I have a 15" Titanium pbG4 with MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-815 superdrive, running 10.4.3. It has taken to not recognising any disks (DVD, blank or CD audio), going zzz-zzz, zzz-zzz and then spitting them out again. I assume this means the drive is dead. Can I replace it, or do I have to spend £££ getting a dealer to do it, and if so, is it even worth doing?
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Is my pbG4 superdrive dead? :(
- Thread starter MatthewCobb
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Based on the model number of the drive, that seems to be a last gen TiBook, making it the 1GHz model. And, it does indeed sound dead. You can certainly replace the drive yourself if you like. There are a number of third party laptop superdrives available, and the TiBook is actually a pretty simple one to take apart. If you're squeamish about opening up your baby, however, it would be best to have a dealer do the install.
Occasionally, a small piece of felt that is present in the opening of these drives starts to peel up, preventing discs from being taken in properly. If this is the case, just cut away the felt piece. Also bear in mind that TiBooks have strange drive caddies in which the optical drive sits. As such, you may need to do a bit of fiddling to make a third party drive fit.
Occasionally, a small piece of felt that is present in the opening of these drives starts to peel up, preventing discs from being taken in properly. If this is the case, just cut away the felt piece. Also bear in mind that TiBooks have strange drive caddies in which the optical drive sits. As such, you may need to do a bit of fiddling to make a third party drive fit.
Yep. It's dead. If you want, instead of going through all that trouble - buy a refurb 12" 1.33GHz iBook. Really nice machines. It only has a combo drive though.
But, yep, you could just buy from PBFix it - 1x SuperDrive. $250 - seems a little pricey.
But, yep, you could just buy from PBFix it - 1x SuperDrive. $250 - seems a little pricey.
Yes
Oh dear. Thanks for the confirmation, folks (and yes it is the 1Ghz version). I found this UK company which would replace the drive, plus pick up and return: http://www.raidius.com/ProductsNew/StorageDVD/PowerBookDVD-spec.html
Still pricey (although it won't be me who'll be paying
). But I need a DVD drive, so cheap 12" refurb option won't hold.
I'll check with my local shop and see what price they give me. Happy New Year anyway, I suppose...
Oh dear. Thanks for the confirmation, folks (and yes it is the 1Ghz version). I found this UK company which would replace the drive, plus pick up and return: http://www.raidius.com/ProductsNew/StorageDVD/PowerBookDVD-spec.html
Still pricey (although it won't be me who'll be paying
). But I need a DVD drive, so cheap 12" refurb option won't hold.I'll check with my local shop and see what price they give me. Happy New Year anyway, I suppose...
MatthewCobb said:Oh dear. Thanks for the confirmation, folks (and yes it is the 1Ghz version). I found this UK company which would replace the drive, plus pick up and return: http://www.raidius.com/ProductsNew/StorageDVD/PowerBookDVD-spec.html
Still pricey (although it won't be me who'll be paying
I'll check with my local shop and see what price they give me. Happy New Year anyway, I suppose...
Don't be taken in -- replacing an optical drive or a hard drive on a Titanium is a PIECE OF CAKE. I know, because I did it myself on a Ti 1ghz and a Ti 400mhz. It is so easy you cannot believe it. The only trick is getting to bottom case flush again with the topcase and that is just a matter of common sense. Do it yourself. A good superdrive by Matshitia is under 200 usd. I know because I just bought one to upgrade an ibook. Happy NEW YEAR!!!
I actually bought a third party drive which was not made by Matsushita Electric (AKA Panasonic). I can't recall precisely which make it was, but it was an 8X Superdrive for about $90 US. Replacing the optical drives in TiBooks with newer, third party drives is tricky, because of the drive cage used. The drive cage is designed for an older, slightly larger optical drive, so it takes a bit of creative attachment for a slimmer drive to be fitted properly. The G4 Cube has a similar issue. I agree that you should replace it yourself, though I'm the sort of individual who will replace his own logic board. This piece is fairly simple to get to on a TiBook, and so should cause little issue.