DID I TRASH MY CD-ROM DRIVE? Dumb … Dumber … Dumbest … I left my Matsushita CD-ROM CR-588 (my Drive Y) open while working on my computer … and got distracted. I turned in my chair and my knee knocked the open drive tray from the side. I tried closing CD-ROM tray but it wouldn’t budge … it looked slightly askew. I tried straightening it manually. It still wouldn’t close when I press the button. Not knowing what else to do ... I slowly pushed the CD tray closed with some resistance. I pressed the drive button which lit up normally but the tray gave a little “clunk” (like it was trying to open). I then inserted a straightened paper clip into the little hole … nothing. I rebooted the computer (as if it might “reset” something) but this had no effect when I tried opening the drive. Lastly I tried gently easing the drive door open with a small screwdriver from the outside with no success … and now the “on” light doesn’t even light. BTW I also have a second CD-ROM (installed some years later). It’s a TDK CDRW8432 (my Drive Z). Through experience I learned that running a new software CD didn’t necessarily work on the CD-RW drive … only on the regular CD-ROM drive … the one that’s not working now. My operating system is Windows XP Professional. I checked Device Manager and it said “This device is working properly” for both Drives Y and Z. For the record … I have a circa 1998 Gateway 2000 Pentium II desktop complete with a 21” high floor CPU. [YES, I’m currently shopping for a new computer!] Also … the crashed Drive Y was part of the original Gateway package. Now I consider myself only semi-computer literate and not a computer techie. So-o-o-o … what are my options please? Thanks.

Disconnect it, and if you have a faceplate to cover the hole, remove it and place in very carefully in the trash can. You don't really need it because you have a CDRW drive.

"Through experience I learned that running a new software CD didn’t necessarily work on the CD-RW drive". You may be relying on the autoplay feature to start a CD. Instead try inserting a software CD into that drive and then click on My Computer. It will take a little time but eventually the disk will spin up and the drive will show in My Computer. Right click on the drive icon and select Explore. Then look for Setup. Double Click on setup and the installation should start. As far as the other drive goes it is possible to get it back on track. I have done the same thing you did and got the tray back on track. The mechanism is a setup like rack and pinion steering on a car. There is a straight gear (rack) on the underside of the tray. You probably knocked that on top of the round gear that makes the tray go in and out. The trick now is to get the tray back out. It will take as much force as you used to push it in. Using the paperclip can help to get it started. Then use TWO flat blace screwdrivers to move it out further until you can grab it. If you have no luck new drives are cheap enough online. If your drive is only a CD burner and not a DVD burner it is old anyway. Look at the link below. Be sure to buy the same interface type. IDE/ATA or SATA are the two choices. Your is most likely IDE/ATA. IDE/ATA uses a wide flat ribbon cable.

Replacement CDROM drives go for about $5. Bite the bullet. You can probably step up to a DVD burner for about $30 Goin' Fishin' (Some day)

I agree with OtheHill. What you probably did is get the tray's gearing out of sync. You made matters worse by forcing it back in. It's useless as it is so if you wanna experiment, take the drive out of the case, open it up & inspect the gear(s) used to open/close the tray...see if you can figure out how to get them back in sync again. "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

With a pc as old as this, the cd-rom speed may be important. Faster ones may not work, being too fast for the processor. Seem to recall 20x being the maximum. Suggest ascertain the speed of the broken one and look for a replacement with the same speed. Almost certeinly, your local pc repair shop has a box full of these, removed from scrappers. Good Luck - Keep us posted.

It looks like the thread has shifted away from repairing and on to replacing, but just FYI, I have COMPLETELY OBLITERATED a drive with my chair once, and was able to disassemble and piece it back together, good as new. First ever CD burner, nero auto-ejects disks when finished...yeah. Wasn't used to it yet, heard the sound so I turned to look and SMASH little plastic gears went everywhere. If you're looking for a project but not a serious repair job, try to piece it back together, it's a nice little puzzle.