this seems like hardware but i have this sneaking feeling

T

TreeBeard

Registered Madman
I recently purchased a 1.25 Ghz G4 dual mirror door with combo CD/DVD drive and studio display
This is soo beautiful but.. I cannot use CD's. Luckily DVD works or I would not be here.
I did a whole pile of troubleshooting and finally contacted Apple .. They informed me that my computer must be taken to the nearest service centre.. I am in Australia. I am four hours drive from my nearest service centre.
When I contacted Apple Australia, I informed them that there was an customer replaceable part system under which my drive fits.. "no this is not possible in Australia"
Apple Australia told me to ask the nearst service centre to at least have a spare drive on hand for me since their delays are minimum five days.. just to look at it. but the Canberra service centre just said "no .. our techs will make all the decisions .. you jerk you should have bought windows"... or at least that's what i thought they said.
I decided that this would have to wait until I could get the time to do this.

I then fitted an external firewire device, a Plextor PlexWriter 16/10/40A.
Great I can do CD again!.. But.. today I moved into OS 9(yes, booted into OS 9) and tried to move a file from an OSX formatted CD into Mac OS Desktop this was fine, no problems .. I had to actually open simple text before I could get the file to open but no problems.
Then I inserted another CD .. nothing.. I checked extensions did some disabling, in case there was a firewire conflict.. Now the same drive no longer works on OS X either. The symptoms are;
*CD tray goes in
*CD drive does not spin up
*CD drive may make small and repeated spin attempts then after a period the drive ejects CD tray
*at this stage.. toast will not recognise the CD Unit either. Wheras when I installed this firewire device i test burned two CD's ...with toast.?
so .. why?
why me?
I have also noticed strange events like : I believe that only the CD tray on the G4 should be closing itself after an interval but now, so too does the firewire device. Which I sort of expect since it is plugged into the back of the G4 but the audio CD drive connected to my Amplifier (related to the computer only by a lead to the headphone jack) some metre and a half away, also now closes its own CD drive all by itself .. The frigging thing was built in 1969, or nearly...maybe 1980.. but .. don't tell me that I have poltergeists that can update technology.

Anyone have any idea what is going on or should I just pack the whole thing up and return it to Apple.

The only possible nagging thought is that I had to replace the case on the Plextor, due to a malfunctioning bridging circuit.. could there be a power surging problem that only affects CD drives?

Yep ok the madman has finally arrived in OSX.com

further detail and more bulldust on this, my CD problem, can be found under this link
 
well .. False alarm on the Plextor .. I did a powercycle and nothing improved, so I rebooted X and unplugged the Plextor .. plugged it into my old computer .. yep she worked .. so when X booted, I swapped it back to the G4 .. all is well with the Plextor again .. but the original combo drive is still malfunctioning.

and thanks for the welcome
 
I had the same problem with my PowerBook, and after a 45 minute telephone call with a "tech" going through all possible troubleshooting, they sent a courier to pick it up. Had it back in 8 days, after a trip to Germany and back.
 
TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-R1312:

Manufacturer: TOSHIBA
Model: TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-R1312
Revision: 1A06
Serial Number: xxxxxxxxx
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal

Yes the apple support website suggests that this is a customer replacement part.
Yes others have said that apple should send a box by courier, to pick it up.
Yes Apple Australia agreed that it was likely a replacement drive that is needed. After listening to the troubleshooting I have done.
No the hardware test does not test the CD/DVD drive.
No the nearest Apple repair center would not courier me a box to pick it up.
Yes Apple suggested that I ring the repair center and ask that they at least order a drive into stock for me, as they had informed me of a five day wait for the quote on top of the four hour drive for me to get the computer there.when I asked them that i was told NO emphatically in several ways.
The commonest being "our techs will decide what is wrong and what needs to be ordered".
 
I'd call repair center and talk to the manager. Explain what the tech at Apple Australia told you and all the troubleshooting you have done. If they don't at least agree to order the drive for you so it is there when you bring in the computer - or send you a box by currier... Call the Apple Australia and put in a complaint and you want some one to intervene on your behalf.
OR
Have Apple Austrailia send you the part so you can do the customer replacement.

Sometimes it takes a bit of force to get things done.
 
yes Elfen one that is what I am trying. I have found another apple repair centre in the same City, I will try them first.. I have no desire to talk to the dweeb at the first repair center again. I'd rather take the bloody thing to Perth which is only another 3,000 miles, than take my work to people who can only reply with one phrase.
 
as for the replaceable part option .. I note that my drive is non-detachable in my system profile report above, so I am happy to allow them to have the computer .. as long as they can make it as fast as they can ... and pay at least the return postage/insurance.

Not that i am a stranger to the insides of CD's, I have never opened a DVD.
 
ok .. to clean up this thread. Apple did replace my drive free of charge.
Yes it was hardware.
Yes i had to pay to transport the computer around the country and take the risks but yes at l east it is now fixed and i am happy again.
 
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