# Combo Drive in eMac G4 doesn't read/write discs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743 "2006-11-01T16:40:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/1 "2006-11-01T16:40:34Z")
Not CD’s, DVD’s, or data discs. Won’t burn CD’s from iTunes. Do I need a new drive or is this something fixable with a download? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Lambo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lambo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lambo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/2 "2006-11-01T19:17:10Z")
Can you see it in your System Profiler? (not that I’m going to be much help either way, but it’s where I would start). ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/3 "2006-11-01T21:38:44Z")
Yes, it’s there. ---
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/4 "2006-11-01T23:09:19Z")
[QUOTE=Cheez\_Whia] Not CD’s, DVD’s, or data discs. Won’t burn CD’s from iTunes. Do I need a new drive or is this something fixable with a download? Thanks in advance. [/QUOTE] In almost all cases this’ll turn out to be a failed drive (or some other hardware failures). You can try booting to your install disc (restart while holding C) but if even that doesn’t work then you need to test a new drive. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/5 "2006-11-01T23:11:03Z")
For anybody else with Mac problems, check out [discussions.apple.com](http://discussions.apple.com). They have extensive support forums there. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/6 "2006-11-01T23:20:25Z")
Posted there. No reply. Help me **MacTech** ; you’re my only hope! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/7 "2006-11-02T01:52:56Z")
a) Create new User in Accounts b) Log off and log in using new Account c) See if you get the same results. If your drive suddenly becomes a working drive, you’ve got some kind of hosed preference file that’s local to your account. If it still doesn’t… d) Insert bootable CD or DVD disk. Reboot, holding down the “C” key. If it boots from the CD or DVD, you’ve got some kind of hosed file at the OS level on your system install. Or, if you have no bootable CD / DVD handy but have a different (e.g., external) hard drive with a bootable OS on it, boot from that and see if you can use the drive. If you successfully boot from an external drive and don’t see already-nonempty disks when you insert them, _or_ you fail to boot from a known bootable CD / DVD, you most likely have a confuculated optical drive, hardware problem. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/8 "2006-11-02T03:48:48Z")
Thanks **happywaffle** and **AHunter3**. Looks like the drive is hosed. Can I replace it with drive that burns DVD’s? How hard is it to replace it myself? I live a long way from Mac fixit shops. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/combo-drive-in-emac-g4-doesnt-read-write-discs/378743/9 "2006-11-02T06:28:42Z")
Since it’s not a PowerBook (/iBook/MacBook, etc), I’d just buy an external FireWire “superdrive” and use that.