Why Your iMac Isn't Damaging DVDs: Save Money by Keeping Your Old Disc Drive

Why Your iMac Isn’t Damaging DVDs: Save Money by Keeping Your Old Disc Drive

Home >DVD Tips > How Fix iMac Scratching DVDs

Posted by Bella Brown- April 24, 2019 | Contact Author

How to play DVDs on Mac without DVD scratches: The solution most recommended by us [85%]

“I noticed recently that my iMac is scratching DVDs. After I inserted the DVD into iMac’s DVD player slot, the surperdirve whirled around for seconds with ‘scratching’ noise and ejected the discs. When I turned the discs around I noticed that the surface was covered with whorls of scratches. I tried the disks on two other computers which showed that the discs were now ‘unreadable. I’m sure my discs are in relatively perfect condition.”

Sometimes, you insert a DVD into iMac or MacBook Pro only to find Mac won’t play it after spinning for a while. That’s not the whole story. Even worse, they also notice scratches on the DVDs. The severity of the scratches varies. But in some cases, the DVD scratches in Mac make the disc unreadable any more. How to fix the problem? If you’re under warranty, you can replace the disc drive. But if not, can fix it without a replacement.

iMac Superdrive Scratching Discs

How to Fix Disc Scratching Problem with iMac/MacBook Pro

Clean and wrap the disc drive

Dust is the greatest enemy of an optical drive. Once the disc drive gets dirty, it usually fails to read the discs, DVD skips and freezes , and random eject, etc. In some other cases, as the drive motor rotates at a speed between 200 and 500 rpm, the dirty on the drive may result in disc scratching problem with iMac. Therefore, you can use some compressed air and try to remove the dust without opening the computer.

For older iMac models, the sharp rear facing metal edge of the DVD slot may be responsible for “iMac scratching DVDs” errors. According to users’ feedbacks, the DVD slot is not cut evenly. First, insert the disc into the slot in a proper angle with care. However, users reported that even inserting a disc with extreme care, keeping the label side as much as possible towards the front, doesn’t always prevent this from happening. If your Mac is not under warranty (or any behavior may be regarded as user error against a replacement), here is our suggestion. Wrap both sides to the sharp edges of the slot with a piece of tap the length of the DVD slot.

Replace the disc drive if you’re under warranty

There is a good chance that there is a mechanical defect in the superdrive that scratches the DVD in Mac. You’re not to repair the disc drive yourself as it’s very complicated and will involve disassembly. Once you open the package, you may not be able to ask for repair or replacement under warranty. I’d recommend taking the computer to your local Apple Store or AASP for service. Every store will vary, if the machine is covered by AppleCare, a replacement is free.

If the iMac is not under warranty and having Mac’s internal disc drive replaced is quite expensive, another less-expensive method is to buy an external disc drive. For $60-100 you can get an excellent (fast and safe) external DVD drive for Mac . Once connected to iMac/MacBook Pro, it should work as the original superdrive.

How to play DVDs on iMac/MacBook Pro without scratches: You can backup and convert the discs into digital formats for Macs.Easier & fast Solution

Before you check and replace your disc drive, you can also digitize the DVD to avoid DVD scratches in Mac. In fact, even if the superdrive is not defective, when it spinning rapidly, you may notice superdrive scratching discs. Besides, any poor handling, cleaning improperly and failure to immediately return the dvd to a protective case my all easily result in scratches on a DVD. If you don’t want to replace the disc drive for the moment and still need to play a DVD, digitizing it is your way.

MacX DVD Ripper Pro is your best helper to digitize a DVD. It will also convert scratched/damaged DVDs.

MacX DVD Ripper Pro - Backup DVDs in 1:1 Ratio & Digitize Disc in High Quality

Backup a DVD in 1:1 quality to save an intact copy against any scratches or damages.
Convert DVDs into MP4, MOV, MKV, HEVC, H.264, AVI, WMV, ISO, MEPG, etc. for error-free playback on Mac DVD players, computers, mobiles, TVs, any other devices.
Remove DVDs protections like region code (1-6), RCE, CSS, Disney-X project, Sony ARccOS, UOPs, etc. and support damaged/unreadable DVDs, the latest DVD releases, 99-title discs, etc.
5X faster speed than others with the unique Level-3 Hardware Acceleration tech.

Download MacX DVD Ripper Pro macOS version to digitize a DVD on Mac

Download MacX DVD Ripper Pro Windows version to digitize a DVD on PC

Back up DVD in 1:1 ratio

Step 1. Run MacX DVD Ripper Pro and insert the DVD into the disc drive (on a new computer). You can also try the scratched DVD.

Step 2. Click the DVD button to import the DVD > select an output format from the window. If you want to play the DVD on the Mac with scratching problems, you can select General Profiles > MP4 or other formats. If you simply want to make a digital copy to avoid any disc scratching problem with iMac/MacBook Pro, select DVD Backup > ISO option to copy a DVD to Mac in original quality.

Step 3. Click Run. The software will convert discs into digital files for Mac with super fast speed.

Disclaimer: This post is to help users whose MacBook Pro/iMac is scratching DVDs play the DVD successfully. It does not in any way advocate ripping a DVD for any commericial or other illegal use. Please consult the law in your country before you rip any commercial DVD.

Why Is MacX DVD Ripper Pro Your Choice? See What Tech Websites and Customers Say about Us

Stars 4.8

Cover over 79 Countries
9,000,000 Satisfied Users

“I just tried the program with a DVD of mine, and it worked quickly and flawlessly. If you want a fast, effective, and fairly user-friendly DVD-ripping solution, MacX DVD Ripper Pro is the way to go.”

- Rick Broida (CNET review)

Since 2016
9,000,000 Users
100% safe
Money Back

DVD Won’t Play with “Supported Disc Not Available” Error

DVD won’t play or eject and MacBook Pro says Supported Disc Not Available. Why does this problem occur and how to fix it? Check here.

Copy Damaged DVD to Fix Slightly or Severely DVD Scratches

This article talks about the best solution to copy damaged DVD on Mac, both for slightly damaged and severely scratched DVDs.

Make Your DVD Player & Drive Region-free in Clicks

You can’t play region 2 DVD in USA or play region 1 DVD in UK… But with 3 clicks, you can bypass the region codes permanently and play DVDs in different regions freely.

Failed to Rip DVD? All New & Protected DVD Rip Errors Fixed!

No DVD disc found? Can’t rip DVD? DVD ripping crashes halfway? All your DVD ripping errors can be fixed here.

How to Solve “DVD Won’t Play on Mac (MacBook Pro/Air/iMac)”

This guide focuses on how to solve the DVD won’t play on Mac problem and let you play DVD on macbook air/pro and iMac smoothly.

How to Remove DVD Protection with a Strong Decrypter

You will need to decrypt the protected DVDs. This DVD decrypter for Mac will rip and decrypt any DVD and end DVD ripping errors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bella Brown

Bella Brown has been a copywriter at Digiarty since 2009. Because of the occupational requirement and personal interest, Farrah has carried on broad and profound study and researches to multimedia related stuff, popular electronic devices and multimedia programs in the market.

Home > DVD Tips > How Fix iMac Scratching DVDs

Some Knowledge