Zen Internet Support Forum

I'm new to mac. I have a new spec 15"MBP. The superdrive is really noisy, like a hairdryer, even when playing CDs - even photo CDs. It's a Matshita DVD-R UJ-857E.

I've seen some moans about this make on other macforums, but before hitting the genius bar tomorrow, can anyone else say if they have trouble with their superdrive on the new MBP pls?

Is it possible to get another make fitted?  I can bypass using the superdrive too often, but on a machine this pricey, it's really annoying. It also swallowed a DVD and I had to emergency eject it by rebooting the machine.

Also: how do you activate the 3rd symbol on a key (eg the euro) and is there a way of getting a hash key pls?

It's also refusing to interface with my printer so am taking that along to the genius bar (hernia time; it's a Canon MP600).

but the superdrive's what's driving me nuts.

 

I have a 6 month old iMac also with a Matshita drive. Its a different model from yours but I reckon it's a very noisy beast compared to my PC. It's rather ironic because the iMac is so quiet in operation compared to the PC, which has a couple of 20cm cooling fans that make it sound like a 747!

Generally speaking, Macs are not so customisable as PCs. My iMac case is sealed, like my iPod's, and there's no obvious way of opening. Doing so would invalidate my warranty in any case. Most Mac users I know have gone down the external drive route for expanding their systems.

To activate the Euro, use Alt 3.

Set up this - you may find it of use.

Keyboard Viewer and Character Palette

• Open System Preferences (under Apple on the menu bar)
• On the Personal row, open International then go to the Input Menu tab and check whether Character Palette and Keyboard Viewer are ticked. If not tick.
• Down at the bottom of the window, tick Show input menu in menu bar.

That will display the Union Jack on the RH end of the menu bar near to the clock. (If you see the Stars & Strips, your international settings are wrong - change!)

Now when you require a special character like © or #, open Keyboard Viewer by clicking the Union Jack and selecting Show Keyboard Viewer. Press one of the keys on the bottom LH side of the Space Bar and watch what happens in Keyboard Viewer. Viola - keys change to show special symbols.

For additional info, read this.

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Fred

thanks Fred, brilliant. The Applestore switched my MBP for another one as the superdrive was not only noisy but blackscreened and froze a DVD in front of their very eyes. This one seems marginally better although is also Matshita - and, alarmingly, noisier than a Dell. The macbooks were the only ones in-store to have a different make of superdrive (HD something; lots of initials). This one has a squeaky keyboard which I hope settles down.

Mind my asking, how do you post a hyperlink (your 'here') using a mac? 

my usage of the Noisy Beast is mostly media but OH uses it for boring work apps and is dismayed by how different it is (intuitive??!! dark mutterings) from XP and MS Office for Windows. How long did it take you to fully adapt? 

That's great that you got sorted out so quickly but not so good that you've still got a noisy drive. IMO, Apple gear is well put together and I believe it has to undergo a quite strict quality control check so they don't usually end up with lots of duds on the market. However, when using third party components there's always risk that, for example, a faulty batch of drives is used.

Re links, I use Firefox as my browser so it's easy to have several tabs open simultaneously. Enter your message editor on here and start typing. Jump to another tab in order to display your target web site, highlight the URL of the target then press Command <Apple> C to copy. Move back to your message and highlight the word(s) you wish to use as a link. When you do so, notice that the Link tool will become available on the message editor tool bar. Select it and in the resulting pop-up, paste the target URL into the top line with Command <Apple> V and set the link property in the middle line.

Not sure that I've fully adapted <grin> as I still use PCs. As I said in an earlier post, I've had the iMac since the beginning of the year and feel I'm getting on top of things now. Having networked the iMac and set up shares for printing on both my PC and my iMac, I feel I'm getting there! I've found the Apple discussion forums invaluable for self-help. Go there, search, and I'll just about guarantee you'll find posts on the same topic.

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Fred

I'm trying to decide whether to ignore an occasionally squeaky keyboard or not. The macforums have horror stories of keys falling off MBPs :(

Thank you very much anyhow. I think a mac and a PC is ideal actually so you have the best of both worlds. Is it possible to post seriously dumb qs on the Apple discussion forums as (somewhat like these Zen forums) they are often at a tech level that makes my head spin?!

Here comes one :)  how do I 'enter my message editor'? (don't say you weren't warned). I do use FF mostly. Safari only when yahoo crashes in FF, which it's doing at present.

many thanks. 

baldnavel:

I'm trying to decide whether to ignore an occasionally squeaky keyboard or not. The macforums have horror stories of keys falling off MBPs :(

I've removed some of my key tops because I dropped something on my keyboard and it went in under the keys. They were difficult to pull off so I'd be surprised if they came off of their own accord. 

baldnavel:

Thank you very much anyhow. I think a mac and a PC is ideal actually so you have the best of both worlds. Is it possible to post seriously dumb qs on the Apple discussion forums as (somewhat like these Zen forums) they are often at a tech level that makes my head spin?!

If you have  a thick skin there's no problem! Seriously, there's maybe more risk of someone replying in a sarcastic or nasty way but I've found most folks there very helpful - especially if you start your posting by saying that you're a newbie and a recent convert from PCs. That usually gets them on your side!

baldnavel:

Here comes one :)  how do I 'enter my message editor'? (don't say you weren't warned). I do use FF mostly. Safari only when yahoo crashes in FF, which it's doing at present.

I used the term message editor to describe the screen I'm using when typing this. Entered from either the Quote or Reply buttons on an existing thread, or from Write a New Post. 

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Fred

Thanks Fred. I have 2 days left on my 14 day since buying the MBP T&Cs.  This superdrive 'ate' the same DVD as the last one, albeit at a slightly later stage - then it played another one just fine. I'm going to run 5 or 6 DVDs today to make sure if perhaps it's just one duff one, but is the macbook pro superdrive especially sensitive?

I will be sure to use the words 'newbie', 'moron', 'idiot' etc extensively on the macforums  

baldnavel:

Thanks Fred. I have 2 days left on my 14 day since buying the MBP T&Cs.  This superdrive 'ate' the same DVD as the last one, albeit at a slightly later stage - then it played another one just fine. I'm going to run 5 or 6 DVDs today to make sure if perhaps it's just one duff one, but is the macbook pro superdrive especially sensitive?

Don't know as I have no personal experience of the Macbook Pro. A friend of mine has one that's about a year old and he's very happy with his.

baldnavel:

I will be sure to use the words 'newbie', 'moron', 'idiot' etc extensively on the macforums  

Calling people names like that on a new forum is one way of getting flamed!

Seriously, I'd stick to newbie - it's the accepted description for someone new to the forum (or technology). Some people are very sensitive to the use of terms such as 'idiot' or 'moron'.

Best of luck. 

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Fred

I'll stick to newbie then :)

joking apart, this squeaky keyboard MBP's superdrive is so much quieter than the other one. I am going to Apple Store tomorrow but I think I may decide against switching it because of the odd squeak. I really like this machine despite its frustrations. I had a go on a Dell and ye gods it be a horrible creature in comparison. As for Vista, I could make a cup of tea in the time it took to open 'My Computer' :O

thanks Fred; your help's much appreciated.