CDROM Tray Opens
"My CDROM drive door keeps opening and closing by itself without prompting. Do I need to change a setting or is my computer possessed?"
CDROM Opens and Closes Automatically?
We can probably start by ruling out possession, at least the kind that might require an exorcist. I've heard reports of this happening due to a hardware problem, specifically with the drive tray being out of alignment, or due to the lens inside the drive being damaged or dirty. It's also possible to control the drive door with software, so perhaps rogue software is to blame.
You can diagnose the problem a couple of different ways. If you happen to have a spare CDROM drive, or you can borrow one from another computer, swap out the drive and see if the problem continues. (It might sound like a daunting task, but replacing a CDROM drive isn't hard at all. Typically they are held in place by a couple of screws, and connected with two cables.) If the problem goes away after swapping drives, you can safely assume it was a defective drive. Since CDROM drives can be purchased for less than $20, it's probably a waste of time and money to attempt a repair. You can try a CDROM lens cleaner if you're intent on trying to revive the drive.
If you continue to see the mysterious behavior after swapping drives, don't call the ghost busters yet. I've read reports that a faulty USB device could cause the drive door to open unexpectedly. One Macintosh user found that piles of paper near the keyboard sometimes accidentally hit the eject key. Yet another Mac user suggested resetting the PMU as a possible fix. I don't use a Mac, and I have no idea what a PMU is, so your mileage may vary.
Blame The Software
If you don't want to fiddle with the guts of your computer, look for a software cause first. Is it possible that someone installed some "joke" software without your knowledge? Such programs do exist, and can cause the cdrom tray to open and close by itself at random times. Another possibility is a virus, spyware or some other bit of malware that's designed to play tricks on you. I've seen reports by users who had exactly this problem, and solved it with a thorough spyware cleanup.
Read Secure Your Computer to see my recommendations for the best anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and the facts on both hardware & software firewalls. This is the security solution I've used myself for several years and it works great for me. Best of all, everything you need is free!
Have you encountered this problem? Tell us how you solve it, by posting your comments below.
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Posted by Bob Rankin on May 25, 2006 04:42 AM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- CDROM Tray Opens (Posted: May 25, 2006 04:42 AM)
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Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "CDROM Tray Opens"
(See all 21 comments for this article.)Posted by:
Alan
09 Sep 2007
I'm having a similar problem with both my CD ROM and my DVD RW drives... one or the other will open at boot up. But even more annoyingly, one or the other will frequently (but not always) open when I use CTRL C to copy something in WORD. Or if the tray is already open, CTRL C will close it. I have an HP Media Center PC running XP. I regularly run anti-virus and anti-spyware. I've tried uninstalling and re-installing the drivers.
Posted by:
anoop
21 Sep 2007
My DVD\CD-RW drive has a similar problemm too. It does not open if i press the eject button once. I have to press the eject button multiple times to get it open. It even opens automatically without prompting during bootup or when the system is idle. It even ejects duringg copying of data or playing DVD or CDs.
Posted by:
lynda
25 Oct 2007
I like the cd rom trick;i rate it 10 out 10
Posted by:
fewtrem
07 Dec 2007
I've had this problem for years - spent £100 on a DVD drive that was hardly ever used then it starts doing this. I sellotaped it up for a while thinkinghtat that might brake the motor inside it but now its unsellotaped then it still happily pops out when ever I put the computer ona and goes in and out for a few minutes. Must be hardware since it does it on boot up and the computer has had new hard drives and a reinstall of the OS (Win 98) and its still happening. Only now do I try and fix it!
Posted by:
ravi
18 Dec 2007
my CD R/W also giving thesame problem.
it open on boot na dstays open until i close it.
once i close it afetr placing a CD,It automatically opens, but not closing automatically.
What is the cause no boby knows, is it..?
Posted by:
alex
25 Jan 2008
have the problem to on my laptop hp but guess what its kinda rare cause sometimes it dosent do any noise and when it does it sounds if it where reading some imaginary cd haha but i got use to it so i put a little yellow sticker inside so when when it opens i read "wanna burn a cd?" lol!
Posted by:
sreekantan05
17 Apr 2008
YES..i too have the same problem, But even though i read and did all these things, my problem is not yet resolved.....Is there any one who have got the solution for the same ?
Posted by:
vivek
18 Jun 2008
I had the same problem - till i looked in to the task manager and killed pdvd.exe in the process list.
Posted by:
graham
24 Sep 2008
I do not see anyone comment here that nero 8 does it when in use, the really annoying thing is it does not keep open, I could put up with that but it continually opens and closes my second DVD writer but not the primary/first DVD writer that Nero 8 actually uses to burn discs. Thankfully it stops when I shut down the program. Is their a setting in nero 8 to stop this happening or is it just to keep you awake.
Posted by:
Rob Sherrill
29 Apr 2009
Mine just starting doing this, so I've tried many of the recommendations offered here and elsewhere. The one that finally worked was simply shooting canned air into the spaces around the tray button, indicating that the switch sensor was dirty. This has also cleared up the tray not opening problem that preceded this one. Also, while a tray is repeatedly recycling, no discs can be read or written to.