MP 1,1-5,1 CD/DVD not showing in Finder despite being installed, connected, powered, and recognized by the system

[bx83]

I have a Mac Pro 5,1.

DVD drive installed in slot 1 and powered on; it responds to pressing the button manuallly and will eject/return the drive. It's in the About this Mac -> System Report (included), recognised. I've tried it with both power connectors, and it works and is recognised both times.

But Finder will not display it! (including if I turn it on/off in preferences)

Has anyone had this issue? Does it lack power? Is there a solution to this problem?

 

[hg.wells]

Just to be 100% you do have a disk in the drive right? If you don't it's not going to show up in Finder.

 

[bx83]

Just to be 100% you do have a disk in the drive right? If you don't it's not going to show up in Finder.

Yes absolutely. It there, in the drive bay, connected via power+SATA.

 

[bx83]

Is there any way the drive might not be getting enough power? I have 4x HDDs installed in the usual overhanging slots, but that's it.

 

[hg.wells]

It's showing up in system profiler so should be working - has it ever worked?

Have you tried a different disk such as a DVD movie?

 

[bx83]

Solution - it's stuffed. The CD shows up when it's in there, but dissappears again when it's ejected, so I can't control it through software. When I import the CD, it makes a constant grinding/shuffling sound -- looks like it's a new burner for me

It was the original, so full points for lasting 11 years.

 

[KeesMacPro]

The CD shows up when it's in there, but dissappears again when it's ejected, so I can't control it through software

As mentioned by hg.wells : only when there's a disk inserted, it shows up in finder: this is normal.

When the disk is ejected, there is nothing to control (through software ).

 

[bx83]

As mentioned by hg.wells : only when there's a disk inserted, it shows up in finder: this is normal.

When the disk is ejected, there is nothing to control (through software ).

Okay — but how do you eject an empty tray to begin with?

 

[KeesMacPro]

Okay — but how do you eject an empty tray to begin with?

If the tray is empty , there is nothing to eject.

If you'd like to disconnect the DVD drive, unplug the power cord, open the MP and disconnect it physically.

 

[mattspace]

Okay — but how do you eject an empty tray to begin with?

Apple's keyboards have an Eject key at top right, that can't be remapped by the default software. Pressing it opens the cover flap and extends the tray.

In addition:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5035977

 

[Soba]

If the tray is empty , there is nothing to eject.

If you'd like to disconnect the DVD drive, unplug the power cord, open the MP and disconnect it physically.

One additional troubleshooting note for others:

Sometimes (usually with external or finicky 3rd-party drives), the drive will refuse to open the tray even when pressing the eject key on the keyboard. In this case when you have a stuck tray, restart the Mac and as soon as you hear the startup chime, hold down (and continue holding) the left mouse button as the Mac starts up. After a little while, the drive will eject and you can then release the mouse button. This will eject all CD/DVD drives (and floppy disks, if the floppy disk drive has no manual eject button) that are connected to the Mac.

Historically, you could also press the F12 key on a non-Apple keyboard and this would eject the disc while macOS is running. I'm not certain if this still works.

To the Original Poster @bx83, as others have said, Macs will only show the CD/DVD in the Finder when a disc is inserted. If you are trying to verify whether your drive is recognized by the system even with no disc in it, you can see the drive(s) in the System Report by going to the Apple menu > About this Mac > System Information, then selecting SATA/SATA Express (or Disc Burning) in the left column of the System Report window. Your drive will show up in the right pane of the window if it is connected to the system.

Unless you're getting read errors or strange hang-ups when using the drive, it sounds like your drive is working. If it's making very strange noises or otherwise misbehaving, definitely replace the drive (the cost is minimal).