CD Drive Won't Open 3

[Center]

My CD drive sometimes opens with the button and also with the right-click eject command. Other times it doesn't open. I can uninstall and reinstall and it works a while. Had this problem with a Sony so replaced it with a NEC and having same problem. I figure some program is accessing it, but none show in taskbar and there are none I can think of. Any ideas?

 

[kmcferrin]

Nothing really, but if it is totally stuck you can always use the emergency eject mechanism. Just straighten out a paperclip and inset it into the tiny pinhole on the front of the drive. Apply firm pressure and it should pop open enough for you to pull it open the rest of the way by hand.

At this point CD ROMs are so cheap that I would pitch one that was malfunctioning and get a new one. They're practically disposable at this point, and odds are that the new one will at least be faster and possibly have more features. You can get CD/DVD or CDRW drives for $30 or less these days.

 

[muthabored]

Is your device on it's on IDE channel or installed as a slave to another device? Is the device running off of a card (like the SIIG Ultra ATA 100 IDE PCI, for example)? I'd also say check the other devices installed in your computer versus your power supply...perhaps there's not enough power for your CD drive to function properly (I imagine the CDROM came standard with your PC and that you may've installed other devices since then).

 

[micker377]

How does the CD drive physically fit? Do you have to force it in? Does it fit so loose that the mounting screws pull and distort the case? Are you using the screws that come with the drive (others may be too long, touching things inside the drive structure)? Two drives with the same problem is rare (although two drives with different problems would be normal - they are very cheap!).