othing is worse than having problems with disks, here are a few solutions to some of them. However, first of all, calling all Powerbook users.
Nothing can really be done about this except hope that Apple come up with a solution...
Defective Floppy's
efective floppy disks are always a problem, they have this curious habit of going so when something totally indispensable is on them. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done. One thing worth trying, is scanning the disk with a program like Norton Utilities or some similar disk scanning program to try and get something out, but all in all, it is quite unlikely.
When you manage (if you do) to get anything that was on a defective floppy disk off it, throw it away. It is possible to reformat it, but this only covers the defective parts temporarily, until you next put something on them. It does not fix them The same goes for Norton Speed Disk's method of repairing. Don't let the same disk ruin your life twice! You can tell a potentially bad disk by nonconformist sounds being made in the drive.
Sticky Disks
D's and disks stuck in drives can be annoying, and the reasons varying. If the computer tells you that they are shared, simply turn off file sharing, or, if you are hooked up to a large network, get a program like HDT Primer or UnmountIt (shareware) to do the job for you. This error usually comes up due to a disk being in the drive at startup, and also occurs on a regular basis with SyQuest cartridges under the same conditions.
Other obvious reason include files on them being used (which, of course, have to be closed), or if you have just booted from the disk, in which case you cannot eject it until you reboot.
This is actually a lie, you can eject a booted floppy from the drive by pressing [Apple] [Shift] and [1] in that order and holding them down. You can then use [Apple+.] to cancel the re-insert message (adventually), and then put another disk in. You will then have to keep switching disk in order to do anything like copying to or from, which is a pointless waste of time.
ometimes, though rarely, there really is a problem (ok, here's the useful part of the section). A few of Apple's internal CD drives on the Powermac 7500 hundred range had slight design problems in that they caught a bit on the casing whenever they opened or closed. Naturally, this problem is not totally isolated to that breed of computer, so it is a good idea to make sure nothing is blocking a CD tray. N.B. It is better for the drive if you always press the little CD button to close the tray, rather than to push it closed, since it is very difficult to remember to push it exactly right every time without ever straining the mechanism...
nother bright idea is to try the force eject hole. This little hole is situated next to the drive, usually just below or to the left of it. There is one for the floppy drive and another for an internal CD drive if you have one. External drives should have one somewhere around the opening. Sticking a thin piece of metal into this will push a catch at the back and hopefully release the CD (a straightened paperclip is ideal for this).
this fails, then as far as CD drives are concerned, you have problems, and you should get someone to examine the insides of the drive. If you have a floppy problem, there is one last possibility. The little shutter that slides across the disk has been known to catch. If it fails to close, the disk cannot eject. To solve this, one way is to turn the power off and to poke a jeweller's screwdriver (one of those very small ones) inside the disk drive to try and flick the catch. If you succeed, then the disk will eject automatically at startup if you turn on while holding down the mouse button. Be inventive and try your own ways, but if you want to take your Mac apart, let someone else do it.
The little plastic cover is not really necessary for the disk to work, and if you have problems with it, it may be worth taking it off (they are only clip-ons anyway, held down with a bit of plastic). If you do take it off, put it back on when the disk is not in use, and store the disk very carefully from then on. This means that you should keep it away from magnetic sources, damp, little children, the dog, etc.
Defective CD's
efective CD's can easily be heard. There is a tell tale squeaking sound when the disk is in the drive. All drives are different though, and some handle these CD's better than others. Another problem is that any CD with over 550MB on it will slow down extremely quickly with any additional information, so a 630MB CD for instance, can be a nightmare.
N.B. This applies mainly to the 2X speed drives, the 3 and 4X are less prone to it, possibly because they are faster anyway.
hat I am saying here, is that it is not always the CD that is at fault. Try the CD on someone else's drive. Internal drives on the Performa 630 models are not good at handling these overcrowded CD's mentioned above, while external drives seem to be quite good at it. Certainly though, any CD that squeaks is in need of looking at.
possible remedy for this is to try cleaning the CD. You can do it yourself with a slightly moist tissue, wiping in lines from the centre of the CD outwards very gently, or you can purchase a CD cleaning kit which tends to do a (very slightly) better job. If these methods fail, the best option is to try and get a replacement.