Disk Drive on i7 iMac Won't Take Disk

[rankandfile]

Disk drive on i7 iMac will only allow a disk to be inserted about half way. There seems to be a "springy" resistance against pushing the disk any further in.

Any ideas?

[Black]

Do you have kids?

[rankandfile]

Yes, Black, but they're older. Nothing's been put in there other than cds and dvds. Was working earlier in the day.

[Dick Moore]

Bad sign. Probably need to pull the drive.

[rankandfile]

This is a mid-2010 iMac. 6 months out of warranty. Should I take it in to an Apple Store? I gather these iMacs are not for the faint of heart to disassemble.

[Black]

Doesn't look that bad to me.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac-Intel-2...ent/1637/1
(I'd consider an external for my infrequent DVD needs though.)

[C(-)ris]

Have you tried restarting with the mouse button held down to do a force eject. Might clear either something stuck or just reset the mechanism. Also try removing power from the machine, holding down the power button for 10 seconds, then plugging it back in and hit power after you have let go of the power button. *Don't hold down the power button and plug it back in at the same time*

If that doesn't work, yea, probably needs a new CD drive. Little complicated to take apart, and the drive isn't particularly cheap. If you can deal with a FW or USB external, that would be the better way to go.

[rankandfile]

We had tried the mouse button force eject restart to no avail. Tried your idea about disconnecting power/holding down power button. No change. Appreciate the tip, though.

Looks like either a trip to the Apple Store, or an external. Thing is, my son hasn't had to use the optical since December when he installed Windows 7 for a game. He rarely uses it except for StarCraft II, and he hadn't done that for a while. I was mistaken about his having used it this morning.

[rankandfile]

Would compressed air be worth a try?

[WHiiP]

rankandfile wrote:
Would compressed air be worth a try?

Well, it's not working now, right? What harm could it do? You are shooting air into a closed box, so it won't go anywhere else. Go for it.