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blindspot · Aug 7, 2000, 02:08 PM

howdy all,

i'm typing this post from my brand new pismo500. just got it this morning, and it was pretty darn exciting to fire it up.

ok, so here's my question...

of course i was curious to test the DVD drive, so i grabbed my copy of highlander. i put the dvd in, and everything seemed normal. then the drive began making some weird vibration noises. i started applying gentle pressure to various spots, in an effort to figure out what was up.

it appears that the little plastic drive door is vibrating (the extra plastic that fills the width of the door). it's really kind of obnoxious, and i'm a little disappointed that my brand new MAChine is less than perfect.

before i get on the phone with apple tech support, has anyone else had this problem? i'm wondering if that's "just the way it is" or if my DVD drvie is defective.

thanks much. i appreciate any feedback you can give me.

nate
--www.natelarson.com

wlonh · Aug 7, 2000, 04:01 PM

some cd's/dvd's tend to rattle a bit... like my MacOS 9 CD will make my CD drive vibrate badly, but it works...

it is usually due to some slight imbalance of the media, the label screened/painted on the media appears to be the culprit... it is enough to make it somewhat unbalanced...

blindspot · Aug 7, 2000, 04:23 PM

the drive performs fine, but the rattling/vibrating noise is kind of obnoxious.

i only have one dvd, so i can't test it with another dvd. i tested it with multiple cds, and that seems fine (no rattle). do you really think that it's the media causing this? it seems like that should have been taken into account when manufacturing the media.

the noise could easily be fixed if i were willing to put a piece of tape across each end of the drive door/buffer thing. it seems *ludicrous* to have to do this with a brand new powerbook, though.

[This message has been edited by blindspot (edited 08-07-2000).]

wlonh · Aug 7, 2000, 04:43 PM

yes it is likely the media or i would not have said so

the world is less than perfect and makers of media are an example of this

blindspot · Aug 7, 2000, 04:49 PM

>>yes it is likely the media or i would not have said so

sorry about that; i didn't mean to insinuate anything. i just re-read the post, and it came across poorly. i was trying to express frustration, and i guess i missed.

i realize that the world is less than perfect, but that's what dreams are for

has anyone else experienced my vibrating drive situation?

tooki · Aug 7, 2000, 06:02 PM

Yes, and it is a problem I have experienced with every drive I have used that is faster than 8x. Lon is right on the mark that some discs are not properly balanced, or improperly mastered (i.e. cheap CD-Rs), and will cause vibration. It's not the drive's fault, although some drives transmit more vibration than others. Specifically, my experience has been that the drives where you have to press the disc onto a spindle, such as those in PowerBooks, iBooks and older iMacs, vibrate more than "full-size" drives like those in most desktop machines.

tooki

bobsie · Aug 12, 2000, 11:02 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
Yes, and it is a problem I have experienced with every drive I have used that is faster than 8x. Lon is right on the mark that some discs are not properly balanced, or improperly mastered (i.e. cheap CD-Rs), and will cause vibration. It's not the drive's fault, although some drives transmit more vibration than others. Specifically, my experience has been that the drives where you have to press the disc onto a spindle, such as those in PowerBooks, iBooks and older iMacs, vibrate more than "full-size" drives like those in most desktop machines.

tooki

I usually can't tell whether my DVD is running or not. But I put one of those Earthlink junk mails in it once, and the whole machine quivered and clattered. Don't blame your computer unless it does that with everything you try.

. -- bobsie

blindspot · Aug 13, 2000, 01:02 AM

well,
since my initial post, i have had the opportunity to test it with a variety of dvd's, cdr's, and commercial cd's. the vibration problem that i intially noted only occurs with my copy of "highlander, director's cut." i don't know what it is about that dvd, but the drive just doesn't like it. i tried this disk with the dvd drive in my machine at work, and it played perfectly.

so, i'm a bit stumped.

the other thing that i've noticed is that some dvd's "skip" occasionally. the audio continues to play normally, but the video flickers and pauses for a second. this seems to occur every 10-15 minutes, and this has happened with every dvd that i've tried in the drive.

any thoughts on this?

silver · Aug 13, 2000, 03:50 AM

i to had the funky play back,but after i gave dvd player more memory(30 meg) it plays like a dream...lifes great with my powerbook(500) except for the little problems(wiggly keyboard,funky marks on my screen).But all can be fixed without pulling your teeth.

1.alot more mem to dvd player.
2.always clean your screen!!!!!!
3.well as for the keyboard wiggly thing theres a thread for that here i think.
Well i hope this helps some..