Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch (original, Core 2 Duo, 2.4GHz, Late 2007 CTO, Early 2008, and Late 2008) - Manual (Page 186)

MacBook Pro 17-inch (original, Core 2 Duo, 2.4/2.6GHz, 2008) Troubleshooting — Hardware Symptom Charts 186
Optical Drive
Optical drive not recognized
Make sure the optical drive is a cable select drive set as a slave (1). 1.
Reset PRAM. (After restart, hold down the Command-Option-P-R keys until you hear the 2.
startup chime at least one additional time after the initial startup chime).
Make sure the optical drive flex cable is undamaged and properly installed. If damaged, 3.
replace the flex cable.
Replace the optical drive. 4.
The optical drive does not accept CD or DVD discs (mechanical failure)
Verify that the media is not warped and is a standard 12 cm circular disc. 1.
Check for a small (non-standard) disc or other foreign object stuck inside. Remove the optical 2.
drive from the system to extract a stuck disc. See Removing a stuck disk in the optical drive
chapter of the take apart section.
Verify that the disc is pushed almost all the way into the slot. 3.
Check that the optical drive flex cable is undamaged and properly installed. If damaged, try 4.
replacing the flex cable.
Replace the optical drive. 5.
The optical drive does not eject CD or DVD discs
Verify that the disc is not in use by quitting any applications that may be using the disc. 1.
Press and hold Media Eject key at top right corner of keyboard. If that does not work, hold 2.
down Function (fn) key then Media Eject key. If that does not work, hold down Function (fn)
key and Media Eject key simultaneously.
Drag the disc icon to trash, or select it and press Command-E. 3.
Choose Restart from Apple menu while holding down trackpad button during startup. 4.
Check the optical drive flex cable for proper connection to the logic board. 5.
Reseat the optical drive mechanism. Make sure the drive is oriented toward the back of the 6.
computer, and that all four corners are seated, so that the drive sits flat in its bay.
Replace the optical drive. 7.
The disc icon does not show up on the desktop, or a dialog box appears to
initialize the disc when inserting a read-only disc
Verify that the correct type of disc is being used. 1.
Use the Software Update system preference pane to check for updated firmware. 2.
Try cleaning the disc. If it is dirty or scratched, it may not mount. 3.