Mac OS X 10.4 Help

Disc Burner Icon

I got an "unknown error" message while burning a CD or DVD

If you see an error message with "Unknown Error" and an error code, you can click the link below to see more information about error codes. If you are not connected to the Internet, try the following solutions before you do another burn.

To avoid problems when burning a CD or DVD

  • Open Console, located in /Applications/Utilities, to see the console.log file for more information about the error.
  • Make sure the disc is clean (wipe it with a soft cloth).
  • Do not move, bump, or shake the computer while the disc is being burned.
  • Use blank discs that are rated for the burn speed of your drive, or consider using a different brand of disc.
  • Specify a burn speed that is lower than the maximum speed rating for your optical drive.
  • Quit all open applications that you are not using.
  • Restart your computer and try burning the disc again.
  • Start up your computer using the Mac OS X Install Disc and open Disk Utility from the Installer menu. Click your hard disk in the left column of the Disk Utility window, then click First Aid and follow the instructions for verifying and repairing your disk.

To find the burn speed of your disc drive, check the documentation that came with your computer, or look at the website on hardware specifications listed below. The burn speed should look like "24x" or "8x".

See also

Open this for me

Apple Service & Support article: Problems burning discs

Apple Service & Support article: Hardware specifications

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