Reference number: CH000885

CD or other disc tray does not close or opens by itself.

Question:

CD or other disc tray does not close or opens by itself.

Answer:

CD-ROM or other disc tray does not close

A CD-ROM or other disc drive tray that does not close or remain in the drive is often an indication of a hardware failure. However, the below steps can still be attempted before replacing the drive.

Stuck disc or other object in drive

If a disc has become loose in the back of the drive or another object has been put in the drive by a child it can cause the drive tray to remain out. Use a flashlight and shine it in the drive to try to determine if a disc is stuck in the drive or if any other object is in the drive. If a disc is stuck in the drive try using a pair of needle nose pliers and remove the disc. If you're concerned about damaging the disc (if not already damaged) you may want to consider removing the drive and disassembling it. Keep in mind that disc drives are not meant to be open and disassembling the drive will void the warranty and in some cases can damage the drive.

Remove the disc

If there is a disc in the tray remove it and make sure it is not the cause of your problem.

Disc drive button broke

It is possible for the drive button to break. If you're using the button to put the tray back in the drive try pushing the tray towards the drive instead. All disc drives support the ability to gently press the tray to put it back into the drive.

Push button instead of pushing the tray

If you're pushing the tray try pushing the button instead.

Bad drive gears

If the above recommendations do not work, the drive tray does not push all the way in, and/or as you push the tray in it slowly pushes in it's likely the drive gears are bad and/or another piece of the drive is bad. We suggest you replace the drive.

CD-ROM or other disc tray opens by itself

Below is a short listing of possible causes that can cause a disc drive tray to open by itself. If you're encountering this issue try the below recommendations.

Software issue

It's possible for a software program to open and close your disc drive tray. If the tray opens by itself while in a program such as a cd burning program it's completely normal function of the program.

However, if the tray is randomly opening by itself it's possible that another program installed on the computer is causing the problem. To determine if this is the cause, if you're running Microsoft Windows boot the computer into Safe Mode. Information about getting into Safe Mode can be found on document CHSAFE.

Let the computer sit in Safe Mode, if the tray ejects while in Safe Mode you're encountering one of the other below situations. However, if the tray is not ejecting in Safe Mode it's likely a program running on your computer is causing your problem. First, make sure you have an antivirus protection program on your computer and that you've scanned your computer for any viruses. If no viruses are found and your computer continues to eject the tray after rebooting out of Safe Mode there is a TSR or other background program causing the issue. We suggest closing all TSRs until you determine which program is causing your issue. Additional information about TSRs and how to see what is running in the background can be found on document CHTSR.

Bad disc or other object in the drive

If a disc has become loose in the back of the drive or another object has been put in the drive by a child it can cause the drive tray to randomly eject. Use a flashlight and shine it in the drive to try to determine if a disc is stuck in the drive or if any other object is in the drive. If a disc is stuck in the drive try using a pair of needle nose pliers and remove the disc. If you're concerned about damaging the disc (if not already damaged) you may want to consider removing the drive and disassembling the drive. Keep in mind that disc drives are not meant to be open and disassembling the drive will void the warranty and in some cases can damage the drive.

Other hardware malfunction

Finally, if you've tried all of the above recommendations and the tray continues to randomly eject we suggest replacing the drive. It's likely that a component in the drive is bad and/or failing.

Additional information:

• See document CH000214 if you're encountering issues with not being able to open the CD or other disc tray.