Plexwriter stuck

[StevieRay]

Ok, week of the weird for me. Fixed my PSU. All set. Now the burner will not open. It sure tries, makes the sounds, but the door doesn't pop open. I did try to pry a little. Nothing. I have no clue if anything is in there since I use my lappie with the multi drive to burn dvd now. My wife "can not remember" if she tried something with it. Uh, huh. ok. So, any ideas?

I checked the power connects, actually pulled the whole thing out, air dusted it, reconnected, same result. The thing really wants to open but doesnt.

it is a Plextor Plexwriter 48/24/48A

[Hitman]

Take a paper clip and straighten it out, then slide it in the small little hole in the front of the drive until the disc tray pops out. You can then open the tray the rest of the way with your fingers.

If this method doesn't work because the drive tray is jammed, or the gears are stripped, you will have to take the drive apart to get to the disc inside.

[StevieRay]

Hitman, I am sure that seemed easy to you but you should have seen the joy on my face when that worked! Thanks....

The door still sticks every couple of times. Any ideas? There is nothing in it. And I hardly use it.

Thank you again, StevieRay

[screwballl]

optical drives are at best semi-reliable.... I have had brand new ones die within days, some work for over a decade, some read but won't burn... others burn but only with Nero and not Windows.... they are some of the pickiest computer hardware I have ever seen.
this is also why I typically refuse to spend much over $30 for one... although I broke this rule with my current HP 740i DVD burner + Lightscribe which I got on sale for $80 a few years back.. it is now starting to click a little so I bet it doesn't have much longer. Luckily the firmware update seemed to extend its life for at least a few months.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by StevieRay

Hitman, I am sure that seemed easy to you but you should have seen the joy on my face when that worked! Thanks....

The door still sticks every couple of times. Any ideas? There is nothing in it. And I hardly use it.

Thank you again, StevieRay

No Problem, that trick has saved me more times then I care to remember. I have the worst luck when it comes to optical drives. I have at least one go out on me a year. Sometimes the tray will stick because the front bezel may be off a little. Try taking the drive out of the case and opening the tray with the paper clip method. Watch real close to see if the tray is sticking on the bezel. If it is try adding some lube (like WD40) with a Qtip, being careful not to get any run off inside of the drive. Another option would be to file down the bezel a tad so it stops sticking. It could also be that the belt is going out. In that case you're hosed, and drive needs to be replaced.

[gvblake22]

If the tray is hitting the bezel, you could also get a bit of sandpaper and just sand it down so it doesn't hit anymore.

[StevieRay]

Thank you for the help on this on too! It sticks every other time I open it. I am going to try the sandpaper trick and see if that helps. In the end it may just have to go. I am going to give this tower to the wife and start a new build soon.

When I went into take out the PSU (other thread) and the optical drive I cleaned out all the dust with dust off. Took out all the cables and reattached everything. I dont know if this is just a rookie talking but taking out all that, really everything but the mobo and the RAM (which I upgraded a year ago) makes me feel like I can do a build.

Is this a false sense of security? I feel that the hardest part is the software side after the build...

StevieRay

[screwballl]

The 2 main hardest parts:
1. making sure you get the right parts (DDR2 vs DDR3) and so on...
2. troubleshooting a new build once the OS is installed

sometimes you're lucky and you only have to deal with #1 (like my last 2 builds) but #2 is a given with Vista or Linux installs.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by StevieRay

When I went into take out the PSU (other thread) and the optical drive I cleaned out all the dust with dust off. Took out all the cables and reattached everything. I dont know if this is just a rookie talking but taking out all that, really everything but the mobo and the RAM (which I upgraded a year ago) makes me feel like I can do a build.

Is this a false sense of security? I feel that the hardest part is the software side after the build...

I would say no. As far as physically building the system, connecting everything correctly and doing a good job with wiring is one of the hardest parts in my opinion. Picking the right parts to build with is tricky, but its and easy yes or no (for the most part). Besides getting everything wired up correctly, getting the OS and all the drivers installed successfully is about your only other major hurdle.

I would say go for it, it's a lot easier than you think, you'll be surprised (especially if you have good, reliable parts).

[StevieRay]

Thank you. I will go for it. And I would not make a move without the sage advice from this HL forum! I saw a build that diabloplayer is making and like what I saw from every angle. I may go with a diff mobo but that is it. More to come from me for sure!

PS, in my early days, I would rebuild my car engines...for some reason that old feeling has come back, and I am pretty psyched. If I could crank out 450 bhp from my old mustang, I hope I can crank out 4 ghz from my tower!

anyone else ever have the car/computer experience?