MacBook Pro Slot Drive Is Finicky – It was the CD-R Brand After All

UPDATE: It ended not being the brand necessarily. I used a CD drive cleaner and all seems fixed: http://joelmarcey.com/2009/01/05/macbook-pro-superdrive-burn-problems-update-fixed-with-laser-lens-cleaner/

This weekend I went to the Apple Store Genius Bar to see if they could find a resolution to my slot drive problems.

Well, it was the CD-R brand after all! I showed the Genius Bar representative my problems with my Sony (Brand A – I don’t need to protect the innocent anymore) and my Memorex (Brand B) CD-Rs. She popped in a Staples brand CD-R (Yes, a Staples Brand!!!), and it burnt an iTunes playlist flawlessly.

Thus it seems the MacBook Pro slot drive is finicky; but better than having it sent in for repairs. ;-)

I am heading to Staples soon. :-)

3 Comments

[...] is an update to my fun (and more fun) with my MacBook Pro optical [...]

Anchit PanchalJanuary 17th, 2009 at 9:00 am

holy crap! i had the EXACT same issue with sony and memorex cd-rs! and my local apple store did the SAME THING with the staples branded cd-r! boy was that a shock to me…cheaper media is BETTER for the superdrive than more expensive media!

strangely, most of my audio cds that ive burned using itunes have had staticky/hissy noises towards the end of the tracks (last few tracks per disc). this happens to most, if not all of my MANY brands of cd-rs.

this will be the third time ive gotten the superdrive replaced (1st was an updated matshita drive, 2nd was HL-ST whatever, and the 3rd, which i sent to applecare, is coming back to me on monday). if it happens again (which im sure it will), im getting rid of it. my mbp is a phenominal machine, but if it cant do a simple task like burn an audio cd, then it really is no good.

Joel MarceyJanuary 17th, 2009 at 11:01 am

Hi Anchit,

Thanks for the comment.

Well, in the end, the brand of CD-R ended up being a red herring. In the end all I needed was a CD cleaner. I wrote an updated blog post:

http://joelmarcey.com/2009/01/05/macbook-pro-superdrive-burn-problems-update-fixed-with-laser-lens-cleaner/

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