Cd drive wont open?

Well I went to open my cd drive to retrive a disk for my co-worker that she left in there. When I pushed the open button on the front, it made the noise like it was going to open, then going to close but it never opened. It started reading the cd, so I guess it sort of did open and close?

There isnt anything blocking it so I dont understand why it isnt opening at all. Is there anything I can do to get it to open (except with a hammer of courseLOL)


Thanks.

 

There's always the emergency paper clip in the little emergency release hole on the front........

 

I looked all over the front.. I didnt find one

 

Something else you could try, not very scientific though

Restart the computer and while it is restarting repeatedly press the open/close button on the optical drive.

generally works for me as i dont usually have any paper clips laying around

 

A more scientific method might be to research the darn unit.

The make and model should be in Device Manager:

1. Right-click 'My Computer' and select 'Manage'
2. On the 'Computer Management' window, click 'Device Manager'
3. Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives

Post back with all entries found here.

 

It says Sony CD-ROM CDU5215

 

One more suggestion, If there is no pin hole for emergency ejections (which surprises me) can you right click on the drive in my computer and see if you get the option to eject and see if that opens up the drive......

 

I would say the little black dot on the picture left of the light and under the drawer, is the release hole.

 

I tried that and it didnt work. I did find the hole but the paper clip dealie didnt work either. Its like the front is glued shut or something.

 

I dont think the cd is jammed, because when I attempt to open it, it'll make all the noises like its opening and shutting - then it will run the cd.. I'll try to see if I can carefully pry the thing out.

 

The release hole /pin thingy is meant to be operated with the power off.

Also as Tim said, you have to feel about for the catch plate. All it does is open the flap, not operate the tray drive. you must pull that out by hand.

 

Oh, I didnt know thatLOL Will try tomorrow, hope I dont break the thing.

 

I've worked on a few Sony CD drives. Although it's unusual for the loading / release mechanism to fail in normal use, it can happen. If one of the cogs has slipped, it may have caused it to jam. Also, some of them have a tiny rubber drive belt as part of the CD loading mechanism, which can stretch with age and will eventually slip. (this was also the cause of similar problems on some of the older music CD players, although computer CD and DVD drives tend to be more reliable)
Once a CD is loaded, and the drawer closed, the laser rises until it is positioned under the CD. When the mechanism is engaged, the drawer sometimes can't open, even if the paper clip release method is attempted, depending on why it is jammed. If it's due to a cog having slipped, it may not be physically possible for the laser to drop down far enough to allow the drawer to open.

One way to retrieve the CD would be to remove the CD drive from the computer and then take the metal cover off. Once this is done, it will be easier to work the mechanism by hand to remove the CD without damaging it.
If you have to try this, be gentle with it, and watch for any clips you have to release once the screws are removed.
Let me know if you need any pictures of one I broke up for spares.

They do feel like they're not going to open, there is a fair bit of resistance you have to overcome. The moving part that the paper clip comes into contact with looks like a quarter circle with cog teeth on the outside of it

 

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/prnd321/Picture023.jpg

(black dot is roughly where the paperclip will make contact. It needs to be nice and straight so it can go in without bending when you push) (ooh er missus) (might as well say that before anyone else does)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/prnd321/Picture024.jpg

The red circle (attempt at a circle) is what moves up under the drawer and the CD when it's loaded. The draw itself is not on this particular drive, as it was broken. It was a CD writer and I used one of the cogs to fix another one.

 

Thank you very much Tarquin! Thats very informative.. I will do my best not to break things tommorrow.. no promisesLOL

Question? can I mess something up if say I push in the paper clip the wrong way?

 

You should be alright, there's not much else in the way apart from that cog, as long as you only put the paper clip through the hole in the front of the unit. The cog can only move in one direction anyway. If it does start to open the drawer, you may need to help it on its way by pulling it (fingernails are useful for this). If you do happen to accidentally pull the front cover off the drawer, the drive should still work, and on most of the drives I've seen, the front cover slides on downwards and kind of clips into place (drawer has to be open to fit this back on).

 

Ok, so I tried the paperclip dealie again and this time it worked.. I guess I didnt push it hard enough the first time.

But now, it makes a reallly loud sort of buzzing sound when loading any cd.. when I press my hand to the front of it, it stops being so loud. If I move my hand, the noise resumes.. what on earth did I break now?LOL

 

Wonder if the CD is still trying to turn? I'd power that sucker down and try forcing the cover to finish opening.

 

As an aside the release hole in many DVD drives is smaller and the 'standard' release tool I bought at great expense won't fit unless you drill out the hole.
A fine needle or pin fits though - blunt it first on a stone if you are going to use one alot.

 

I got the drive to open and I got the cd out.. the thing now is the noise it makes.. sorry if I didnt make that clear the first time.

 

Might be that the bit that allows the CD to spin has worn out and is causing the vibration, similar to the wheels on a car which also vibrate when there's loose play in the wheel bearings, or they go out of balance. The more they vibrate, the more rapidly further wear takes place.
CD drives do sometimes get louder as they get older. I heard of one that got so worn that the it actually damaged a CD. If it still works it might be worth avoiding putting any irreplaceable CDs into it, just in case.

 

ROMs are relatively cheap, around $20 or so. You could always use this as a chance to upgrade (DVD RW anyone?).

 

Have to agree with Bill, as it is a work computer the best option is to replace the drive.

If it was your own it would possibly be worthwhile looking into it a bit further, could be something simple.