Forcing Open Your Mac’s Superdrive

On most Mac models, if there’s a problem with your machine, you pop in a system disc and run First Aid in Disk Utility. Easy, right? But what if your Superdrive won’t open up for the CD-ROM or DVD? Here’s a handy trick to remember: Shut down your Mac, then restart while holding down your single-button mouse (like the Pro Mouse, which shipped with hundreds of thousands of Macs). The drive will open up and you can proceed, even if the Mac won’t respond to the Eject key.