Member Avatar for Christina

i've tried to right click it and hit eject but it won't budge. i'm going to try to restart it and see if it helps. if not what should i do?

dell dimension 2400
windows xp

how can i fix this drive? i stuck a paperclip to get it to come open, but it still will not do it by itself. :(

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Reverend Jim

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A short, practical checklist to diagnose whether the tray is being held by software or is a mechanical failure. Several replies here suggested manual and scripted ejection methods (, ); the steps below take a systematic approach so you can isolate the cause without needless parts-swapping.

Start with software checks: boot into Safe Mode (press F8 during startup) and try to eject. If it opens in Safe Mode but not in normal Windows, the problem is almost certainly a driver/service/app holding the drive. Use Task Manager to stop any CD/DVD-related programs, then reinstall the device in Device Manager (Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager -> DVD/CD-ROM drives -> right-click -> Uninstall -> reboot so Windows redetects it). A quick command-line eject you can try is:

wmic cdrom where drive='D:' call eject

(replace D: with the drive letter or use where index=0).

If software fixes fail, check one common Windows registry cause: the UpperFilters/LowerFilters values under the class GUID HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. Export that key first, then remove the filter values and reboot. Editing the registry carries risk—back up before changing anything.

Hardware checks if Safe Mode also fails: confirm the drive is seen by the BIOS at POST; if not, power down, unplug, and verify the data and power connectors are seated. If comfortable, remove the drive and test it in another machine or a USB adapter/enclosure to confirm whether it spins and ejects. If the motor spins but the tray won’t open, the mechanism is likely failed and replacement is usually the most practical fix for an older drive.

Avoid forcing the bezel or using blunt tools that can damage the disk. The steps above complement earlier suggestions in the thread and make it easier to decide whether to pursue a software fix or replace the unit.

Recommended Answers

All 15 Replies

Member Avatar for Laser

If it's still under warrantee contact Dell for a replacement; if not then it's probably time to buy a new drive.

i've tried to right click it and hit eject but it won't budge. i'm going to try to restart it and see if it helps. if not what should i do?

dell dimension 2400
windows xp

how can i fix this drive? i stuck a paperclip to get it to come open, but it still will not do it by itself. :(

Member Avatar for BinaryMayhem

did rebooting help? if not the drive is useless...

Member Avatar for tayspen

Hey try Saving this as cdopen.vbs and then run it, it should open your cd drive

Dim WMP: Set WMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.ocx")
Dim colCDROMS: Set colCDROMS = WMP.CDROMCollection

If colCDROMS.Count > -1 Then
For i = 0 to colCDROMS.Count - 1
colCDROMS.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If

If it didn't work, your drive is broken.

-T

Member Avatar for BinaryMayhem

umm, right clicking the drive in my computer will have the same effect

Member Avatar for dojo

Usually the CD-rom units have a small hole in the front panel to "force" eject the cd. Don't know if it's the case anymore since I am using a laptop, but when I used a desktop computer I would insert a needle in the small hole and it would open.

Member Avatar for caperjack

Usually the CD-rom units have a small hole in the front panel to "force" eject the cd. Don't know if it's the case anymore since I am using a laptop, but when I used a desktop computer I would insert a needle in the small hole and it would open.

In her first post she used a paper clip !!

will the drive read disk that you put in it .!!

Member Avatar for george_hopkins

i had the same problem, i returned the computer to my computer manufacurers and they replaced the drive. is your drive a sony disc drive because they are really rubbish and they break a lot.

Member Avatar for zoofence

It has been over a year since "Christina" began this thread, so I assume she has long since found a solution. But for others, my experience may be of interest (when I searched "CD will not eject" at Google, this thread was at the top). I had exactly the same problem: The CD would not eject when I (1) pushed the eject button, (2) right-clicked on the CD at My Computer, and chose "Eject", or (3) inserted a straightened paper clip into the manual eject port. Rebooting did not help. My first guess was busted CD drive, but I decided to try the software route first. My operating system is WindowsXP Pro, my CD drive is a CD-RW, and the software I use is Roxio's Easy CD Creator ver. 5.3.5. The CD stuck in the drive was one that at Roxio's "Project Selector" I had formatted as "DirectCD" (which makes it possible to drag-and-drop files between the CD and Windows Explorer), and I had been successfully using it that way for months ... until today, when it wouldn't eject. So, with the CD still stuck in the drive, I uninstalled the Roxio software (Control Panel>Add & Remove Programs), then ran Disk Defragmenter (to close up the space where Roxio had been -- that's probably not necessary, but ...), and then reinstalled the Roxio software (including the update to version 5.3.5, otherwise Roxio Easy CD Creator 5 will not work with WinXP). The drive works fine, and the now unstuck CD seems none the worse for the experience.

Member Avatar for zoofence

An additional thought to my previous post. Earlier in this thread, caperjack asked "will the drive read disk that you put in it?" In my case, the answer was "yes" which is what led me to believe (to hope) that the hardware was okay, and it was a software issue.

Member Avatar for bitterjake

I have similar problem. CD will not eject once the cd is read. It will eject once rebooted, but once you use an application to read the cd it won't.

I have a CD drive and a DVD burner. both of them act the same way.

any suggestions?

Hey try Saving this as cdopen.vbs and then run it, it should open your cd drive

Dim WMP: Set WMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.ocx")
Dim colCDROMS: Set colCDROMS = WMP.CDROMCollection

If colCDROMS.Count > -1 Then
For i = 0 to colCDROMS.Count - 1
colCDROMS.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If

If it didn't work, your drive is broken.

-T

Member Avatar for alfont

I cannot eject my e-drive on my dell computer

Member Avatar for alfont

i am unable to eject disk in the e-drive on my dell computer

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi,
If the information in this trhead has not helped you, start a new thread of your own and supply information about your computer and what you have tried. Someone here will assist you when they have more information.

Member Avatar for cpu_helper

have you tried opening it with force via a screw driver by jamming the screw diver in and twisting untill it pops open? (this will damage the CD door)

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

This thread is three years old. I think we can safely assume the OP has either solved his problem or trashed his drive.

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