Can you force an iBook G4 to eject when it thinks it doesn't have a DVD drive and there is no pinhole?

July 21, 2004 7:45 PM

When your iBook G4 loses faith in the idea that it has DVD drive, complaining of an error [-70012] when you stick a DVD in; when even firmware prompt commands like "eject" won't pop it out; when you realize that for purposes of style you have been deprived of a manual-eject pinhole; in such straits, friends, is there any hope of freeing your Digital Versatile Disc of "Spiderman" from the drive?
posted by inksyndicate to computers & internet (13 comments total)

Well, if you were in the NY area, I'd recommend TekServe, but you're apparently in SF--surely there's some similar outfit near you?
posted by LairBob at 8:08 PM on July 21, 2004

Try holding down the trackpad button while you reboot. That should eject the disks from all the drives.

Also, have you tried everything on this page?
posted by xil at 8:18 PM on July 21, 2004

(OS X right?) Try double-clicking [/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/Eject.menu] It will add the eject item to your menubar. Very convenient.
posted by milovoo at 8:34 PM on July 21, 2004

Take it down to the local Apple Store. Since the iBook G4s just came out last October, you're still under warranty, so they'll fix it for free. And while, if you send it in for repairs, you'll quite possibly never see your Spider-man DVD again, they should be willing to extract it for you at the store even if they have to send your computer back to the mothership.

On preview: Hate to break it to y'all but error -70012 is the "No DVD drive present" error; he's got bigger problems than an eject menu or holding the mouse pad down will solve.
posted by boaz at 8:39 PM on July 21, 2004

Actually forget that, the eject menu won't help if it doesn't see the drive, but here's a post with the same problem who may have found a solution.
posted by milovoo at 8:39 PM on July 21, 2004

err, that's "trackpad button down". I don't know what problem holding a mouse pad down will solve.
posted by boaz at 8:40 PM on July 21, 2004

and here's the Apple thread on the problem.
posted by milovoo at 8:44 PM on July 21, 2004

That is interesting, milovoo. It's always amusing how the DVD Consortium's restrictions don't do anything to prevent copying DVDs, but make playing legally-purchased DVDs more difficult in dozens of subtle ways.
posted by boaz at 9:05 PM on July 21, 2004

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone, I greatly appreciate it.
posted by inksyndicate at 9:15 PM on July 21, 2004

But, did it work? Did you get it out?

(and yes, they really hurt the consumer far more than the pirates in most instances. They add locks that prevent a lot of creative solutions and products from coming to market, even for people who would gladly pay for those innovations)
posted by milovoo at 9:12 AM on July 22, 2004

No, I'm going to take it to the store now. (No Apple Store in the vicinity, but hopefully these people will do it)

That's really something about external DVD restrictions. I was going to buy an external DVD writing drive.
posted by inksyndicate at 10:04 AM on July 22, 2004

I was having a similar problem with my G3 iBook, and Verify/Repair Permissions did it for me.
posted by rocketman at 12:13 PM on July 22, 2004

In New York City, the Mac tech people I know, including me, no longer recommend going to Tekserve. It is far preferable to go to the Apple Store at Prince and Green streets. Better service and a more knowledgeable staff are worth a lot.
posted by Mo Nickels at 12:48 PM on July 22, 2004