DVD Drive Is Stuck And Won't Close

By Sharpstick68
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Mentor

Sharpstick68

Posted
Posted

I do not know how this happened but my best guess is that I some how opened the drive and forgot it was still opened. I moved my right leg slightly and bumped into one side of the opened drive and now it looks lopsided, like one side of it is not aligned properly (see pictures below and video). I tried pushing it back in with some force, but I didn't want to break it so I stopped. I also took it out of my computer to examine it and it is obvious the one side is not properly lined up. I don't know how to fix this, and would really love to know how I can if possible fix this. The drive is out of my system for the moment until I can find a potential fix for this issue. Any help would be appreciated.

 

IMAGES

4k9E5gg.jpg

lnl2yF3.jpg

 

 

VIDEO

 

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1327294-dvd-drive-is-stuck-and-wont-close/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Rigby

Posted
Posted (edited)

There's a gear inside that pulls the tray in and out. It looks and sounds like the tray has been knocked out of place from the gear. You should be able to fix it by opening the drive up and setting the tray back in place. There should be four screws on the bottom then the top cover will come off. The gear is usually near the front, and it should drive some teeth along the edge of the tray on the bottom. Hopefully the gear is just out of place and nothing is broken. Also make sure the rubber belt that goes from the motor to the gear is on properly.

cd-player-tray-drive-belt-and-gear-wheels.jpg

Edited by Rigby
  • goretsky and The Evil Overlord
  • Like 2
Veteran

Daedroth

Posted
Posted

From your video, to me it looks as though the mechanism that pulls the tray in has failed.

 

Just to confirm that it is mechanical, if you start to physically push the tray in, it should recognise that and the motors should pull the tray in itself. If when you push it in, it doesn't do that and stops moving when you stop pushing it, then I think it's definitely a mechanical issue.

 

The last time I saw this, one of the bands had become dislodged. Simply re-attaching it worked. Depending on your experience, you could attempt to open the drive up and taking a look. You should see a dislodged band down the side. Reattach this and it should be good.

  • The Evil Overlord
  • Like 1
Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

Remove the drive and take it apart, it's actually really easy to take the top cover off and see what's going on inside. If the drive fell off the rail it's a pretty easy fix to put it back on.

  • The Evil Overlord
  • Like 1
Grand Master

Rigby

Posted
Posted (edited)
19 minutes ago, xendrome said:

$19.97 - http://a.co/hBo9ng8

 

Next question... not worth trying to fix it and scratching up your discs if there is a worse problem with i t.

That's the wrong drive; the Blu-ray model is $60. It's an easy fix anyway so I wouldn't waste money replacing it.

Mentor

Sharpstick68

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Rigby, I looked at the picture you posted. I was only able to remove the plate from the bottom of the drive, not the top. Anyway I looked inside, and then at the picture for reference and all I see is one white round gear, and another shaped gear that both have teeth on it. How am I suppose to fix the gears so the drive gets back on track. Is the drive suppose to have power to it so the gears can initiate?. I don't know how else to re-align it. I tried moving the gear with a screw driver but that really didn't do anything. And also this is the drive I have - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7B08MS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

INSIDE DRIVE

Ih5GOBY.jpg

 

INSIDE DRIVE VIDEO

 

Mentor

Athlonite

Posted
Posted (edited)

Basically all you need to do is

1: Stand the drive on it's end with the open tray pointing up then

2: Take a really big hammer ( I find 12lb sledge hammers work the best )  and hit it repeatedly until the drive try is closed this may take more than one blow to complete 

  • The Evil Overlord
  • Like 1
Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted
3 hours ago, Athlonite said:

Basically all you need to do is

1: Stand the drive on it's end with the open tray pointing up then

2: Take a really big hammer ( I find 12lb sledge hammers work the best )  and hit it repeatedly until the drive try is closed this may take more than one blow to complete 

I hope you are joking...

Grand Master

T3X4S

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, xendrome said:

$19.97 - http://a.co/hBo9ng8

 

Next question... not worth trying to fix it and scratching up your discs if there is a worse problem with i t.

This is the only post that makes sense - its $20... move along.

  • Michael Scrip and Hum
  • Like 2
Grand Master

The Evil Overlord

Posted
Posted

Have you tried using more force? Application via the fleshy part of your hand (thumb) I understand there is a very real and very big risk of damaging, even breaking the tray, but without fully disassembling the drive, I don't see another option. Might force the runner back into place.

(If it were my drive, I'd give it a shot, worst case scenario, I have to buy a replacement.)

But if it is not an option, then please disregard this post.

