Apple advises on ejecting copy-protected audio CDs
by Peter Cohen, pcohen@maccentral.com
May 10, 2002 4:00 pm ET
By now many consumers are aware that the music industry is beginning to press audio discs that have been copy protected to prevent them from being ripped to MP3 on a PC or Macintosh. But did you know that in some cases, if you insert such a disc, you might not be able to get it out again?
The problem is documented in a recent Apple Knowledge Base entry entitled Mac OS: Cannot Eject Copy Protected Audio Disc, Computer Starts Up to Gray Screen.
These discs aren't strictly CDs, according to the technical definition of the term, since they don't follow the basic CD standard for how data should be written to a disc. Even though they're labeled "Will not play on PC/Mac," there's still a risk that Mac users may insert them in their systems.
According to Apple, when such a CD is inserted, the CD isn't recognized, and when the Mac is restarted, a grey screen can appear that prevents you from doing anything further. If your Mac lacks a manual eject button or pinhole for its optical drive, you may be stuck that way, too -- Apple offers some advice for what to do under those circumstances.
The documentation provides instructions for forcing your Mac to boot into Mac OS X on restart (holding down the X command on boot) or to force-eject a CD on boot (by holding down the mouse button when the Mac starts up). Forcing the Mac to boot into OS X won't eject the disc arbitrarily, but you may be able to by clicking on the Eject button in iTunes or DVD Player.
There's one other extreme option, too: Booting into Open Firmware and using a command line prompt to force the CD to eject, as well.
If all else fails, Apple noted that you could bring your Mac to an authorized service center to be fixed. But probably the best solution is just to avoid using these audio discs all together.
A list of some of the affected discs is provided in Apple's documentation.
Click here for a list of today's stories
Horrible
arkitoure
- 05/11/02 01:28 AM | Copy Protection Law
kahako1
- 05/10/02 11:56 PM | Who Is publishing these cd's?
Nicap1
- 05/10/02 11:23 PM | Whoo-hoo, I *LOVE* copy-protection!!!!!
kevine
- 05/10/02 08:37 PM | How's this for a possible consequence
GingerBeer
- 05/10/02 07:45 PM |  Re: How's this for a possible consequence
objectivist
- 05/10/02 07:52 PM |  Re: How's this for a possible consequence
penguinstorm
- 05/10/02 09:06 PM | Distribute on DVD's
plaguebearer
- 05/10/02 07:43 PM |  Re: Distribute on DVD's
3xtrmn8r
- 05/10/02 07:57 PM |  Re: Distribute on DVD's
Jagil
- 05/11/02 12:43 AM | Time to go criminal?
dahlenu
- 05/10/02 06:59 PM |  Re: Time to go criminal?
yossarian
- 05/10/02 11:54 PM |  Re: Time to go criminal?
gojira02906
- 05/10/02 07:56 PM | Shakira? J-Lo? Celine Dion?
3xtrmn8r
- 05/10/02 06:52 PM |  Re: pantera, static-x, fear factory
cygnusx1
- 05/10/02 10:01 PM |  Re: pantera, static-x, fear factory
yossarian
- 05/11/02 12:20 AM |  Re: pantera, static-x, fear factory
bdusen
- 05/11/02 01:34 AM | Great suggestion, Peter!
bsexton
- 05/10/02 06:21 PM | Compact Disc
Non_PC
- 05/10/02 06:20 PM | Computer Users Unite
MHLO
- 05/10/02 05:32 PM |  Re: Computer Users Unite
castellan
- 05/10/02 05:59 PM | Why you can never truly copy-protect music: READ
Stahlman
- 05/10/02 05:28 PM |  you can even circumvent without going analog
hankythexmaspooh
- 05/10/02 06:43 PM |  Re: you can even circumvent without going analog
stealthrocket
- 05/10/02 08:38 PM |  Re: Why you can never truly copy-protect music: READ
slippery
- 05/10/02 06:23 PM |  Re: Why you can never truly copy-protect music: RE
pwrmacjedi
- 05/10/02 05:51 PM | Sue'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CCB
- 05/10/02 05:27 PM |  Re: Sue'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike
- 05/10/02 10:01 PM |  Re: Sue'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
techguru
- 05/10/02 05:34 PM |  Re: Sue'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CCB
- 05/10/02 05:50 PM |  Re: Sue'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pwrmacjedi
- 05/10/02 05:47 PM | Anyone taking bets....
jscotta
- 05/10/02 05:26 PM |  Re: Anyone taking bets....
pwrmacjedi
- 05/10/02 05:49 PM |  Re: Anyone taking bets....
jscotta
- 05/10/02 06:52 PM |  Re: Anyone taking bets....
slippery
- 05/10/02 06:26 PM | blind leading the blind
cejones
- 05/10/02 05:18 PM |  Don't knock 12 year olds
leicaman
- 05/11/02 12:47 AM | Luckily I'm not a big Shakira or J-Lo fan! *NM*
andrew
- 05/10/02 05:13 PM | If it comes to this....
