dvd-rom drive not opening

[dbzakj]

It's been working fine for over a year and now it seems to be 'stuck' when opening sometimes. I did take the cover off because it was a nuisance. Could dust be the problem? I did see it around the opening, cleaned it off but it sounds like it could be a gear problem or something - compared to the other perfectly working/sounding drive right above it (also with the cover off).

[pam123]

You could pull it from the case and use compressed air on it but with DVD-ROM drives hitting the $15 mark I would just replace it.

[Dia]

just fyi if in the future it doesnt want to open at all and you have something inside the drive.

Take a safety pin and stick it into the small almost unoticeable hole located under the tray. This will release the lock on the drive and you can then pull out the tray and get your cd/dvd out in the case of complete failure.

[delikios]

I would recommend buying a dvd recorder (which are extremely cheap now) and use it as a drive. It will last longer and read badly written dvds better.