DVD drive not opening with button press

AlecEiffel

Hi all,

On my laptop (Dell) periodically the optical drive doesn't recognise a button press to open it. Normally the light will flash once and the drive will open.

Occasionally it just stops doing this. I press the button and nothing happens, no light or opening. If I go into My Computer and select the drive and eject via the menu it pops open fine, then will do so with a button press thereafter.

I have run through some tests suggested by Dell via their forum (MS Fix It, a startup test, and checking in Device Manager) and the computer passes them all.

On one occasion it wasn't working and I checked in device manager and the drive was listed. It didn't open via a button press but when I clicked on the drive in device manager I could hear it accessing the drive and it then responded to a button press. I have updated the driver and even uninstalled the driver via device manager and let it reinstall on startup but the issue still comes back.

I'm keeping a log to see if it only occurs after startup or if it starts playing up even after the drive has been in use.

I'm assuming it a software issue (driver? BIOS?) rather than a hardware issue as it reposnds most of the time via the button and without fail via the menu.

If it persists and Dell can't solve it via instructing me I'll have to get them out to check/replace it but it feels like it should be an easy fix, I just don't know what it it and they haven't figured it yet! Or could it be a hardware issue?

Any ideas anyone please?

debitcardmayhem

Anit-Virus checking it, Media Player has opened it, automatic settings, etc , too much really to form an opinion without which version of Windows/Linux you are using, which AntiVirus, do you use something like alcoholxxx/virtualcd etc, is it shared ? the list could be endless

AlecEiffel

Windows 8, fresh install.

Stuff I've installed-
iTunes
McAfee
CCleaner
Chrome
Civ IV
MS Office

None of that should interfere. Seems odd that its intermittent and it always opens via the menu.

googler

Sounds as though the switch is making intermittent contact - in which case I recommend some switch cleaner from Maplin or other electronics supplier - Servisol or the like.

Switch off, unplug, and spray a small amount on the gap line around the button, align the laptop so that gravity will pull the fluid down into the switch/button, and press a few times. Dry off any excess with a tissue, plug back in, switch on and try again.

Maybe repeat process a couple of times before determining if has worked or not.

AlecEiffel

Hi.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure that is the issue. For example the button won't work. I then go into device manager and select the drive (not eject it, just flick between the driver tab and the region tab for example) and then the button works when pressed. This makes me think its software and not hardware related. But I do stand to be corrected!

prowla

If all else fails, you can usually push a straightened out paper clip into the little hole in the drawer to manually eject it.

Splott

Go into the BIOS when turning the laptop on (Press F2). If the drive ejects properly in there then its a software issue, possibly caused by an application not releasing the drive letter to allow the drive to be unmounted and therefore ejected.

booler

googler wrote: »

Sounds as though the switch is making intermittent contact - in which case I recommend some switch cleaner from Maplin or other electronics supplier - Servisol or the like.

Switch off, unplug, and spray a small amount on the gap line around the button, align the laptop so that gravity will pull the fluid down into the switch/button, and press a few times. Dry off any excess with a tissue, plug back in, switch on and try again.

Maybe repeat process a couple of times before determining if has worked or not.

As an electronic engineer I really don't think this is a good idea. :eek:

AlecEiffel

Splott wrote: »

Go into the BIOS when turning the laptop on (Press F2). If the drive ejects properly in there then its a software issue, possibly caused by an application not releasing the drive letter to allow the drive to be unmounted and therefore ejected.

Works whilst in the BIOS. Has been working all day today. Will see later! Thanks for the reply.

Splott

booler wrote: »

As an electronic engineer I really don't think this is a good idea. :eek:

Really? Why is that then? As one electronics engineer to another perhaps you'd like to explain as it is non-conductive.

Lum

Uninstall McAfee. McAfee is worthless at finding viruses and causes many problems, quite possibly including this one. Any of the free antiviruses you can find on this site will do a better job than McAfee, both in terms of protection and system performance.