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Portables (Apple) Businesses Technology (Apple) Apple Hardware Technology

Apple Posts Slot-Loading Drive Update 53

Posted by pudge from the playing-the-slots dept.
K-dog writes "Apple has posted a firmware update for the slot loading combo drives in Xserves and PowerBooks. 'This update installs new firmware on PowerBook and Xserve Combo drives. The update prevents Combo drives from intermittently failing to eject discs. It's recommended that you install this update to ensure that your Combo drive avoids this problem.' It's kind of ironic that I spent an hour on the phone with Apple trying to get one of our new 12" PB to eject!" I have a new-ish PowerBook G4/867, with a Combo drive, and it reports, "This hardware does not require this update." I wish Apple would be more specific about what systems this is actually for. Or maybe what the problem is.
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Apple Posts Slot-Loading Drive Update More

Apple Posts Slot-Loading Drive Update

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  • Use the force (Score:5, Funny)

    by jlgolson ( 19847 ) * on Thursday May 29, 2003 @01:35PM (#6069398) Homepage Journal
    Apple Tech:
    *Waves hand*
    "There is no problem with your computer"

    You:
    "There is no problem with my computer"

    Apple Tech:
    "This isn't the update you're looking for"

    You:
    "This isn't the update I'm looking for"
    • I was thinking about getting an Apple... any advice on why or why not I should purchase one?? This article isn't making the PowerBook look so appealing.

  • The problem is not just on slot loading drives (Score:4, Informative)

    by McAddress ( 673660 ) on Thursday May 29, 2003 @01:43PM (#6069450)
    Very often I am not able to eject CD's from the combo drive on my 12 inch iBook using the button on the keyboard. Sometimes the CD does not even show up in the finder (Often when using a msdos or linux disk).

    The best way I have found to deal with it is to go into the Terminal and manually view the files from there, and use umount to unmount the disk, and then eject the CD by using the eject button in the now-crippled iTunes.And I still get a message saying that I have not ejected the disk prooperly.
    A really big pain to use a CD.

    But I still prefer my Mac over ANY OS from the borg.

    • Re:The problem is not just on slot loading drives (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I have also had problems ejecting a disk that the Mac can't read well. Usually 'diskutil eject /dev/disk1' (or whatever your CD device is) will work. If not, you can try logging out and back in and then ejecting the disk. The last chance is to hold down the mouse button while rebooting.

      The other thing to remember about ibooks and pbooks is that you have to hold the eject button down for close to a second for it to work. I think this was a conscious design to make it less likely that you'll hit the ejec
      • I've had that problem too. I had one CD that I couldn't play in iTunes on my iBook that effectivly made OS X useless (back in the days of 10.1) as it was exceedingly unresponsive. When I finally got the CD out of the drive I discovered a severe pressing fault - a huge blob of paint on the playing surface - that rendered the disk unreadable.

        I've since had simillar symptoms with another CD - this one has a hidden track at the start of the disc.

        I'm sure that a firmware update could resolve these issues too.
    • From Terminal, you can open any folder (even supposedly hidden ones) with simply:
      open /Volumes

      My question is, is the CD in question listed in in the Volumes directory? If so, does open /Volumes/cdname
      work, and open a Finder window? If so, can you right/ctrl-click and choose Eject? I know you can do all of that using a standard CD, but haven't had any problem CDs I can try it on. I have a feeling it won't, but you didn't specify what path you use to view the files, if it is through Volumes or thr
  • I mean, if Apple announced that a study found that there was absolutely nothing wrong with slot-loading drives, and did so while you were on the phone with an Apple tech, that'd be ironic. You sir (or madam, I really didn't bother to find out) experienced a coincidence. For more info, check out Dictionary.com's definition of ironic [reference.com], specifically the "Usage Note".

  • Huh? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by ZxCv ( 6138 ) *
    Quoteth the post:
    ... in Xserves and PowerBooks. The update prevents Combo drives from intermittently failing to eject discs.
    .....
    I wish Apple would be more specific about what systems this is actually for. Or maybe what the problem is.

    Where's the confusion about what the problem is, or what systems are affected? Sounds like a number of slot-loading combo drives used in Xserves and PowerBooks have a problem with intermittently failing to eject discs. After reading the 3 sentence bit about this issue

    • Re:Huh? (Score:5, Informative)

      by pudge ( 3605 ) * <slashdot@@@pudge...net> on Thursday May 29, 2003 @02:30PM (#6069940) Homepage Journal
      "This update is for Xserve servers and PowerBook computers with an internal slot-loading Combo drive."

      I have a PowerBook with an internal slot-loading Combo drive. Therefore, it should be for my computer. It is, apparently, not. How are you confused as to why I am confused?

