Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive

If a CD or DVD is physically stuck inside your MacBook's or MacBook Pro's slot-in drive (e.g. when you've inserted a CD with a paper label) this tip might be useful:

When pressing the eject button the disc is moved a tiny bit and pulled back inside immediately afterwards. You can probably see only a very tiny bit if it, but that part can't be caught by regular tweezers or other tools available in a typical household. I also unsuccessfully tried some tips for removing a stuck DVD floating around the web.

Instead, try to use the shutter of an old 3.5" floppy disc, and bend both ends of the shutter slightly outwards, so that the disc can easily slip between the ends. Now you have a tool that is thin enough to go a bit deeper into you Mac's slot-in drive. Press the Eject button and try to catch a tiny part of the disc with your newly-built tool. You should have a fairly good grip on the disc, and you can start to pull it out -- very slowly!

Warning: Be careful. You can easily ruin your disc or drive. When in doubt, contact your local Apple service partner.

More info, along with a sketch can be found in my original blog post.

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Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive
Authored by: californiafox on Thu, Jun 5 2008 at 9:36AM PDT

There are two other tips for a stuck disc that work nearly always:

1) Turn the machine upside down and eject the disc - gravity gives you a little bit of a boost and often times will wiggle it out. (obviously this trick is a bit harder on your iMac G3, but on most portables is very easy)

2) If the disc is just barely visible, actually jar the machine (don't hit it on something) but shake it and stop it abruptly, and often times the disc will come flying out.

...I have saved hundreds of stuck discs with these two simple tricks.

Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive
Authored by: rusto on Thu, Jun 5 2008 at 12:04PM PDT

Here's a possibly useful modification to your tool: line the insides of the tool with double stick tape - this will enable you to get a firmer grip on the disc.

Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive
Authored by: iangoldby on Thu, Jun 5 2008 at 12:20PM PDT

A much more gentle method that has always worked for me:

Balance the laptop on its edge, i.e. with the side of the screen and the side of the keyboard resting on the desk and leave it like that to cool for a while. (I find CDs get stuck only when the laptop is fairly hot.) Then press eject with it still in this vertical orientation.

Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive
Authored by: sjr on Thu, Jun 5 2008 at 1:57PM PDT

a bit safer than the method recommended in the article, to remove CDs DVDs. etc from slot loading drives, try a playing card w/ double stick tape on one side -
stick it in the slot, carefully wiggle it around a bit to "grab" the disk, playing w/ the eject button a bit during this might help as well

a client had somehow managed to get both a mini-cd & full size CD stuck in the slot (dont ask how) - playing card + double stick tape did the trick

---
Sam Rohn - New York City Location Scout - http://www.nylocations.com/

Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive
Authored by: ashorlivs on Thu, Jun 5 2008 at 4:07PM PDT

A floppy disk?
OMG... Where???

Remove a stuck CD or DVD from a slot loading drive
Authored by: ericdsa on Fri, Jun 6 2008 at 5:30AM PDT

Try just using another cd or dvd. Hold it against the edge of the stuck disk until the eject function has kicked in, this works for me. No need to look for a batter box or any of the other things that have been suggested.

another method if you don't have a floppy disk...
Authored by: bcometa on Fri, Jun 13 2008 at 12:26PM PDT

I thought of this after reading ericdsa's comment, but instead of a CD or DVD, I used two credit cards (well, the same size, shape, and material as credit cards); one wedged below the stuck cd or dvd, one wedged above the stuck cd, applied tension, and voila!

see the video here: http://www.corewerkz.com/2008/06/13/video-how-to-remove-stuck-cd-from-imac-slot-loading-optical-drive/

corewerkz

[ Reply to This | # ]

another method if you don't have a floppy disk...
Authored by: Stelex on Sun, Jun 15 2008 at 8:09AM PDT

Here is the way you can take it out by using a piece of a cardboard, worked in most cases: http://www.silvermac.com/2006/dvd-stuck-in-macbook-pro/

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