Troubleshooting Apple Mac G5 CD/DVD Burn Problems, Or Problems with Mac Optical Drives
Having Apple Mac G5 CD/DVD Burn Problems , or Optical Drive Trouble with Another Mac?
Is you G5 Mac giving you problems when you try to burn a disc? Recently, the optical drive on my MacBook at work starting acting funny. Every third disc I tried to burn would fail (it didn’t matter if it was a DVD or CD that I was trying to burn). I tried to avoid taking the machine in for repair, although in the end that is what I had to do. It actually took two repairs to fix everything that was wrong in my case, which included (but was not limited to) the optical drive. Hopefully, the steps below will help you avoid the trip and inconvenience of getting a repair on your G5 Mac or any other Mac computer you might be working on.
Check Your Media and Test Your Drive
The simplest troubleshooting step you can take is to try burning a new disc. Many times discs fail to burn because the media/disc is bad. If your disc fails to burn, try a different disc. If that disc fails, try a different package of discs. It is possible that you purchased a bad batch of discs. I would even try a different brand of discs. Believe it or not, the brand can make a difference.
If burning to a new disc fails, another quick and easy test is to see if your drive can read a disc. Insert a disc you have already burnt, or insert a disc from software you have purchased. If the disc does not appear on your desktop you know it is time to go in for a repair.
Burn Your Disc At A Slower Speed
When you start a burn you are asked which speed you want to burn the disc at. By default this is set to maximum. I have found slowing the speed down from maximum can fix burning issues. However, this will make for a longer burn time, and probably shouldn’t happen. This could be due to the discs you are using, but if it continues I would take your computer in for service.
Try A Different Program For Burning
Another option is to try a different program for burning the disc. If you are burning through the Finder try burning in a program like Toast. If you don’t own Toast, try the free download called Burn. Of course, if you can’t burn a disc properly through the Finder and you can through another program something else is going on here. It might be time to start doing some troubleshooting beyond the optical drive.
Take Your Mac In For Service
Unfortunately, if none of the options are successful at solving your Apple Mac G5 CD/DVD burn problems, I would suggest it is time for a repair. Your optical drive could have failed and need replacing, or it could be something worse. As I mentioned above, there was a lot more wrong with my computer than the optical drive. It also needed a new motherboard, a new bluetooth chip, and more. Luckily, it was under warranty.
Speaking of warranty, if your computer is still under warranty you should not hesitate to take it in for repair. Get it looked at while you aren’t responsible for paying for it.
Good Luck!
