Now here's something that won't happen with a PC

[7on]

Well I had to take it into the Mac shop in order to get it out. Basically they just used the holding the mouse button down while booting to get it out (must have done it differently than I, cause I did try that). My Windows PC burner must have really messed up cause when you look at the burn on the CD that got stuck in the machine you can actually see small rings where it seems the burner skipped or something.
As for the burning it was done in CDFS but I used XP's built in burner to burn it which may have had something to do with it.
I still dislike the fact that mu OS controls ejecting the CD's but I will learn to live with it.

Yeah, you have to hold down the mouse button until the disk ejects, it'll take a while but it'll happen.
I think XP has that built in thing automatically enabled where you can keep adding stuff to the disk. It works swell as long as you have the software that created these disks on the computer that's trying to read the disk. Win95 or 98 would probably still give you the same error. You can do the same thing on a Macintosh, but that requires Toast and Toast to be installed on machines where you try to read the disk.

But like we said holding down the mouse button did work.

 

[Timelessblur]

Yeah, you have to hold down the mouse button until the disk ejects, it'll take a while but it'll happen.
I think XP has that built in thing automatically enabled where you can keep adding stuff to the disk. It works swell as long as you have the software that created these disks on the computer that's trying to read the disk. Win95 or 98 would probably still give you the same error. You can do the same thing on a Macintosh, but that requires Toast and Toast to be installed on machines where you try to read the disk.

But like we said holding down the mouse button did work.

As I though it was not microsoft fault. Microsoft burner software is based on Roxio and Roxio made burner part of Microsoft XP for them. OSX just lacks that part of their OS unles XP. After toast is put on the computer it should work just fine. Correct me if I am wrong but dids Rixio make toast?

 

[iindigo]

As I though it was not microsoft fault. Microsoft burner software is based on Roxio and Roxio made burner part of Microsoft XP for them. OSX just lacks that part of their OS unles XP. After toast is put on the computer it should work just fine. Correct me if I am wrong but dids Rixio make toast?

I wish you would stop defending Microsoft so much, like your posts always do.

But anyway, Toast adds nothing to the OS. Toast is entirely self-contained, installing nothing extra.

And yes, Microsoft is at fault for this, it was their decision to have their burner in packet mode by default, even when they knew nearly --nobody-- else uses it.

 

[rainman::|:|]

For the record, as one person pointed out, slot-loading Macs (including, I believe but haven't tested, the mini) have a hidden button you can press with a paperclip... actually all of the drives have them, but you just can't *see* the hole like you can on a tray load... Anyway, it's on the right side of the drive, about 1/4" from the edge, just inside the slot, and if you can find the damn thing and press it, the CD should eject no matter WHAT (the OS won't like this if it's running and mounted). Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, if minis lack this feature.

 

[Timelessblur]

I wish you would stop defending Microsoft so much, like your posts always do.

But anyway, Toast adds nothing to the OS. Toast is entirely self-contained, installing nothing extra.

And yes, Microsoft is at fault for this, it was their decision to have their burner in packet mode by default, even when they knew nearly --nobody-- else uses it.

And I wish you woudl stop bashing MS at every chance you got with major wrong infomation that requires correction.

It is not default mode. It gives you 2 choices selecting neither one of them by default. It will offer you the 2nd one if you dont use a large enough chunk of the disk. How would like to burn the disk?

Choice 1
Burn disk at once and close (something around those lines meaning no more can be added)

Burn in the packet mode or was it multiburn mode (multple burn sesions therefor you wastes) either way I never use it since when I burn a data disk I am giving it to a friend and have no intention of using it for back up. Besides when I do back it up it is a permite back up and I tend to fill it up all the way.

either way you have to choose. Niether one is a defuat choice so it USER ERROR
You can blame apple for not having that ablitily to read those disk with out a problem. Linux does not have that problem only apple OS's.

 

[840quadra]

Besides the booting and eject issue, This is NOT unique to apple..

We have had Multiple Dell and White box (home brew) computers at home. If XP locks up on a CD, the system will prevent you from ejecting some cases. to the point were the eject button will not release it. the only way (in some cases) to get rid of the disk is to reboot and hit the button before windows starts. You can sometimes try the paperclip in the old hole trick, but you will just make your system that much more unstable.

Removeable storage (on any OS) is far from prefect.

 

[mwpeters8182]

OSX just lacks that part of their OS unles XP. ?

