Any tricks short of tearing the thing apart?

Repair shop. All anecdotal evidence says that getting the disc out is near impossible. FWIW, you won't be able to get to the innards of the drive itself; being a slot-load it's completed enclosed (someone correct me on this if my memory is off).

You might get lucky though, but I wouldn't chance it. Or you could just upgrade the internal drive instead.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2007 10:41AM by Zoidberg.

First, you need a Time Machine...

Jem, if he had the Time Machine, or got access to it later, he wouldn't have made the post. Duh!

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see: [silvermac.com]

The jist of it is to shove a thin piece of cardboard in the slot to try to scoop/coax it out.

g'luck.....

the better question is what are you going to do to the moran who stuck it in there?

I was just reading through more of the Google search I posted; note that, even though "Mac" isn't in my search parameters, it's the subject of just about every hit.

So does that mean Mac users are the only ones "off" enough to think they can stick a miniCD in a slot-load PowerBook/iBook/MacBook/MacBook Pro/Mac mini/iMac, but Windows users are smart enough to avoid this?

As another FWIW, I wonder when the slot-load drives will get the capability that the Nintendo Wii has in being able to load miniCDs? My kids use both full-size discs and their old miniDVDs from the GameCube in the Wii.

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No zoid, most PCs are so cheap that they use standard tray loading POS drives.

and 10% of all laptops sold last quarter were macs, and all of those were slot loaders, so it does make sense that close to half of the computers (including minis and iMacs) out there with slot loaders are made by Apple.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2007 11:13AM by Racer X.

MacBookPro!

The drive replacement doable? Or is it one of those unglue the case things?

Drive replacement is a bit daunting but very do-able. I just did a HD replacement on my MBP (15") a month ago; when you're that far in, the optical drive is just to the right.

Video here: [eshop.macsales.com]

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Quote
papercup
see: [silvermac.com]

The jist of it is to shove a thin piece of cardboard in the slot to try to scoop/coax it out. g'luck.....

Prob with this method is that I think this guy inserted a full-sized blank DVD into his drive. The mini disc's size make it a whole 'nother ball game.

If the MBP is under AppleCare, you might be able to finagle it if you have an Apple Store nearby. Maybe. Otherwise, it might be cheaper just to replace the drive.

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Y'know, I only mentioned MCE if you wanted to send it off. If you want to do it yourself, get the drive from OWC (do they sell it? someone help me out here).

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You could try a piece of construction paper, a strip of the thicker paper from a cereal box, or a strip of plastic (like the packaging off a box of toys - barbie doll boxes come to mind). Put some double stick tape on one of the ends and try to fish the disk out that way. Just be careful...

Jeff

Get a really thin sheet of plastic like a coffee can lid. Cut a couple of short shallow slots at like 20 degrees with a razor blade. Force open the slots so the lip sticks up about 1/100". Now carefully insert the sheet of plastic into the drive under the mini CD and try to hook the center hole.

If you know for sure where the mini CD is in the drive, use the plastic sheet previously mentioned and put a 1" strip of doublestick tape on it. Now stick a loop of waxed paper to the tape that is long enough to protrude out of the drive. Slide the plastic with the doublestick tape and waxed paper under the mini CD and pull the top of the waxed paper so that it peels off the tape. The mini CD should stick to the tape and you can pull it out.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

Watched OWC video, he mentions drive being thinner than older models. Checked OWC and MCE, neither offer MBP drive. ;
Bummer!

If you are so content on replacing the drive, you have nothing to lose by poking & prodding as hinted above. The thin plastic w/ sliced "barbs" idea sounds like a good one.

My brother did this in a Titanium PowerBook, and he somehow managed to get the mini-CD out by shaking the powerbook (power off, slot facing down).

I think it all might depend on how far in it went, and if the drive mechanisms tried to latch onto it and load it in.

No replacement MBP 15 drives available - YET. Close, not yet though. And bummer is they really do not offer any advantages to upgrade older models with.

I say take it apart, take the drive out, 4 screws on top of the drive, slide cover off, remove minicd, put cover back on and reassemble. See what happens.

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Good Luck!
Jamie Dresser
Other World Computing

I got one stuck in my TiBook, I used whatever was around to loop around the disk. Finally shook it out.

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A man who is of "sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key.
(Paul Valery)

Be sure to do a follow-up and let us know how you finally got it removed. Or not.

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I love the MacGyveresque answers so far. I'm surprised no one suggested some chewed bubble gum and a tampon yet.

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trisho.
----------------
Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.

That's right -- they have wings!

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Thanks Jamie, I didn't think the drive came apart. I'll try what you suggested.

...Is the CD still on the spindle/hub? Will it play? that would help you to insert and align cardboard/plastic "guides" to get the CD out.

If not, may God have mercy on your soul.

By-the-by, I once got a tampon stuck on my chewing gum, but that's probably a story for another time.

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

No RAMd®d, now's as good a time as any:0

Thanks all found this from a google search after my wonderful SWMBO - she who must be obeyed - got a mini cd stuck in her macbook... white polycarb 2.4GHZ ....

Now, this was no minor cd insertion, after the CD fell out when she tried to put it in... several times, she decided to use a DVD to push the CD in...

After it got thoroughly jamed in there I hear her asking from the bedroom... dear, how do I get a stuck CD out...

Well after reading your posts here is what worked for me... Sory Jem flux cap blew on time machine...

Instead I turned the machine off, took a 3x5 index card, folded over for rigidity, and swept it through the drive with the lappy tilted so the slot faced down. After a bit of gentle sweeping and a few firm but gentle smacks to the opposite side of the machine the little disk fell free.

And the drive still works.

Thanks all
Gareth

BTW... our cat is named Boo... I don't have the URL