Has your DVD drive tray stopped opening and closing? Having the convenience of a computer DVD drive to play your favorite movies and music or installing new software is one that often gets taken for granted. However once your DVD disc drive breaks you will likely be concerned that your ability to play entertainment, access media storage and re-install your favorite programs will be lost forever. However don’t despair; there are several common reasons why your PC’s DVD drive is no longer working. Today we will take a look at these popular faults and what you can try to do to fix it.
Top 3 ways to open DVD drive tray
- Try re-opening DVD with Windows Eject – If you have been pressing the open button on the DVD drive but nothing happens then it could be a problem with the button itself or dust. To rule this scenario out first, you should try to force Windows to open the drive using the Operating System. To do this you should first open the “Computer” or “My Computer” Icon to list your drives. Look for the symbol of your DVD drive and its name which often uses the letter ‘D’. Now try right-clicking on your DVD drive to bring up the menu, followed by a left-click on ‘Eject’. If this works, your computer’s disc drive should immediately pop open. If this doesn’t work, then try the solutions below.
- Check your PC is flat on a surface – This may seem obvious, but your PC’s DVD drive uses a small motor to open and close. The drive motor is powerful enough to open the tray when the surface is flat, however if your computer is resting at an anti-gravity angle then there won’t be enough power to open the tray. Also check that no cables or speaker wires are blocking the front of the disc tray.
- Manually open the trays – If the above solutions didn’t work, then you now need to manually override the tray to check what has stopped it from opening. To do this you will need a small needle or paper clip. If you take a look at the front of your computer’s DVD tray, you should notice a small hole. The tiny hole should sit directly underneath the tray lip, if you can’t see it then use a magnifying glass or friend to help. Push the needle or paper clip into this hole carefully to connect with the auto-release latch. You should hopefully hear a spring click and then the tray should automatically open. Remove any CD that may have gotten caught in the tray and try pressing the button again to see if the tray shuts successfully.
We hope that this guide has helped you understand how to open a jammed computer DVD tray and be confident how to manually open the disc drive should this happen again. If you find your DVD eject button continues to fail when playing various media then you may wish to consider replacing your disc drive with a new DVD tray unit.
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