Rep: 33
3
1
Hi all!
When I put a cd or dvd into the slot of my 2011 iMac, it spins up slightly 3 times before ejecting it again. Why is this? Is this a software issue or hardware?
I opened it up some time ago to fix the graphics card, but I am not sure whether this problem was already there or if I might've caused it during the repair.
Interested to read your toughts/solutions!
Thanks
Is this a good question?
Rep: 363
7
1
Hey, Rembert.
Your optical disc drive (ODD) is likely experiencing a failure of a processing component. The most likely cause here is a laser that is either dirty or has gone bad. I would suggest opening the Macbook to clean the laser and lens of the ODD. If cleaning it doesn't work, you should look into replacing the ODD as a whole, as it would be much simpler and more likely to fix it than just replacing the laser. You can find a guide on how to do so here. I hope you found this helpful in some way
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Hi,
Thanks a lot, I will try this.
If the ODD turns out to be broken, would it be possible to replace it with an old one from an old macbook pro 1278?
@Rembert,
Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to replace the Optical Drive in your iMac with the one from your Macbook, even though they are from a similar generation. This is because the iMac used the ODD#GA11N, while the Macbook Pro used the ODD#UJ8A8. The one in the Macbook is slightly thicker, and likely uses a different sized connector as well. Your best bet would be the $40 replacement offered by iFixit.
The ODD was indeed extremely dusty! I cleaned it and the laser also, but sadly the problem persists.
model no. is AD-5690H, I don't believe the part is readily available and would be worth the cost. So I think I am just going to leave it as is, and maybe buy an external one someday.
Thank you for the help!
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