How to remove a mini-CD from my Superdrive?

April 3, 2006 11:25 AM

Mini-CDs be damned! How do I remove one of those "mini-CDs" from a Powerbook?

Ugh. So, I had a party and at that party, someone felt the need to put one of those smaller Mini CDs (http://images.google.com/images?q=Mini%20CD&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&percentage_served=100&sa=N&tab=wi)
inside my Powerbook. Needless to say, my precious Superdrive is now occupied by a thing which does not belong in it. I'm used to taking apart and fixing PCs, but I've never pried apart my dearest child and I'm terrified I'll ruin it. Still, I'm up for the challange provided someone can point me in the right direction: How do I get this sucker apart?!

posted by GilloD to technology (25 comments total)

I really should have more closely previewed this question. Sorry
posted by GilloD at 11:26 AM on April 3, 2006

one site suggests turning your powerbook on its side, pushing eject, and trying to pull it out with your fingers.

source
posted by craniac at 11:32 AM on April 3, 2006

You can _try_ forcing an eject from the open firmware prom:

Reboot, and hold command-option-o-f , then, at the prompt type "eject-cd".

If that doesn't work, try turning off the machine and shaking it with the slot pointed down.

Otherwise.. I don't know.
posted by Laen at 11:35 AM on April 3, 2006

This might help to get the optical drive out.

At that point, you'd have to figure out how to disassemble the optical drive itself. Probably not all that hard. Just go slow and be careful -- don't yank on anything until you are completely sure you want to do that.

I've never taken apart a laptop CD drive, but if it's anything like a desktop CD drive, it ain't rocket science. Just delicate.
posted by teece at 11:37 AM on April 3, 2006

I had the same problem once, and this was my not-the-brightest-idea-but-it-worked solution...

Unplug and remove battery (of course!)

Get a butterknife or similar instrument thin enough to slide into the bay and ever-so-gently coax the CD out.

Like I said, not the greatest idea. But it worked. BTW: this was on an old Titanium PowerBook that I really didn't care too much about. The Superdrive mechanism in the newer PowerBooks are much different, so YMMV.
posted by slogger at 11:39 AM on April 3, 2006

The eject command just acts as if nothing is in there, so I'm guessing it's time to pop the whole thing open. Wish me luck!
posted by GilloD at 11:42 AM on April 3, 2006

You can get a pair of very long, very thin forceps from army supply store that might assist you better than a butterknife. The one I go to has locking and non-locking varieties.
posted by boo_radley at 11:42 AM on April 3, 2006

Maybe try a butter knife with tape on it sticky side out?
posted by Captain_Science at 11:58 AM on April 3, 2006

If there's an Apple store near by, I'd suggest bringing it in. I wouldn't feel comfortable risking the drive by fishing around with a butter knife.

The Apple folks deal with this all the time. When you explain that it wasn't you, but a friend of yours, they'll smile knowingly. Sure it was . . .

Hopefully they can pop it out for you right there in the store. And if they screw it up somehow, you'll be covered.
posted by aladfar at 12:05 PM on April 3, 2006

Butter knife = bad idea.

The tape will get stuck inside the optical drive and will cause even more problems. (This has happened to me before.)
posted by yellowbkpk at 12:06 PM on April 3, 2006

I did exactly what craniac suggests and got one of those suckers out.
posted by kimdog at 12:07 PM on April 3, 2006

GilloD, wait up. You submit an AskMe question, and then after 20 minutes you decide to disassemble your computer? teece's takeapart guide will help you get the optical drive out of the computer, but it won't help you take apart the drive itself -- which is something that I think you should avoid if at all possible. I've taken apart 6 different powerbook models scores of times, so I know you don't need to worry too much about ruining your machine that way, but you could probably ruin your optical drive, which was about $350 to replace when I replaced one. Take a deep breath, wait until at least this evening before asking anyone to wish you luck. The optical drive is a discrete unit that discourages disassembly: not quite a hard drive, but still a Bad Idea, especially for your first attempt.