Grand Master

Rigby

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 hours ago, Sharpstick68 said:

Rigby, I looked at the picture you posted. I was only able to remove the plate from the bottom of the drive, not the top. Anyway I looked inside, and then at the picture for reference and all I see is one white round gear, and another shaped gear that both have teeth on it. How am I suppose to fix the gears so the drive gets back on track. Is the drive suppose to have power to it so the gears can initiate?. I don't know how else to re-align it. I tried moving the gear with a screw driver but that really didn't do anything. And also this is the drive I have - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7B08MS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The top cover should come off also, allowing you to remove the tray and align it in the proper position with the gear. You may need to remove the front bezel first, should be some clips on the side holding it in place. The other gear in your picture I think is the one that lifts the disc spindle up and down, shouldn't be related to the tray problem. Really just need to get that top cover off for the next step; keep looking it over and working with it and you should be able to figure out how to remove it. I would not recommend trying to force the tray back in position since breaking any of the gears or teeth would ruin it. Do you know anyone who works on stuff you could take it to?

Edited by Rigby
Mentor

Athlonite

Posted
Posted
On 4/6/2017 at 2:09 PM, Mindovermaster said:

I hope you are joking...

Nope I was completely serious .... once one thing starts going wrong it'll be a never ending slide into fully not working better to be rid of it now 

Grand Master

Mindovermaster Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted
7 hours ago, Athlonite said:

Nope I was completely serious .... once one thing starts going wrong it'll be a never ending slide into fully not working better to be rid of it now 

The rest of the people are trying to help him, just not call it quits and get a new one.

Mentor

Athlonite

Posted
Posted
On 4/8/2017 at 0:26 AM, Mindovermaster said:

The rest of the people are trying to help him, just not call it quits and get a new one.

He can fix it all he wants but it wont be long before it will need fixing again it'll be a rinse and repeat opperation untill finally it's totally buggered I don't see the need to fix such a cheap piece of hardware nowadays just junk it and get a new one simple as that 

Grand Master

Rigby

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, Athlonite said:

He can fix it all he wants but it wont be long before it will need fixing again it'll be a rinse and repeat opperation untill finally it's totally buggered I don't see the need to fix such a cheap piece of hardware nowadays just junk it and get a new one simple as that 

He knocked the tray out of its track with his knee; that's all. The drive isn't failing, and there's no reason to assume anything else will go wrong when the tray is back in position. I suppose $60 may seem cheap to you but throwing away the drive for no reason is absurd.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • TeraCopy 4.0 Build 27

      By Copernic · Posted

      TeraCopy 4.0 Build 27 is out.
    • Neowin's 2026 GNU/Linux Desktop Thread

      By remixedcat · Posted

      My ice blue precision 3550 laptop
    • ABSTRACT//AWESOME//WALLPAPERS - made by me!

      By remixedcat · Posted

      thank you!
    • Apple and Tesla Supplier Tata Electronics Confirms 630 GB Data Theft: iPhone Specs on Dark Web

      By +Nik Louch · Posted

      Ooopsie!
    • A coalition of publishers sued OpenAI and Microsoft over scraping content without consent

      By Hamid Ganji · Posted

      A coalition of publishers sued OpenAI and Microsoft over scraping content without consent by Hamid Ganji Image via Depositphotos.com AI companies often rely on readily available internet content to train their chatbots and provide users with instant answers. This method of AI training is fast and relatively inexpensive, but using a website’s content without permission or compensation is not something publishers like to see, and this is exactly why Microsoft and OpenAI are now being sued. As reported by Bloomberg, a group of publishers that collectively own nearly 400 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The coalition argues that the two companies scraped their content to build AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot without paying any compensation. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, argues that while AI products have generated billions of dollars in market value using publishers’ work, none of that value has been shared with the publishers. The plaintiffs are seeking statutory damages and injunctive relief for alleged copyright infringement and violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. “Defendants systematically and secretly crawled the Publishers’ websites—including content behind paywalls and other access restrictions—and copied the Publishers’ articles, stories, and other original works onto their own servers without authorization,” the complaint states. The publishers also described the AI boom as a “death knell for local journalism” if AI companies that scrape content for free are not held accountable. Former New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and his law firm, Platkin LLP, are representing the publishers. “Our models empower innovation, are trained on publicly available data, and are grounded in fair use,” OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri told Bloomberg. This is not the first lawsuit involving the unauthorized use of publishers’ content by AI firms, but it is one of the largest coalitions ever formed against the free use of content by AI chatbots. In 2024, OpenAI and Microsoft also faced a similar lawsuit from eight newspapers that claimed AI products were benefiting from their content without permission.

  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      443
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      172
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      134
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      78
    5. 5
      Xenon
      77
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!