[Kenneth]

I just hate my stock PHILIPS CDD5301 Combo drive on my DP 1.25 (FW800) since day 1. It often fails to read audio CD and getting worse nowadays. I called up AppleCare a number of times last year and the rep. simply asked me to test with the original DVD Restore Disc or bring in the whole tower to the nearest Apple Store for a check. I have AppleCare.

I told the rep to send me a replacement by mail, but he refused to. Since the optical drive is being list on the Customer-installable parts page, I didn't understand why he won't let me to do it.

Second, I have the aftermarket Pioneer DVR-108 on the top slot and the Philips CDD5301 on the lower slot. I didn't bother to call Apple since the Pioneer drive does the job for me. The nightmare is here, the Philips combo drive refuses to read any DVD-R/ROM anymore.

I strongly believe that I am not the one with a fishy combo drive. I tested the same audio CD at the Apple Store when the DP 1.25 (FW800) was still on display at the Apple Store. The audio CD failed to mount and both FW800s used the same Philips CDD5301 combo drive.

Is it possible to pull the failed drive and bring it to the Apple Store Genius Bar?

Info from System Profile
ATA-3 Bus:

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-108:

Manufacturer: PIONEER
Model: PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-108
Revision: 1.18
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-RW
Disc Burning: Vendor Supported
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal

PHILIPS CDD5301:

Manufacturer: PHILIPS
Model: PHILIPS CDD5301
Revision: Z1.4
Serial Number: H9303XXXXXXXX
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Disc Burning: Apple Supported/Shipped
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 1
Socket Type: Internal

They are all in cable select.

[OreoCookie]

Are you sure the audio cd doesn't use some kind of copy protection? Different drives react very differently to them. Do other CDs work fine?

[lenox]

Amazing! This very same thing happened to me just recently in my mdd dual 867.

The combo drive fails to read certain cds, and dvd-r's...it's also failed burning cds lately.

At least this gives me an excuse to get a dvd burner finally

[Kenneth]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Are you sure the audio cd doesn't use some kind of copy protection? Different drives react very differently to them. Do other CDs work fine?

It's the BT's Emotional Technology CD. It did mount on the Finder on the first time, but not anymore. That CD works fine on the Pioneer DVR-106D and DVR-108.

Right now, the combo drive only reads CD-ROM. I haven't burnt any CD-R/W yet.

[OreoCookie]

I had that after a software update. I suspect if the drive works fine with other drives, it's a copy protection issue.