We just received our new 27" iMac i7 (it's gorgeous, quiet, and very quick). This is my first encounter with a CD slot. I've been loading VMware Fusion 3 and Windows 7 today, so I know how it feels to put the normal CDs and DVDs in the slot, but I have a pocket CD (210MB) that I'd like to use. I'm concerned that it won't work in this slot because it may be too small. Does anyone have experience using these little CDs in the iMac slot? I don't want to break something by using a CD that doesn't fit.

JoBoy,

I would not put the little CD in the iMac slot. See: Using nonstandard discs in optical drives.

There is no safe way to put a 2.5" disc in a 5.25" slot load drive. Customers bring in on average (a surprisingly low) 1 per month to pay me to remove from their computer. I think the boys up front are getting some out without checking them in, with a little careful shaking.

Some computer manufacturers have a label with a warning, taped across the slot out of the box. I think Apple should start doing that.

Thank you Dianne and Virtual1. Your replies are a classic demonstration of the great value of this forum! I use the Mac Pro for a lot of reasons and started using the pocket CDs as a handy transport medium, but I just didn't feel right about putting them into the iMac's CD/DVD slot. You've authoritatively confirmed that my intuition was correct. BTW, I've gone to flash drives as a replacement. The pocket CDs are rarely used anymore, but I have a startup disk for backup software that I want to use to restore documents to a new Windows 7 installation on VMware Fusion 3 on the iMac. I think I'll use the Mac Pro to burn it to a standard CD and see if that works on the iMac. If there's a trap in that method that I'm not aware of, please let me know.

We get people in our store from time to tim with 2.5" discs that simply need what's on them, and realize their laptop's slot load drive won't like it. Some hardware manufacturers bundle a driver CD with their product on these discs, I suppose to save packaging space and weight. Usually things like usb network adapters, where the CD defines the size of the product box.

We just put it in the mac pro and copy to a flash drive or burn to a regular CD for them.

If you have to be able to handle those smaller disc formats (you don't control what others send you) you might want to consider the standard solution: an external tray loading drive. This may also come in handy when copying, and as a backup drive which may incorporate features not present in your internal drive.

Other than that, flash drives make a great alternative.

Thank you. I have a Mac Pro and that is a very handy work-around.