      As to what the problem is, I mean specifically, what the problem is, and what they did to address it. "A firmware issue" is not very specific. Is it because the latch won't open, a problem I had? Or is it because of a communications problem with the PowerBook? I want specifics. Apple rarely provides them.

      • Re:Huh? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Graymalkin ( 13732 )
        Quoth Apple's KB document:

        If your system does not require this update or if the update is unsuccessful, the update application displays one of the following alert messages:

        "Your computer doesn't need this update."

        Your computer has a different optical drive model and doesn't need this update. The application quits without changing anything on your system.

        "Your drive firmware is up-to-date."

        The firmware in your Combo drive doesn't need updating. The application quits without changing anything on your s

        • Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)

          by pudge ( 3605 ) * <slashdot@@@pudge...net> on Thursday May 29, 2003 @03:18PM (#6070375) Homepage Journal
          "If your system does not require this update or if the update is unsuccessful, the update application displays one of the following alert messages"

          Right. Why is it so hard to tell us which systems it applies to before downloading it? Maybe a link to an "advanced" document if they don't want to confuse people who wouldn't understand it.

          As for specifics, how long have you been using Macs?

          I dunno, over 15 years.

          I'm having a hard time remember any time Apple gave a detailed answer to a hardware problem.

          Yes, exactly. And it is annoying.

          • Re:Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)

            by commodoresloat ( 172735 )
            Part of the problem is that Apple isn't very specific about its different models. The question of which powerbooks are affected would be easier to answer if every different powerbook model had a unique model number that was easy to find. I know it's out of tune with Apple's marketing strategy to advertise different models of computer with obscure number/letter schemes, but having to identify your computer as something like "PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard)" or "PowerMac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)" is

            • Re:Huh? (Score:2)

              by pudge ( 3605 ) *
              having to identify your computer as something like "PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard)" or "PowerMac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)" is just confusing as hell for most users.

              Sure, all of what I asked to know would be confusing for most users; I suggest a link to a separate document with more detailed information.
    • I was listening to a CD, and it was, like, working fine. And then, like, there was an update to fix my problems. And I was, like ? heh?

  • Irony is not particularly difficult to understand. It occurs when an actual event is the exact opposite of what would reasonably be expected.

    Given that there was obviously a problem with the slot-loading drives on these computers, it doesn't seem at all ironic that you would spend time working with tech support to solve that problem. Not just not ironic, but downright likely.

  • Specific drive (Score:5, Informative)

    by Shishio ( 540577 ) on Thursday May 29, 2003 @03:09PM (#6070297)
    I wish Apple would be more specific about what systems this is actually for.

    The firmware update is for newer Powerbooks and Xserves that use the Matshita CW-8122 combo drive. It updates the firmware to version BA21. Previously used combo drives are not affected by the update.

    Check out xlr8yourmac [xlr8yourmac.com] for further info and reports about the firmware update.

  • Give me more firmware (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What I really want to see is Firmware that upgrades my superdrive to a 2x or greater dvd burner. that would make me REAL happy.
  • One reason this update is very important is that there is no manual eject on the combo drives. If a disk won't eject you have to send it in for servicing. This would be extremely bad in the case of an Xserve.

  • Ahh.... makes me yearn... (Score:5, Funny)

    by nettdata ( 88196 ) on Thursday May 29, 2003 @10:01PM (#6073369) Homepage
    This makes me yearn for the days of the "ejectrode".

    For those of you who don't remember/know, an ejectrode was a device (usually a stretched out paper-clip) that was used to manually extricate floppies out of their drive when they refused to pop out themselves. This was done by pushing the ejectrode into the small hole beside the floppy entrance, as there was no manual ejection button like on most modern floppy drives.

    It was pretty funny, because you would see a few of those around any mac office (at least around our office in the mid 90's), and you knew EXACTLY what they were for.

    It's too bad that the Combo drives have no such feature.

  • I don't see why Apple bothered. I posted this cause I felt it was ironic that Apple made a Firmware update to in my own words allow the owner to eject their CDs.... uhhhh better!

    I spent an hour on the phone with some chick at apple who had me hold down the mouse button at startup, hold dow the eject button at startup, Zap the PRAM, Reset NVRAM, Reset all parameters, reset the PMU, startup into the boot loader and try ejecting, and even load open firmware and type the command "eject cd". The Firmware told
  • ...a fresh firmware, ready to be patched.

    Thank you Apple, and please, please, release many more firmwares...
  • Considering this updates the drive firmware, this means that we now have a prog to flash those matshita drives under OSX ...
    Plus the firmware is inside the app :)

    This could be a good path to start modifying that patch so it can change the RPC setting on the drive ...
    (maybe also to remove restrictions, like enable RW dvds, stuffs like that)

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