Mac mini cd/dvd drive issues

[hexstar]

Ok so I mistakinly bought a used mac mini off ebay (not realising that a brand new one from the apple store would've cost just as much and would've allowed me to avoid this hassle ><) and it looks ok cosmetically, but the cd/dvd drive is another story...it has a weird issue of being able to read pc formatted cds and movie dvds but any mac formatted cds/dvds (this means not being able to use any os install cds...ugh) it refuses to read...if I insert a mac formatted cd/dvd it'll make this sound repeatedly: http://files-upload.com/files/2757/badcd.wav.html and the console shows:

Nov 5 14:57:54 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:58:03 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:58:13 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:58:23 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:58:32 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:58:32 macminis-computer kernel[0]: disk1s4: I/O error.
Nov 5 14:58:43 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:58:52 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:59:02 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:59:12 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:59:21 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 14:59:21 macminis-computer kernel[0]: disk1s3: I/O error.
Nov 5 14:59:23 macminis-computer KernelEventAgent[31]: tid 00000000 received unknown event (12)
Nov 5 15:05:38 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:05:48 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:05:57 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:06:07 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:06:17 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:06:17 macminis-computer kernel[0]: disk1s3: I/O error.
Nov 5 15:06:26 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:06:36 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:06:46 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:06:55 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:07:05 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:07:05 macminis-computer kernel[0]: disk1s4: I/O error.
Nov 5 15:07:15 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:07:18 macminis-computer KernelEventAgent[31]: tid 00000000 received unknown event (12)
Nov 5 15:17:23 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:17:33 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:17:42 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:17:52 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:18:02 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:18:02 macminis-computer kernel[0]: disk1s3: I/O error.
Nov 5 15:18:11 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:18:21 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:18:31 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:18:40 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x02, ASCQ = 0x00
Nov 5 15:18:50 macminis-computer kernel[0]: SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, ASC = 0x09, ASCQ = 0x90

worse yet, it appears to have a superdrive as shown by this apple profiler output...

MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-846:

Firmware Revision: FM3J
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW, +R DL
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media: No

but since my mac is a 1.66ghz mac mini and it says on the apple store page here: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?family=Macmini that it has a combo drive, also says so here: http://www.apple-history.com/?page=gallery&model=mac_mini_intel at the bottom in the notes: The low end model had a 24x/24x/16x/8x Combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, and the high end model had a 24x/24x/16x/8x/8x/4x/2.4x CD-RW/DVD±RW/DVD+R DL SuperDrive, this of course being the lower end model...does this mean that the seller went in and replaced the combo drive with a apparently defective superdrive? And if that's so doesn't that mean that he violated the limited apple warranty of this mac? the warranty info can be found here: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache...pdf+stndwarranty.pdf&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1 and I believe the parts broken are: * (1) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, misapplication, or non- Apple products, • (2) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not an Apple Authorised Service Provider, • (3) to a product or a part that has been modified without the written permission of Apple? So that means that I can't use the limited apple warranty now either right? grrr...what would cause the cd/dvd drive to do that though? ugh...what a mess...

EDIT: I noticed that the terms and conditions for the warranty are found are for the asia pacific but I couldn't find the terms and conditions for the US, where are they? And anyways, I assume they're the same terms?

 

[eric2006]

You've got a one-year parts guaranty, which travels with the serial, not owner. If it looks good cosmetically, they'll probably replace it. You're probably out of the 90-day telephone support, so it'd be cheapest to bring it to the nearest Apple store and show it to the Genius bar.

 

[DeltaMac]

Until September 2006, the 1.66 GHz was the HIGH end Mac mini, which included the SuperDrive. The CURRENT 1.66 GHz (again, new since September) is now the low end, and does not have a superdrive. Are you confused, yet?
Yours is likely an older one, sold between Jan 2006, and Sept 06, and the drive seems correct, but may not be working properly. It can be replaced under the original warranty, being less than 12 months old.
Try booting to your restore DVD by rebooting with that disk in the drive, holding the letter C, which should boot to the OS X installer screens. If it does boot to that, then your drive would be at least partly working. If not, you'll get some sort of error, or the disk will simply eject.