I have an Advent 5431 and inserted a Buddy Holly DVD which will not play, will not eject manually nor when "instructed" by the computer.
Any ideas of how I can get it out without using a can opener?
Dave (dranoel2009)

I have an Advent 5431 and inserted a Buddy Holly DVD which will not play, will not eject manually nor when "instructed" by the computer.
Any ideas of how I can get it out without using a can opener?
Dave (dranoel2009)

Hi is there a small hole on gthe front of the drive?

If so if you insert a thin object like a paper clip it should eject.

Have you tried removing it at boot up?

Hi is there a small hole on gthe front of the drive?

If so if you insert a thin object like a paper clip it should eject.

Have you tried removing it at boot up?

Thanks for help. Unfortunatley it did not work

Do you know if it is getting power? Does the light flash?

Try entering BIOS and see if you can see it. Try pressing something like delete to enter BIOS, as it boots up it should say press such a thing to enter BIOS or setup. Exit and don't save changes when done.

Thanks for help. Unfortunatley it did not work

You didn't say whether or not there was a hole in the front of the drive ---assuming that there is, than you simply didn't push the straightened out paper clip in straight enough, deeply enough or hard enough. all disk drives I have ever encountered have had this hole for manual ejection, but sometimes hitting the right spot is a bit tricky. Try again, after first pushing the tray in to be sure it is seated properly and don't touch the front of the tray when you push the clip's point in. This method releases the catch and allows the tray to move out slightly. Than pull the tray out the rest of the way. If you closed the tray while the disk wasn't seated properly, it might have jammed and made the process of releasing it more difficult, but this is the way to go (other than the non-desirable can opener).

Ah yes, there is another possibility (but I'm not familiar with your laptop so it might not apply) Turn over the computer and unscrew the screws that hold the disk drive in it's socket. When the disk drive is removed from the computer, it should expose the vital insides and some exploration should divulge the locking mechanism and how to release it.

Tell you what can you take a picture of the cd drive for us?

It could prove most useful.

You didn't say whether or not there was a hole in the front of the drive ---assuming that there is, than you simply didn't push the straightened out paper clip in straight enough, deeply enough or hard enough. all disk drives I have ever encountered have had this hole for manual ejection, but sometimes hitting the right spot is a bit tricky. Try again, after first pushing the tray in to be sure it is seated properly and don't touch the front of the tray when you push the clip's point in. This method releases the catch and allows the tray to move out slightly. Than pull the tray out the rest of the way. If you closed the tray while the disk wasn't seated properly, it might have jammed and made the process of releasing it more difficult, but this is the way to go (other than the non-desirable can opener).

Success !!
I think I had been too gentle before. Today, I had a good old poke and the tray came out just eough for me to be able to pull it right out.
Thank you so much for your and others help.
Got a problem with your laptop? All you need are the helpers on DaniWeb (and a paper clip!!!)
Dave

Glad you met with success, as they say, "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again."
Have you marked the thread as solved?

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