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mreg376

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 23, 2008
1,235
419
Brooklyn, NY
I just posted this on the iMac forum. This is probably a better place for it.

I don't really use DVD's much anymore, and my 2017 iMac of course does not have an internal DVD drive. But I had to do a training thing from work and they gave me a DVD.
I have two external portable USB 2.0 DVD drives, an older Iomega and a new LG.
What's odd is that the DVD they gave me will play just fine on a "regular," stand-alone DVD player. BUT neither my 2017 iMac using either external DVD drive nor my 2009 MacBook using either its internal DVD drive or either of the external DVD drives will recognize it, and after a few seconds or sometimes a few minutes both machines will start to freeze up, first Finder, eventually other apps and then all that will work is the mouse, requiring a hard reboot. I have tested other DVD's and they work fine with all the drives and both computers. And I have used DVD's from work in my 2007 iMac in the past with no problem (that machine is elsewhere now).
What's odd to me are two things: obviously that the DVD works in a DVD player but not either DVD drive attached to either Mac, AND ESPECIALLY that this DVD seems to cast a spell over the Macs, which usually handle errant programs or processes very well.
I can watch the DVD on the stand-alone player, and this seems to be a one-DVD problem, so there is no crisis here. But it is a curiosity to be solved. Any ideas would be appreciated.
 
If it’s not a commercially produced DVD, it’s probably printed on a writeable DVD disc and those are very particular. Some players have trouble reading certain types/brands of writeable discs. If you really need to watch that DVD on your computer, find a brand of disc that works with your drive and give them a few discs to record onto.
 
Yeah, I realized it's on a DVD+R, which I have had issues with in the past. But I still am a little surprised the way it affected the Macs.
 
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