BlazzingInferno
- 05/10/02 05:08 PM |  Re: If it comes to this....
jrpacman
- 05/10/02 05:30 PM | They're Digging Their Own Grave!
Grateful11
- 05/10/02 04:55 PM | The Second Best Solution
faeylynryan
- 05/10/02 04:52 PM |  Re: The Second Best Solution
techguru
- 05/10/02 05:30 PM |  Re: The Second Best Solution
mjdth
- 05/11/02 01:15 AM |  Re: The Second Best Solution
faeylynryan
- 05/10/02 07:37 PM |  Re: The Second Best Solution
slippery
- 05/10/02 06:33 PM |  No, it's not a bug
leicaman
- 05/10/02 05:28 PM |  Re: No, it's not a bug
faeylynryan
- 05/10/02 07:04 PM |  Re: No, it's not a bug
leicaman
- 05/10/02 08:17 PM |  Give us our paperclip hole
Montgomery_Burns
- 05/11/02 12:39 AM |  Good point
leicaman
- 05/11/02 01:02 AM |  Better if Apple doesn't fix it
andrew
- 05/10/02 05:16 PM | The next copy-protected audio disc
RAVasquez
- 05/10/02 04:50 PM | Screw 'em
geozinger
- 05/10/02 04:50 PM |  Re: Screw 'em
BigArtGeek
- 05/10/02 05:40 PM | Isn't it nice...
rapturizer
- 05/10/02 04:49 PM |  Why Radio is Legal
johnny_hooker
- 05/10/02 06:14 PM | another reason to NOT BUY Celine Dion!
jadeleary
- 05/10/02 04:41 PM |  Re: another reason to NOT BUY Celine Dion!
bgt
- 05/10/02 05:06 PM | Properly identifiying copy protected cd's..
GrBear
- 05/10/02 04:30 PM |  Re: Properly identifiying copy protected cd's..
MWS
- 05/10/02 04:51 PM |  Re: Properly identifiying copy protected cd's..
johnny_hooker
- 05/10/02 05:52 PM |  Re: Properly identifiying copy protected cd's..
KingMel
- 05/10/02 05:41 PM | Who's buying this crap?
baobaog3
- 05/10/02 04:28 PM |  Re: Who's buying this crap?
kevine
- 05/10/02 08:12 PM |  Who'd copy this crap?
leapoffaith
- 05/10/02 04:44 PM |  Let's start boycott campaign
hiclass
- 05/10/02 04:55 PM |  Re: Let's start boycott campaign
gojira02906
- 05/10/02 08:09 PM |  Re: Who's buying this crap?
pairof9
- 05/10/02 04:43 PM | They have no right to cripple dig.hubs
VanFruniken
- 05/10/02 04:26 PM |  Re: They have no right to cripple dig.hubs
leicaman
- 05/10/02 05:22 PM | Music Industry is killing itself
BryceSteiner
- 05/10/02 04:22 PM | Their last recommendation is best
Tideswimmer
- 05/10/02 04:22 PM |  Re: Their last recommendation is best
GrBear
- 05/10/02 04:35 PM |  Re: Their last recommendation is best
Alt_Fyre
- 05/10/02 11:31 PM |  Re: Their last recommendation is best
BigSpookyEye
- 05/10/02 04:42 PM |  Re: Their last recommendation is best
notagain
- 05/10/02 04:32 PM |  Write-on! *NM*
REG
- 05/10/02 04:25 PM | Bypass and boycott
TxTom
- 05/10/02 04:16 PM |  Re: Bypass and boycott
dspofforth
- 05/10/02 04:36 PM |  Re: Bypass and boycott
hiclass
- 05/10/02 04:49 PM |  You have no clue what artists are paid
leicaman
- 05/10/02 05:18 PM |  ROI for artists?
EpaAmigo
- 05/10/02 06:54 PM |  Re: ROI for artists?
leicaman
- 05/10/02 08:16 PM |  Re: Bypass and boycott
MrMacintosh
- 05/10/02 05:10 PM |  Re: Bypass and boycott
BigSpookyEye
- 05/10/02 05:08 PM | |
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