp edges , easy job on alloy as its soft, should take less then 5 minutes to do the job

 

[btbrossard]

Are the scratches circular going around the disk or straight across the disk?

If they are straight across the disk, it would point to the disk being scratched when it's being inserted or ejected by some sharp metal around the edge of the drive. This would require some minor work to the case of the computer to get the sharp edges taken care of. If you don't want to do that yourself, I'm sure the tech at the store could spend a few minutes on it. Don't let them replace the drive again because it's not the drive itself, just the slot the media goes in.

If they are circular scratches (like the disk was spinning when it was scratched), then most likely something in the superdrive itself was scratching the disks as they were being read. This would most likely require the drive being replaced.

 

[sebbivism]

I have this problem as well.

I'm from Sweden, I bought my 27" on Black Friday, notice that this is my first Mac ever so I was very happy.. when I suddenly noticed all my expensive Japan Import CD's got scratch when I used them in that new iMac.

I called Apple Store Support here in Sweden, they sended me a new computer + compensation for those scratched CD's... I got my new iMac, was happy finnaly to get a new computer without any defects... putted a CD into the driver and what happened?? SCRATCHES on this computer too!!

This is how my scratches look like:

I guess this is a fail in designing the chassi.. I wonder what the next step in this issue is.. :3 I don't want to change computer again.. The last way out of this is to switch back to PC again, I've heard that Windows 7 i very good. :O

 

[razorme]

So i just got a new mac not that long ago, about 3 weeks ago and i went with the base price iMac with no upgrades and it runs perfectly fine, i love my imac the only issue i'm having right now is whenever i put a cd or dvd and when i eject the cd/dvd i notice i get scratches, so im wondering where it could come from. i been hearing from some people that the aluminium around the superdrive is the cause of scratches, also id like to mention i got the superdrive changed on tuesday and got it back today free of charge because of my 3 years of applecare, anyways im still having the same issue where the superdrive is still scratching the cd's/dvd's.

my question to anybody out there, have you had this same issue or heard about it?
...

My 24" iMac does the same thing - it appears to eject straight, so it's probably from when one inserts the disc off-center. Very frustrating as the scratches tend to be deep!

 

[Kuski]

I sacrificed a blank CD to test this on my 27" iMac. When I slid the CD in at a slight angle (pushed a little towards the back of the computer) I got the same scratches that are in the picture above.

This was just my simple test, something else may be going on with your drives though.

 

[Sir Cecil]

Is there a link in the CD/DVD drive being used?
Is it the Optiarc in all these instances?

I noticed scratches on a couple of CDRs when using the Optiarc in my i7. Also a slight obstruction when inserting a disc in a perfectly straight manner, REQUIRING THE DISC TO BE SLANTED SLIGHTLY WHEN INSERTED, so pushing the leading edge of the disc slightly towards the nearside of the slot (which in turn pushes the outer side towards the metal of the iMac).

When my i7 was exchanged (for other reasons), I noticed that the new CD/DVD drive was different – an LG (HL-DT-ST GA11N). I also notice no obstruction like before and have yet to see a scratched disc (and I have burned at least 15).

Maybe that is coincidental, but that's my experience.

 

[Sir Cecil]

Duplicate post removed

 

[SaSaSushi]

I've got the Optiarc in my i7 and so far I have not managed to scratch any media. Like all Superdrives though, it is really slow. I wish Apple would use better drives. I use a Pioneer drive in an enclosure for all my burning, audio extraction, etc. The Superdrive is pretty much used just to play audio CDs and DVDs.

 

[Sir Cecil]

I've got the Optiarc in my i7 and so far I have not managed to scratch any media. Like all Superdrives though, it is really slow. I wish Apple would use better drives. I use a Pioneer drive in an enclosure for all my burning, audio extraction, etc. The Superdrive is pretty much used just to play audio CDs and DVDs.

I have a LaCie outboard drive which is consistently good. Received your message by the way, thanks

 

[plasticphyte]

get one of those and get rid of the sharp edges , easy job on alloy as its soft, should take less then 5 minutes to do the job
http://www.corel-srl.it/images/dremel_foto.jpg

Only problem with a Dremel is that even with a vacuum nozzle sucking away any metallic dust, you could still get some in the drive and or SD slot., I'd suggest very gently filing it down with a pull away motion and a vacuum cleaner (this will drastically reduce the amount of dust made), or something else - i.e. rough grit sandpaper then graduate to finer grit sandpaper.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I have a LaCie outboard drive which is consistently good. Received your message by the way, thanks

I initially bought this particular external drive because it has a FW400 interface in addition to USB2. But since I switched to the i7 I've been too lazy to buy a FW800>400 adapter so I switched to USB.

Now I'm thinking of replacing it with an external BluRay drive for storage/backup in OS X and watching movies in Windows 7 (Boot Camp).

An external optical drive is a good thing to have with an iMac.

Glad to hear you got my message.

Cheers.

 

[ACKRITE]

Are the scratches circular going around the disk or straight across the disk?

If they are straight across the disk, it would point to the disk being scratched when it's being inserted or ejected by some sharp metal around the edge of the drive. This would require some minor work to the case of the computer to get the sharp edges taken care of. If you don't want to do that yourself, I'm sure the tech at the store could spend a few minutes on it. Don't let them replace the drive again because it's not the drive itself, just the slot the media goes in.

If they are circular scratches (like the disk was spinning when it was scratched), then most likely something in the superdrive itself was scratching the disks as they were being read. This would most likely require the drive being replaced.

