On Sat, 03 Mar 2018 05:23:18 -0500, Paul wrote:

| When you install a drive into a computer case, sometimes it's
| a tight fit, and you distort the computer case or the drive
| casing or something. This causes the tray to "jam" against
| the frame, preventing it from opening. Applying pressure to
| the front (with tape or magnets or something), may release
| the jam by accident.
|
| The front bezel on some drives is removable. The retail box
| the drive comes in, has a beige and a black bezel, and the
| user can install the bezel color of their choice. But at
| the same time, if the bezel is installed crooked, it can jam
| up the tray.
|
| You must use your trained eyeball to spot these issues, in
| order to have a trouble-free optical drive lifetime.
|
| And you absolutely do not splash oil around an optical drive.
| You must keep everything inside clean clean clean. Not full
| of oily dirt. Who wants oil smudges on their DVD ?

Also, there's a rubber belt that controls the ejection process. It can stretch a bit
with use and lose a firm grip on the pulleys, causing drives that have been ejecting
with no problem to get balky. I've fixed older drives a few times by replacing the
belt. Been a couple of times for one really old Lite-On burner that I keep because
it's a champ at reading disks for quality.

Larc