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iMac G4 - CDRom refuses to open

patatas

Well-known member
I have been reading through threads but not managed to solve this "gremlin"

I have opened the iMac G4 and the CDRom opens the caddy when you press the manual eject button. Thus mechanism works. Also drive spins up when you insert media.

"eject cd" in Open Firmware does not work.

Left mouse button on boot does not open caddy

No evident "blockage" from dome cd door.

Ay ideas?

 

Alex

Well-known member
from terminal try drutil eject (doubt it will work)

Do you here any attempts by the drive to eject at all or is it dead silent, if so check the cabling to ensure everything is connected correctly.

 

davidg5678

Well-known member
Unfortunately, there is a small rubber belt inside of these optical drives that goes bad over time. This belt goes between the CD drive's door and the motor that opens it. I had a similar issue with my G4's optical drive, and I had to replace the belt with a new one to repair it. I had a bit of trouble finding a suitable replacement part, so I bought many sizes until I found one that fit.

It is possible that something similar has happened inside your computer. If you are still able to read disks with the drive, then it probably does not have a wiring problem, so I would take a look at this belt to see if it still works inside your drive.

 
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