G4 1GhzDP doesn't recognize superdrive...

[benpope]

My desktop G4 1Ghz DP 512MB RAM has a superdrive which started being funny in an unfunny kind of way. First the eject key on the keyboard wouldn't eject disks. Then when I couldn't open it to put disks in, Apple System Profiler didn't reckon it was there.

I ran Silverlining Pro which said that there was a drive there but no driver...I downloaded the superdrive update from Apple's website but got the message that "this computer does not need this". Now System Profiler recognizes it, and Silverlining Pro recognizes it as:

Bus 0: Internal ATA Bus
CD ROM 0: Empty - Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-104
Version: 0000
Name of installed driver: .ATADisk (v6.1)
reference number of driver: -69

Sorry if this is too much info, but people always need info to help, don't they?!

I have just noticed that the main hard drive is on internal ATA 2 and is ID 0, and the DVD-R is on Internal ATA 0 and is also ID 0.

Shouldn't devices have different ID numbers? Is this the problem? If so can someone please advise me how to sort it out?

Toast Titanium also doesn't find the superdrive when it scans.

I also have an Adaptec SCSI card which has a small Lacie external HDD and a generic CDRW drive on it. These have been there for ages and never any problems before. There is a USB hub with usual peripherals and a MOTU 828 audio interface via firewire.

Thanks!

 

[scan300]

I've had a similar problem with different types of symptoms.

Generally, if a CD inserted into the drive doesn't mount, then the eject button doesn't work. Login in and out or a restart either mounts the CD or I can use the eject button held down at start-up to open the drive. (Does the eject button work OK with disks that mount?)

Some CDs won't mount because they have non-standard tinting on the disc or they are scratched in the wrong place. In some cases the OS reports that the CD is unreadable.

My question to you is did the optical drive play up soon after you got the machine or has it been normal for a while then played-up?

I don't think that the device IDs are a problem as they are on different ATA buses, but I'm no expert on ATA.

 

[Mblazened]

what does it do in os 9? which os does the problem occur? both? if so, you probably need a replacement drive.

 

[GeeYouEye]

sounds like a fraying or crimped cable to me. Try replacing it.

 

[benpope]

Thanks to all for your helpful advice. Of course the one piece of info I didn't leave was that I am running OS9.2. The eject button works on the other CD-R drive, so the button is OK. I'll try OSX and see if that works - if not I'll check the cable, and if it's not that I'll take it to the doctor!

Any other bright ideas would be gratefully received!