Mac not reading small compact discs

[Lover of quiet computers]

My friend used a Sony CD Mavica digital camera to record live movies to small CD-R discs. I think the discs are of the variety eight centimeters in diameter and 210 megabytes in capacity. We inserted one into the optical drive, whose tray has a “groove†that fits this disc, of a Power Mac G5 running OS X 10.3 Panther, and nothing happened: it didn’t grant us any access to the CD. The drive itself is a Pioneer-supplied DVD-recording unit, possibly the “SuperDriveâ€, though I’m not certain.I think my friend also tried it in the internal DVD drive of a Power Mac G3 running OS 9, and it didn’t recognize it, either.Windows-based machines with which we have tried these discs have recognized them appropriately. What could be wrong with the Macs?

[SonicDragon]

Actually, this brings up another question that i was going to ask.What about small disks in those drives that don't pop out? They are just like a slit in the computer? Some of the old iMacs had them, and i think the powerbooks have them now. I'm curious as to what would happen if one were to put a small disk in there. Would it work?

[Arena2045]

First: I tested a mini-cd (Sony CD-R 200MB) CD in my G5, running 10.3... and it showed up properly on the desktop as a CD. This CD was previously recorded to on a Windows Machine.I was able to access all files and even extract them to the hard drive.Are you sure that the Sony CD Mavica records files to the CD or does it make a special kind of video cd? And are they actual CD-R disks or special disks?Does the CD show up on the desktop?2nd post: As with ANY slot loading drive, either PC or Mac or even those cars, you CAN NOT place a small disk into the drive. It can damage the drive or the CD, and there is the chance that it will get stuck. Some devices that burn to such mini CDs like the Sony CD Mavica MAY come with a special plastic adapter that will pop the CD in to allow it access to slot loading drives.

[SonicDragon]

2nd post: As with ANY slot loading drive, either PC or Mac or even those cars, you CAN NOT place a small disk into the drive. It can damage the drive or the CD, and there is the chance that it will get stuck. Some devices that burn to such mini CDs like the Sony CD Mavica MAY come with a special plastic adapter that will pop the CD in to allow it access to slot loading drives.

Good to know. Thanks

[Lover of quiet computers]

Are you sure that the Sony CD Mavica records files to the CD or does it make a special kind of video cd?  And are they actual CD-R disks or special disks?Does the CD show up on the desktop?

I'm going to have to check the details on these discs.No, the disc does not appear on the desktop.

[Arena2045]

Are you sure that the Sony CD Mavica records files to the CD or does it make a special kind of video cd?  And are they actual CD-R disks or special disks?Does the CD show up on the desktop?

I'm going to have to check the details on these discs.No, the disc does not appear on the desktop.

I would venture to guess that such a CD would not load under OS 9 or Classic... So everything I'm saying relates to OS X Panther. Please note the the screen shots posted may appear different regarding icons and placement...I would be interested in seeing what files show up on the CD under Windows Explorer. Can you see if you can post a screen shot of all the files on the CD, including any hidden files? (if you can't upload or would prefer not to post on the site you can PM me).I'm interested as to what format the CD is being burned to... Example is it ISO 9660? Check the manual and see if it clearly states that Mac hardware can or can not play back any recorded movies to the CD. I'm not familiar with the camera, but can you see any contents on a CD from the camera if ONLY pictures are burned to it? Are there options on choosing the format of the CD via the camera? Questions that you may or may not be able to answer, but could be helpful in trying to troubleshoot.Also, make sure that the user is an Administrator of the OS X system. Restricted users may not have access.Something you might want to try if you haven't already:Make sure that the option "Show these items on the desktop: CDs, DVDs, and iPods" is checked under: Finder > Preferences > General > Show these items on the desktop > CDs, DVDs, and iPods.Also, make sure that the option "Removable media (such as CDs)" is checked under the Sidebar area. Finder > Preferences > Sidebar > Removable media (such as CDs)Insert the CD, if it doesn't show up on the desktop, click on the Finder icon in the Dock (or the main hard drive icon on the desktop) to open a finder window. Under OS X 10.3 Panther you should see a window with a side panel that shows the various drives and such. It MAY show up there.Go into the System Preferences. Under CDs & DVDs change the first two listing to: Open Finder. Change the last 3 listings to Quicktime (you will have to navigate to the location of Quicktime which is usually in the Applications folder, the default starting point when you choose other app from the pull down menu). Once the options are changed, insert the CD into the drive, and see if it will appear on the desktop, or within a finder window as mentioned above.

[Arena2045]

When you insert the CD, do you hear it spin up?Once the CD is in the drive, and if you still can not see it under the Finder (desktop or finder window) as suggested in above post do the following. Apple (upper left corner) > About this Mac > More Info > Contents > Hardware > ATA > Pioneer DVD... > Look for a "capacity" listing.