This is the exact same issue that has my first 27" i7 back to Apple for replacement (set to ship on 01.25). In my case, the scratches are circular in appearence, quite deep, and will appear on the disc in the same spot as the concurrent disc ripping error occurs (i.e., During ripping, if the disc errors out at say Track 3, the circular scratches are nearer the center hole, if it errors out on say Track 12, the scratches end up being towards the disc's edge.) I treat my media with great care, so I know it's not an issue with my media being damaged beforehand. Regardless, I'm pretty sure I could run down to Best Buy and purchase the cheapest laptop that's available with an optical drive and I wouldn't be having these problems...

In addition the the Super Drive scratching my discs, any ripping of music CDs is also accompanied by awful noises, very slow rip speeds (avg. of 4-5x), and consistent errors (iTunes tracks end up with crackles, pops, and static throughout) even with error correction turned on.

For what it's worth, I have an Optiarc super drive in the iMac I'll be getting replaced. I think it may have something to do with Apple trying to fit all these components into such a tight enclosure.

Anyone ever have luck with one of those Scratch Doctor disc repair systems?! Cause thanks to this, I'm going to need to do some work...

 

[HDH]

I'm getting scratches on my discs as well.

So here's an ignorant question, can I change the internal drive with another makes drive? And if yes, can I do it myself?

 

[Sir Cecil]

So here's an ignorant question, can I change the internal drive with another makes drive? And if yes, can I do it myself?

What drive do you have fitted presently?

 

[HDH]

What drive do you have fitted presently?

the superdrive that came with the iMac i5

 

[SaSaSushi]

If you have a new i5 iMac you should not be considering replacing the drive yourself under any circumstances. The machine has a one year warranty and it is Apple's obligation to provide you with an optical drive that does not harm the media you insert into it in any way. Send it back to Apple or take it into an Apple Store and let them replace it for you.

 

[oldfarmlars]

Scratched DVD's from new 27 in I MAC

I just got a new 27 in I Mac. Had Macs for years. This one scratches my DVD's.
I looked at the other posts and I inserted disk in very carefully and slow. I made sure I did not touch the aluminum side walls as I was pulling it out and it still scratched all 4 of my DVD's.
I will be taking it in to get it repaired, replaced or my money back.
Since I have seen past threads it looks like this has been going on for a while.

It seems some 27 I Macs do some don't. What is causing it? The service dept at my local Mac Superstore said they have never heard of that before (funny the web posts are crawling with complaints).

Any suggestions?

 

[nyguy4u]

do the research guys.. this isn't a flaw on the drive.

The scratches are due to the casing scratching the disks if the disks aren't slid in perfectly straight. A ton of users have put electrical tape around the opening of the drive, and the scratches are gone.

 

[ACKRITE]

do the research guys.. this isn't a flaw on the drive.

The scratches are due to the casing scratching the disks if the disks aren't slid in perfectly straight. A ton of users have put electrical tape around the opening of the drive, and the scratches are gone.

Nope. That may cause linear (straight) scratches, but that is certainly not the cause of curved, circular scratches. How could it be?! Unless people are spinning the discs as they take them out/put them in...

The circular scratches are being caused by something INSIDE the drives, as the disc is spinning. Hence the circular scratches!

 

[Xtremehkr]

No kidding, a couple of newbs having problems with their iMacs that no regular iMac owners ever seem to experience. Imagine that.

 

[NayiMac]

Ive just picked this up on mine!! Cant believe it! so i put a thin piece of clear tape on each side of the opening... It has done the trick and cant see no scratches!! It is annoying but ive done a "fix" for the time being!!

Do Apple replace the iMac with this sort of problem then???

 

[EddieEddie]

my imac also scratches my Cds/Dvds

I also have the scratched CD/DVD problem.
It is all about the narrowness of the slot in the new machines (which are fantastic otherwise).

The metal edges of the slot are so sharp that if the CD/DVD touches them on entering/taking out they get scratched. I took my computer back to the store where it was purchased (Streetwise in Melbourne) and they backed me on this.

However, there is no real solution. Streetwise was prepared to give me my money back, but I can't go back to my old imac.

I called Apple. They were happy for me to take my new computer in to have the backing and panels replaced. This is no solution either, as I cannot wait a week when I need my imac for work, and replacing the panels does not solve the problem, when the poor design of the new imac will not change (the new panel edges will also be sharp and do damage on contact with a CD/DVD surface).

I have found 2 solutions: using an external CD/DVD player, and this is superior to playing a disk on the computer, as it much quieter. Also, disks played in the computer absorb heat from the computer and do heat up.

Solution 2 was to place 3 layers of adhesive tape over the panel edges, that way they can't scratch the disk surfaces. So far this has worked.

If you look into the slot, on some machines the rubber/felt padding is on the edge of the slot. This would be ideal, as the edges are covered.

With the new imacs the rubber/felt padding is about 2 mm inside the slot – the slot edges are exposed and can do damage on contact.

This is a design fault, and should have been realised during the development stage. I have been using macs for 17 years and am very disappointed by this as I have discovered scratches on about 10 of my CDs, many bought overseas and which can't be bought here.

This problem is worldwide, thanks to this site.

 

[SaSaSushi]

This is a design fault, and should have been realised during the development stage. I have been using macs for 17 years and am very disappointed by this as I have discovered scratches on about 10 of my CDs, many bought overseas and which can't be bought here.

This problem is worldwide, thanks to this site.

Design fault? OK, then how come mine doesn't have this problem? I haven't managed to scratch a disc yet and I insert them without looking, by touch and feel basically. Yes, the edges of the case around the slot are sharp but my Superdrive manages to suck the discs in and spit them back out again without ever making contacting with those edges. You'd have to push the outer edge of the disc back as you inserted it to get it to make contact.