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About the 3.0 SuperDrive Firmware Update for Macs

Learn more about Apple’s newly released update addressing noise issues with Macintosh optical drives

Dec 9, 2009 08:22 GMT  ·  By
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Hoping to fix issues with the slot-loading optical drive on its Macintosh computers, Apple has recently issued three separate firmware updates. Both MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.8 and MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.4 aim to eliminate the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on MacBook and MacBook Pro computers. However, Apple has revealed that an additional firmware update is required to complete the process of addressing this issue – SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0.

Download SuperDrive Firmware Update (Free)

Describing the latter, Apple claims, “This update will eliminate the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on your Mac.” The company also notes that its SuperDrive update works with four EFI updates, each targeting a particular system.

iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.4 (Download from Softpedia); Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2 (Download from Softpedia); MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.4 (Download from Softpedia); MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.8 (Download from Softpedia).

Ensuring that customers do this right, Apple has posted additional documentation on its website, under the form of a tech note talking in a detailed manner “About SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0”. Here, Mac owners are explained how to apply the SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0 to an Intel-based Macintosh computer. Softpedia encourages those who are new to the Mac OS to give the document a read.

Also noteworthy are the “affected” products, as Apple likes to refer to them: iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008), iMac (24-inch, Early 2009), iMac (20-inch, Early 2009), Mac mini (Early 2009). These are the particular systems requiring the SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0.

After downloading the updates you need for your computer, follow the instructions in the updater application (/Applications/Utilities/SuperDrive Update.app), in order to complete the firmware update process. The updater will launch automatically when the installation is complete. The same goes for EFI firmware updates.