imac g5 dvd hell

[ratdude747]

calling all mac experts!

i recently came into one of the first polymodded g5's. it is a gen 1 17" imac g5

i have a major issue

the superdisc drive seems to be dying. first, it would not burn dvd's. now it spits out anything i throw at it.

it does it both in OS x 10.4 and in ubuntu ppc.

it is a pioneer drive

my guess is i need a new drive... any advice otherwise?

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

i take back the reads nothing part-

it will read:

os tiger cd's

ubuntu ppc cd

blank-cd-r's

will not read:

cleaning cd

any dvd

still think it is dying... but i want a second opinion.

[Topcat]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

I'd render a guess that its dying. Use an external USB for anything except booting (they won't boot from a USB). I am told they will boot from a firewire external.

[stj]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

dont use a "cleaning cd" open the drive.
blow out the dust & clean the laser.

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

you think that could be it? it uses some funky torx screws...

i will likely find a used drive to replace it. thats what my google-ing has poited to,

[daemon123]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

u might open the drive and clean the lens with isopropyl alcohol, i use Acetone instead of it.


Also i have gotten 2 dvd-rw to life by adjusting those POT's which are on lens for CD/DVD Lazer power. measure the resistance on it, and turn it like 2 to 3 degrees at the time.

now a tip to test it while its open. u can pray apart the top sticker and get the round plastic thingie which has the metal, now u can put any cd in tray and on the top put that thingie, and close the tray.

usually if the cd is picked the drive will have steady RPM, if it can pick the cd then it will just spin up/down.

Good Luck

[Toasty]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

Acetone will eat/damage -many- plastics. Be very careful. It also can leave a film on the lens which will just exacerbate the problem.

The alcohol is usually safe. Just a mild, dilute detergent (Dawn, Simple Green) will usually be sufficient, even from a smokers computer. Use a Q-tip -dampened- with plain water to rinse, then the other end to dry and polish.

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

you think it is a dirty sensor?

[stj]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

maybe, you do get a film of dirt on them.
if it's 100% good with CD and 100% fucked with DVD then it could also be laser failure.
that is/was very common on the ps2 consoles.

[Wizard]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

Time for another optical drive. problems with reading and failing to burn is laser diodes going bad (one for CD and one for DVD).

Acetone melts most plastics, the optical lens that you can see is plastic, hence 99% alcohol needed.

Cheers, Wizard

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

some cd's were a no go as well.

as soon as i am done w/ dinner, i have some 91% alcohol and a q-tip... i will try cleaning it...

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

cleaning was no help.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_263622

is that the correct drive/ is that a good deal?

[Toasty]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

What is Apple p/n for yours or make/model?

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

it is a PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K04 if that helps.

don't feel like taking it apart again tonight (posting this from it in ubuntu)

[Toasty]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

Not a pretty scene. Both this drive and the one you eBay linked (Matshita/Panasonic) are very prone to failures. Loads of "had it 3 weeks and died stories" and "this is my 3rd drive in 2 years". For some reason the failure seems to occur when writing CD-RW's.

Somewhere someone recommended going to an external. Then you could use a more rugged (and probably cheaper) drive.

K06 info -
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/..._failures.html

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

yes, but needs to needs to be firewire to boot. mine is usb (useless for installing leopard).

would the dvd-r/cd-rw option be any better? i could use the external usb to burn and the built in to read a dvd.

like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_263622

[stj]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

is it a slotloader?

[Toasty]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

I thought all the iMac G5's Firewire ??

[ratdude747]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

it is a slotloader

it has firewire... i

i meant that my burner was usb.

anyway, i found this:

http://pcdirect.com/chaliefi3had.html

would that work? i have a dvd combo drive i could plug in it... or is downgrading the drive to the combo drive (as opposed to a superdrive) a better idea?

[Toasty]

Re: imac g5 dvd hell

Peruse some of the Mac forums with mentions of the Pioneer and Panasonic drives that fail. I saw someone, somewhere talking about what Firewire setup to use. I know $$ are tight, but you're now a Mac owner!! Buck up, son!!