I have a white Macbook with nVidia graphics (latest model) and there is something funny going on. I first noticed a problem when I inserted a blank DVD-R for writing. No burning software (including Disk Utility) would recognize that a disc was in the drive. Then it became apparent that OSX didn't see a drive at all as there is no device listed under Disc Burning in System Profiler.

At that point, I was unable to eject the disc normally. I tried various methods before this one worked. Obviously, the optical drive is being powered since I was able to trick the drive into ejecting the disc.

Just to make sure there wasn't something weird with the DVD-R, I inserted a traditional CD into the Macbook's drive. Same thing happened and I was only able to extract it the same way as before.

I'm trying to think if I ever used this optical drive before and I don't think I have. So, it may have just been screwed from the start. However, I did upgrade the hard drive and memory in this machine myself. Right now, when I go to Serial-ATA in System Profiler, I get an error saying "There was an error while scanning for Serial-ATA devices." But, my hard disk does show up in Disk Utility. I'm not sure what to make of this and I'm not sure what I can do with regards to having Apple fix it.

Is there a potential problem with the hard drive that's causing the optical drive to act up? If Apple sees that I've replaced the drive, will that void any warranty? Should I bother to purchase another SATA drive just to test if the system will work properly with another model or brand?

The drive in there now is a WD Scorpio Blue 500GB. People are apparently happily using it in their Macs. Maybe I just got a dud?

Any suggestions on how to proceed or troubleshooting tips?