OS X does come with disc burning capabilities - Disc Burner. And unlike the built in burning in XP, it actually works. I've never had anything but problems using the built in burning in windows. I use Nero for all my burning. I also use toast on Mac.

 

[XNine]

Yes, on Windows its called PACKET burning, on every other platform its called Sessions burning.

There is session read/write software available (Toast and Dragon Burn are to name just two).

Why are you burning the emails to disc? Are they not contained on a server somewhere? Also, you may want to try putting them in a folder, and either Burning it, or Zipping and then burning it. Might work a little better. I've had problems transfering just a file or a folder between platforms....zipping or stuffing seems to help this problem along.

But, it could be another issue all together.

 

[Yvan256]

No, I'm fairly certain Mac OSX can read NTFS (but not write).

OS X can certainly read and not write NTFS. I learned that the hard way after putting my PC's HD into an external USB 2.0 case. Had to copy it all to my Mac mini's HD, reformat the external HD, put the stuff back on it.

I'm lucky my external HD was half-full and my Mac mini's HD was half-empty (both 80GB).

 

[Ninja Viper]

Why are you burning the emails to disc? Are they not contained on a server somewhere? Also, you may want to try putting them in a folder, and either Burning it, or Zipping and then burning it. Might work a little better. I've had problems transfering just a file or a folder between platforms....zipping or stuffing seems to help this problem along.

Well in my switch from PC to Mac I felt it best to keep some of the old emails so my wife doesn't completely freak out about this whole Mac thing (actually that failed and she has done nothing but complain about the Mac since day 1). I used a technique that was suggested somwhere on the web where you drag your emails from Outlook Express to the desktop into a folder. I then copied that folder onto my USB drive (since I was not about to try another CD) and basically drag everything back into Entourage (yes I pirated the MS Mac suite, come catch me you dirty screws), this worked nicely but I still had to rebuild my address book.

Just a note, I really like my Mac Mini, it makes me feel good that after being a PC tech for 5 years I still have the ability to learn something new. Also, everything in OSX just makes sence, if I can't figure out what I am doing right away, if I play enough I eventually will as things are logically placed. My only gripe is iTunes, can't figure that program out at all! Now using VLC.

I do have some more questions that maybe you guys can help with: I can definatley see the need for more RAM, how hard is it to crack this thing open? Can't figure it out just by looking at it.
Also, as a PC dealer I have access to a really nice Samsung 80GB 2.5" hard drive with an 8MB cache. I think it would be a wonderful upgrade, will it work?

 

[Ninja Viper]

Oh yeah, and program defaults, now that I am using VLC for all my media, I want to change it from Quicktime and iTunes, how?
Why does my Mini constantly make crunching sounds every 5 minutes?
Why when running programs like VLC and MS Messenger do they install onto my desktop so that when I clean it up and delete these icons (I do like a neat desktop) my programs need to be reinstalled?

 

[Muskie]

Oh yeah, and program defaults, now that I am using VLC for all my media, I want to change it from Quicktime and iTunes, how?
Why does my Mini constantly make crunching sounds every 5 minutes?
Why when running programs like VLC and MS Messenger do they install onto my desktop so that when I clean it up and delete these icons (I do like a neat desktop) my programs need to be reinstalled?

If you right click (control click) on one of your media files and click "Get Info" you will get a window allowing you to change several options. In the "Open With" section you can change the default application. Once you cahnge it to VLC or whatever, you can then click "Change All..." which will, if you say yes, change the default application of all of those filetypes to VLC.

I don't own a Mini, so I can't help you with the sound. Might be a harddrive thing, I dunno.

You can choose where you want your applications to install when you go through the installer. Some applications, like VLC I believe, do not run through an installer program, its just drag and drop from the .dmg file. In this case you just drag the application from the .dmg to your application forlder or wherever you want it. It will copy it from the .dmg so that when you open it, its not running off the .dmg (which if you unmount it without copying it to your desktop, will act like the application is no longer installed, because its in the unmounted .dmg)

And about opening up the Mini for more ram, its pretty easy, all you need is a putty knife. There are a few threads here explaining it, there are also lots of links, just google it.

I hope I helped. Good luck, and welcome to the forum and OS X

 

[bryanc]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Disk Utility

I've had a few disks get stuck in various macs (sometimes because of actual flaws in the media, other times because of incompatible formats) and have never found one that I couldn't eject by starting disk utility (/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility), selecting the optical drive and clicking on eject.

