Help w/a "disappeared" disk icon

[RHPConsult]

What does this suggest?

A friend/former client bought an Igloo on my recommendation about 4 or so years ago. He called yesterday with a problem: He cannot get his Mac to acknowledge the presence of a CD/DVD. He’s running Tiger now, I believe.

In any event, since he had recently downloaded (apparently successfully) some items, for starters I asked if he also had Repaired Permissions. Answer: Nope.

If develops that apparently he’s done no “operator maintenance” at all since he took his Mac out of the box. That's "No", "None", "Nada", "Zip"!

So “we” opened DiskUtility and repaired, apparently. gadzillion Permissions (I was talking with the gentleman from my home in CA to his in HI). We ran the DU permissions drill 3 times.

Next, I suggested Verify Disk, but that was as inoperative (grayed-out) an option as Repair Disk is for a start-up drive. Anyone have any idea why? That's query Nr. 2.

Then I suggested he try to boot with his original Install disk, even though the absence of a CD/DVD icon was the “presenting problem “ for this thread. That's really query Nr. 1.

Nevertheless, he inserted the disk, held down the “C” key (in at least 3 attempts) but to no avail. Each time only his  “regular” DT appeared on the monitor. No Install Disk did . . . or it’s inherent access to DU.

No, we didn’t try “Safe Boot”, but I’ll recommend that as a possibility today.

Any other cogent suggestions?

Does anybody recall whether either the Panther or OEM Install disks have Apple Hardware Tests buried in them somewhere?

Thanks for any help/advice.

[sandbox]

QUOTE

Does anybody recall whether either the Panther or OEM Install disks have Apple Hardware Tests buried in them somewhere?

As most people know, rebooting your Mac from the software restore CD that comes with your Mac by holding the “C” key during will allow you to run Apple’s Disk Utility app. However, if you restart your computer with that same disk in your DVD drive and hold down the “D” key, you will be treated to a bit of nostalgia in the form of Apple’s Hardware Test. (Note: AHT will not run from a standalone OS X DVD, only the software restore DVDs that ship with each Mac).

Apple Hardware Test may seem like Disk Utility’s ugly step-sister, but it serves an entirely different purpose. Looking very OS 9-ish, the Apple Hardware test allows you to run a series of tests on your system’s RAM, logic board, modem (if present) video RAM, and Apple’s Airport Card. It will not test 3rd party video cards, PCI cards, or Non-Apple devices, but you should have tried trouble-shooting those devices already by this point.

http://macenstein.com/default/archives/569

If he’s running Tiger and since installing it has had access to his DVD there shouldn’t be an OS conflict. If your suggesting the recent “downloads” he made may have affected his DVD drivers, that’s unlikely.

If it were me, and because I have a FW backup I would boot to my FW drive and see if it could run the DVD. If not I would look a Hardware replacement. If I could use the DVD from backup then I would run TT Pro and check the internal drive directories.

If this friend didn’t even run permissions he probably doesn’t have a decent backup either.  

Try resetting Pram http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238

Beyond that, well I would look internally and see if the wires were not making good contact with the dvd rom. There were issues with the Igloo’s dvd drives back then as well.

A pram battery may be a consideration as well in the 4th year.