Two SuperDrives and neither work??

[Rob.G]

I guess two years or so ago I bought a new SuperDrive on Amazon. I never used it. I found it a month or so ago, opened it, plugged it in, and it wouldn't accept a disc. I was miffed because I was long past my return window.

So I bought a used SuperDrive on eBay and it arrived today. Guess what? SAME THING. So I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

I've tried it on my Mac and my Windows laptop. The Windows laptop makes the ding noise saying it found the drive when you plug it in (although it doesn't appear in Explorer with a drive letter.. hmmm). But you can slide a disc in and it does not "receive" the disc and take it in the rest of the way. On my Mac, I have no idea if it sees it or not. FWIW --- on the Mac it's plugged into a USB dock since the Mac doesn't have the older style USB ports.

So... is there anything else I can do, or do I now have two dead SuperDrives?

Thanks.

 

[hg.wells]

Is your USB dock powered? My guess would be the SuperDrive is not getting enough power.

 

[Rob.G]

But what about when it's plugged into the Windows laptop?

 

[hg.wells]

But what about when it's plugged into the Windows laptop?

That could be just a driver issue.

This is what a quick web search shows:

The Apple USB SuperDrive requires more power than a typical USB-A port can provide, often needing around 900 milliAmps, and will not work with most standard USB hubs or docks. It works best when plugged directly into a high-power USB port on a Mac or when connected through a powered hub or adapter like the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter that can supply the necessary 2 amps or more at 5 volts

 

[Rob.G]

Augh. I give up. I'm gonna send it back and just buy another drive on Amazon.

 

[Bigwaff]

Apple SuperDrive need to be attached directly to the Mac or to a dock which explicitly supports it because it has higher power requirements than typical USB accessories.

 

[hg.wells]

Augh. I give up. I'm gonna send it back and just buy another drive on Amazon.

I would check any other drives you look at as they will likely have similar power requirements.

 

[Fishrrman]

I don't think an Apple-labeled SuperDrive is going to work on any PC.

They often won't work "through hubs", either.

Like Waff says, you need to plug it directly into the Mac.

What Mac(s) do you have, and what year made?

These days, if you need an optical drive, DON'T buy a SuperDrive.
Buy a "third-party" drive of some kind (either a small form-factor drive that runs from USB power, or a "larger" drive in a 5.25" enclosure with its own power supply).