Technical information

Your computer displays the message “This is not a Macintosh disk: Do you want to
initialize it?” when you insert a CD-ROM disc in the CD-ROM drive.
m Make sure that the Foreign File Access extension is installed and turned on in the Extensions
Manager control panel. (To find the Extensions Manager, choose Control Panels in the Apple [K]
menu.) Then restart your computer.
m The disc may use a format that the Macintosh cannot recognize. Ask the disc’s manufacturer for a
disc that a Macintosh can recognize.
Your computer ejects a CD-ROM disc without giving you any error message.
m Make sure the disc is centered and firmly in place, and the disc label is facing out.
m The disc may need to be cleaned. (See “Handling CD-ROM Discs” in the section “Handling Your
Computer Equipment” in Appendix A.) If there are visible scratches on the shiny side of the disc,
you may be able to remove them with a CD-ROM disc polishing kit (available from an audio CD
dealer). If the scratches can’t be removed, you need to replace the disc.
m The disc may be damaged. Try another disc in the drive, and try the original disc in another drive.
If the original drive reads other discs or if the original disc also doesn’t work in another drive, the
disc is probably damaged. You need to replace it.
You can’t open a document on a CD-ROM disc.
m Try starting an application that you think might be able to open the document. Then choose Open
from the application’s File menu to open the document.
m Read the manual that came with your CD-ROM disc. Some discs come with software that you need to
install before using the disc.
You can’t save changes you make to information on a CD-ROM disc.
m A CD-ROM disc is a read-only medium. This means that information can be read (retrieved) from it,
but not written (stored) on it. You can save the changed information on a hard disk or floppy disk.
Solutions
to Common
Problems
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