[Photocro]

I hope I haven't posted this before. If I am in the wrong place please move this post.

I don't think these probs are related but I inadvertently put a disc on top of a disc in the optical drive and closed it for it to start. I screwed up and now the optical drive will not open. I grounded myself and took the drive out to get the drawer open, removed both discs and reinstalled. The icon (dash with the arrow on top) comes up and fades on screen from the keyboard command to open the drive, but, the drive does not open. I did try to unplug the drive at first but the plug on the bottom right of the drive did not come out. It felt like it was hard wired which I do not think it is. So I took the CD's out and reinstalled the drive and it hasn't worked since.

I bought two new Panasonic drives to replace the one, which I think is fried, that I must have screwed up. Any suggestions? You can call me a fool, I know I should have paid more attention. I didn't know that there was already a CD in there and didn't check. It happens.
About the same time the disk utility stopped loading. I tried it to see if there was something related in software that was not working. When I double click on it it says searching HDD and keeps spinning. I cannot use the optical drive to put in the repair disks and cannot find anything related to this on the Apple site for the Mac Pro. I have looked several times.

Can you help? The question is, as this is a hardware and/or software problem, should I go ahead and install the new opticals or fix the currently installed optical first? Is it fixable or is it fried? Kind of at a loss here as I don't know if these are related or if I should do one before the other.

I worked on electronics in the Navy and am able to work my way around a computer if it is a PC. Haven't pulled the guts from a Mac though. Well, I did install the RAM upgrade with zero problems. I put another 8 GB in the MP.

[seanc]

Yeah you've posted this one before

Have you put both new Panasonic drives in? Do they show up in System Profiler? Assuming they're IDE, have you set one to be master and the other slave? Otherwise I suspect you have two slaves installed on the same bus - which just won't work or will give you some garbled name for a device.

Optical drives (especially cheap ones) die easily. I've got a LiteOn DVDRW that just stopped reading anything, eventually, it's only a few months old but they're so cheap I just replaced it.

If you can work on a PC, you can work on a Mac, just apply the same basic knowledge of installing hardware, work out how to get the drive sleds out and forget about a BIOS.

[Photocro]

No, and I apologize for doing this twice. I have not installed the new drives as I am not sure if this is a hardware or software issue or both. I just need clarification if it exists; hrdwr or sftwr. Again, I apologize for doing this twice. Please forgive me as I am not enough familiar with the Mac. As you are familiar with my posts can you clear this up for me? I would greatly appreciate any help. I have not installed the new drives. No problem doing that. I have a question as to the plug that goes into the stock optical drive on the right as you hold the drive in your hand looking at the back of the drive. Is this stuck or is it permanent? I could not unplug it without pliers. I left it alone as I could not get it lose. Is the removable connection on the other end? Just a question that an answer would be great to have.

I am a junior member as I lack expertise, I guess. I could do this with a PC but that is another issue. Thanks for any help.

[seanc]

Originally Posted by Photocro 

No, and I apologize for doing this twice. I have not installed the new drives as I am not sure if this is a hardware or software issue or both. I just need clarification if it exists; hrdwr or sftwr. Again, I apologize for doing this twice. Please forgive me as I am not enough familiar with the Mac. As you are familiar with my posts can you clear this up for me? I would greatly appreciate any help. I have not installed the new drives. No problem doing that. I have a question as to the plug that goes into the stock optical drive on the right as you hold the drive in your hand looking at the back of the drive. Is this stuck or is it permanent? I could not unplug it without pliers. I left it alone as I could not get it lose. Is the removable connection on the other end? Just a question that an answer would be great to have.

I am a junior member as I lack expertise, I guess. I could do this with a PC but that is another issue. Thanks for any help.

You mean the power connector? That should definitely come out. AFAIK, they're standard optical drives.

Just take both drives out and put the new ones in - I suspect it's hardware and it's an easy way to rule it out since you already have the drives!

[Photocro]

Thanks. I will install the drives this weekend. Merry Christmas and thanks for the responses.