Wait a little longer to see if the hive mind comes up with anything. Take aladfar's advice even if it means a long drive or train ride.
posted by xueexueg at 12:10 PM on April 3, 2006

The optical drive is a discrete unit that discourages disassembly:

FWIW, taking apart an optical drive is no big deal at all. It's a metal case with some PCBs, a plastic carrier tray, some mechanics to move the CD, and a little laser. They aren't that crazy. Unless the slot-loading nature of the beast really changes things, that is (which I doubt; and if I had one to take apart I would, just to see, but I suspect the slot-loaders are easier. It being a laptop drive, it'll be more cramped and more prone to having delicate parts, but the overall concept will be the same).

It will void your warranty, though.
posted by teece at 12:15 PM on April 3, 2006

Do the latest PowerBooks no longer have the little-spot-you-can-jam-a-paperclip-into on the right side, that forces it to spit out whatever's inside?

My Titanium did, but I admit I've never tried it with my newer Aluminum jobby. It was about a quarter inch from the right side of the slot on the old one, though. Might be worth a shot before you go to all the trouble of taking the thing apart.
posted by bcwinters at 12:19 PM on April 3, 2006

I fished one out of an iMac with 2 out of the half-dozen pairs of barcode tags I have hanging from my keychain. (The ones that I seem to collect from bookstores, petstores, grocery stores, unmentionable stores...)
posted by KirkJobSluder at 12:35 PM on April 3, 2006

Do the latest PowerBooks no longer have the little-spot-you-can-jam-a-paperclip-into on the right side, that forces it to spit out whatever's inside?

No, only the earliest slot loading PowerBooks have that (and they accepted mini-CDs just fine).
posted by cillit bang at 2:01 PM on April 3, 2006

bcwinters: no the AlBooks do not have that.

the instructions Teece linked to are good, be careful at the point where you have to open the latches in the front. I managed to tweak them so that no longer close completely so there's a gap between the bottom and the top pieces. I'm trying to figure out a way to fix that without buying a dead powerbook and transferring the guts from mine to the dead powerbook.

What you might be able to do when you open up the powerbook is grab the CD without having to open the drive. I had a disck stuck in my old powerbook and it wouldn't come out. I was able to 'assist' the eject mechanism with the drive removed from its bay by still plugged into the motherboard. Be careful as you can kill your powerbook if you short something. Without having to get the disk through the narrow slot on the powerbook, you might just be able to get disk out.
posted by birdherder at 2:14 PM on April 3, 2006

Hm. Did you try the old standy eject command for the Mac at startup?

Holding down the mouse button during startup send a "eject any and all media out of the drive" command that usually works pretty well.

But, if the computer doesn't see a CD in there, eh, maybe not.
posted by smallerdemon at 2:42 PM on April 3, 2006

A wee bit o' derail:
the little-spot-you-can-jam-a-paperclip-into
Technically, it's called a "manual eject hole" or "innie"
posted by rob511 at 2:51 PM on April 3, 2006

Well, as it turns out, I turned off my PB to watch a movie. When I bent down to turn it back, what was sticking out out of the drive but the mini-CD! Hooray for small favors. Now if only I could be rid of this super-strep....
posted by GilloD at 3:23 PM on April 3, 2006

So wait a minute. PowerBooks can't handle 3" cds? That's just retarded. A lot of great music is being released on those little guys these days.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:19 PM on April 3, 2006

Joseph - AFAIK, those tiny things shouldn't be inserted in ANY slot loading drives.
posted by sluggo at 5:39 PM on April 3, 2006

So wait a minute. PowerBooks can't handle 3" cds? That's just retarded. A lot of great music is being released on those little guys these days.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:19 PM CST on April 3 [!]

Maybe those guys should take the hint and stop releasing stuff on MiniCDs. They're overpriced.
posted by cellphone at 5:53 PM on April 3, 2006

Every Mac except the Power Mac has a slot loading drive.
posted by cillit bang at 2:16 AM on April 4, 2006

The other solution I've heard for this problem is to turn the Powerbook on its side and gently shake. Usually the miniature disc doesn't actually get picked up by the drive and it slides back out.
posted by mikeh at 7:56 AM on April 4, 2006