Any merit in getting an external DVD RW drive?

zzzuppp · 11-29-2007, 05:27 AM

I have a (refurb) Intel iMac G5,OSX 10.5.1.
The DVD drive inside (PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K06) is OK but it fails to read half of my DVDs-especially any I have made myself on my old G4-and similarly,it tries to spin up burnt music CDs but invariably fails,so that I have to Force Quit iTunes/whatever to get the CD/DVD out in most cases (the disk slows right down and grinds to a halt).
I'm a professional musician,so not being able to work with burnt CDs is a complete pain.
I'm assuming that the process of replacing the internal DVD drive is beyond my ken in an iMac,so I'm wondering about getting an external.Does anyone have any advice,or similar problems? Will my iMac accept an external as a default burn/read machine? (can't see a dialogue to enable this in Leopard).
NB using the old G4 is not an option.

agentx · 11-29-2007, 07:14 AM

You have a few options :

1. Replace the internal drive, you can google this and it is possible to do.

2. Get an external drive, less hassel but you will get annoyyed not having an internal

agentx · 11-29-2007, 07:17 AM

You have a few options :

1. Replace the internal drive, you can google this and it is possible to do if you are confident taking things apart carefully ! I like having internal drives as there are no boot issues in emergency situations.

2. Get an external drive, less hassle but you will get annoyed not having an internal at some point. I must admit an external is a good plan if you burn loads of CD/DVD's. There can be issues booting off external drives in emergency situations.

My overall advice is to replace the internal with another pioneer but make sure you get a compatible one.

zzzuppp · 11-29-2007, 08:18 AM

Would it not be possible to just Firewire in an external,and use it/unplug it as and when I need it,but save the internal for booting etc?

agentx · 11-29-2007, 10:14 AM

Yes you can get a firewire external but compatibility with iTunes may well be an issue unless you really make sure that its is fully supported drive for Apple 10.5 OS.

In the good old days Patchburn would create the correct driver files to make pretty much any drive work with Itunes/iDVD etc, but don't think it works on leopard as no doubt apple have changed everything again ! ( i may be wrong).

If the internal drive is not working correctly then it cannot be relied upon to be a disk to install/fix OS etc. as you could get half way though and have a bum out leaving you in the pooo....but hey its your choice not mine.

zzzuppp · 11-29-2007, 01:35 PM

Yes the bloody Leopard compatibility is probably an issue.I've had it up to here with Leopard and printing,for instance

Well I was thinking of getting a Lacie,since they seem to always be Mac-friendly,and I had an external CD burner of theirs which was great.
I installed Leopard using the internal drive and I ran DiskWarrior on it for several days without problem,so it does just seem to be burnt discs that are the problem.I thought about swapping the DVD drive in the G4,which is a good one,but of course it's tray loading,whilst the iMac just sucks it in somehow...

trevor · 11-29-2007, 01:55 PM

Quote:


	whilst the iMac just sucks it in somehow...

Yes, it's called a "slot-load" drive. You can buy internal slot-load drives at most of the same places you can buy internal tray-load drives.

Trevor

blueshead · 11-30-2007, 12:16 AM

Lacies are great.. I'm running an old Pioneer 107d in a lacie firewire case (D2) I flashed the firmware 2 years ago and it's still running great.. When it Dies.. I'll buy a new Pioneer burner to drop in it.. They are as cheap as $39.00 now..(Dual Layer)

11-29-2007, 05:27 AM	#1
zzzuppp Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 386	Any merit in getting an external DVD RW drive? I have a (refurb) Intel iMac G5,OSX 10.5.1. The DVD drive inside (PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K06) is OK but it fails to read half of my DVDs-especially any I have made myself on my old G4-and similarly,it tries to spin up burnt music CDs but invariably fails,so that I have to Force Quit iTunes/whatever to get the CD/DVD out in most cases (the disk slows right down and grinds to a halt). I'm a professional musician,so not being able to work with burnt CDs is a complete pain. I'm assuming that the process of replacing the internal DVD drive is beyond my ken in an iMac,so I'm wondering about getting an external.Does anyone have any advice,or similar problems? Will my iMac accept an external as a default burn/read machine? (can't see a dialogue to enable this in Leopard). NB using the old G4 is not an option. __________________ 1) OS X 10.7.4, 13" Macbook Pro 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 Last edited by zzzuppp; 11-29-2007 at 05:34 AM.

11-29-2007, 08:18 AM	#4
zzzuppp Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 386	Would it not be possible to just Firewire in an external,and use it/unplug it as and when I need it,but save the internal for booting etc? __________________ 1) OS X 10.7.4, 13" Macbook Pro 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5

11-29-2007, 10:14 AM	#5
agentx Hall of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Brighton, UK Posts: 3,807	Yes you can get a firewire external but compatibility with iTunes may well be an issue unless you really make sure that its is fully supported drive for Apple 10.5 OS. In the good old days Patchburn would create the correct driver files to make pretty much any drive work with Itunes/iDVD etc, but don't think it works on leopard as no doubt apple have changed everything again ! ( i may be wrong). If the internal drive is not working correctly then it cannot be relied upon to be a disk to install/fix OS etc. as you could get half way though and have a bum out leaving you in the pooo....but hey its your choice not mine. Last edited by agentx; 11-29-2007 at 10:21 AM. Reason: dead link to patchburn site

11-29-2007, 01:35 PM	#6
zzzuppp Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 386	Yes the bloody Leopard compatibility is probably an issue.I've had it up to here with Leopard and printing,for instance Well I was thinking of getting a Lacie,since they seem to always be Mac-friendly,and I had an external CD burner of theirs which was great. I installed Leopard using the internal drive and I ran DiskWarrior on it for several days without problem,so it does just seem to be burnt discs that are the problem.I thought about swapping the DVD drive in the G4,which is a good one,but of course it's tray loading,whilst the iMac just sucks it in somehow... __________________ 1) OS X 10.7.4, 13" Macbook Pro 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5

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11-29-2007, 07:14 AM	#2
agentx Hall of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Brighton, UK Posts: 3,807	You have a few options : 1. Replace the internal drive, you can google this and it is possible to do. 2. Get an external drive, less hassel but you will get annoyyed not having an internal

11-29-2007, 07:17 AM	#3
agentx Hall of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Brighton, UK Posts: 3,807	You have a few options : 1. Replace the internal drive, you can google this and it is possible to do if you are confident taking things apart carefully ! I like having internal drives as there are no boot issues in emergency situations. 2. Get an external drive, less hassle but you will get annoyed not having an internal at some point. I must admit an external is a good plan if you burn loads of CD/DVD's. There can be issues booting off external drives in emergency situations. My overall advice is to replace the internal with another pioneer but make sure you get a compatible one.

11-30-2007, 12:16 AM	#8
blueshead Triple-A Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: The Very Murky Swamp Posts: 102	Lacies are great.. I'm running an old Pioneer 107d in a lacie firewire case (D2) I flashed the firmware 2 years ago and it's still running great.. When it Dies.. I'll buy a new Pioneer burner to drop in it.. They are as cheap as $39.00 now..(Dual Layer)