Cheers

 

[Toe]

I still dislike the fact that mu OS controls ejecting the CD's but I will learn to live with it.

OS control of the hardware is very much the Mac philosophy, and it permeates everything in your Mac.

In Windows, you can eject media without any regard for what the computer is doing. it could be in the middle of reading from a database on a CD, and whoops... the user pressed the button and... no more CD.

On the Mac, the computer won't dump the CD until it is done with it. It first asks all the running programs if they still need the CD, then it removes the CD from the system, informing all programs that it will no longer be available. Then it gives you the physical disc.

Annoying at first. Awesome after you get used to it. Macs did the same thing with floppies, back in the day.

Floppies on PCs still crack me up, because many of them put the floppy eject button near the power button. Don't know how many times I've seen someone turn off their computer when trying to eject a floppy. I imagine that situation has improved in recent years, but still... tee hee.

 

[Mav451]

Floppies on PCs still crack me up, because many of them put the floppy eject button near the power button. Don't know how many times I've seen someone turn off their computer when trying to eject a floppy. I imagine that situation has improved in recent years, but still... tee hee.

Lol, I didn't realize that was even possible.
However...after laughing, I truly feel sorry for anyone who lost their data this way.

 

[Toe]

Lol, I didn't realize that was even possible.
However...after laughing, I truly feel sorry for anyone who lost their data this way.

This caused me a lot of trouble back when I used Centris/Quadra 6xx Macs.

Apple had placed the power button right next to the floppy drive, and every single time a PC user put a floppy in my Centris, they would hit the power button to eject it. On those models (as with most PCs in that day), the power button immediately powered off the computer.

 

[MarkCollette]

Ok, so here's my question, which is related to the original poster's question:

If I insert a blank CD-R or DVD-R, and it pops up that thing asking what to do, either run a program or ignore it, and I select ignore, then how do I eject it later? There's no icon anywhere to eject, and there's no entry is /Volumes to run a command on... And I don't think that a procedure involving rebooting is a valid response. If I insert a disk, and want to eject it, I shouldn't have to quit all programs and interrupt everything running.

 

[IanC]

If I insert a blank CD-R or DVD-R, and it pops up that thing asking what to do, either run a program or ignore it, and I select ignore, then how do I eject it later?

Press the Eject key on your keyboard? (has its own key, or shares it with F12)

 

[MarkCollette]

Press the Eject key on your keyboard? (has its own key, or shares it with F12)

My iBook has the F12 Eject key thingy, but I'll have to go home and see if the keyboard on my iMac has the same thing. Thanks for the info!

 

[Toe]

On some Windows keyboards it can be F15 or perhaps F16. Usually it's whatever is farthest to the right, but not always.

 

[samkurdy]

I dont know about the Open firmware thing, but i have found with my iBook ( i assume its the same with Mac minis and other macs) if you put a disc in and nothing happens (ie it dosent show in finder), leave it for a few minutes and it will just eject it its self or sort its self out and show it in finder. I have found that Macs can read many many more CDs that the either of the drives in my PC (DVDs in particular)!

 

[yellow]

I'm guessing that the poster's CD burner is not set to burn in the universally recognized format (ISO whatever-it-is).

I'm with you on that one.. ISO9660.

 

[yellow]

If I insert a blank CD-R or DVD-R, and it pops up that thing asking what to do, either run a program or ignore it, and I select ignore, then how do I eject it later? There's no icon anywhere to eject, and there's no entry is /Volumes to run a command on... And I don't think that a procedure involving rebooting is a valid response. If I insert a disk, and want to eject it, I shouldn't have to quit all programs and interrupt everything running.

I thought this would be pretty obvious..

You press the eject key on the keyboard to eject it?

EDIT: Damnit yellow, read the rest of the posts before posting!

 

[WinterMute]

Just a side note on the same issue of ejecting discs, I put a CD into my 17" PowerBook's drive last week, it had a paper label stuck to it with Pritt-stick or somesuch crap, and the label half peeled, folded and jammed in the drive.

I tried the mouse eject, the Open Firmware eject (which said it couldn't find the drive!) and the fabled paper-clip, all to no avail. The disc wasn't even responding to a restart, no movement at all.

Someone posted here that a permissions repair followed by a hard shut-down and re-boot holding the mouse down would eject a "frozen" drive. I tried that and it worked, apparently optical slot-loading drive have a sensor to stop the drive-motor from burning out if the disc jams, the above procedure resets the drive and ejects the disk.