Sudden mechanical problem w/CD-R

I've had my CD-R for a couple of years, and haven't used it a lot.
Recently I burned maybe 5 CDs, and suddenly, the tray won't move.
I had it open when the problem started, and it only closed part way.
I managed to push it back to a closed position (gently - I didn't
jam it hard), and now it doesn't open. It makes noises as though it's
trying to move, and I see the door move very slightly, but it's
definitely stuck.

My PC can't now find the device, or any other - when I click on My
Computer, it says I have no peripheral devices at all, including my
other CD ROM drive and the floppy drive (it's an older PC). (At least
I have a shortcut to the C drive on my desktop, so I can access that!)

Any suggestions? I'm a little reluctant to try sticking things inside
the drive to try to find out why the tray is stuck, for fear of doing
even more damage, but I'm not sure what else to do. I'm sure it's
cheaper to buy a new one than to get it fixed, but I'm pretty short of
cash for either of those things right now.

Thanks,

J. Wermont
--
To reply privately, take the X's out of my user ID.

wrote in message
...
I've had my CD-R for a couple of years, and haven't used it a lot.
Recently I burned maybe 5 CDs, and suddenly, the tray won't move.
I had it open when the problem started, and it only closed part way.
I managed to push it back to a closed position (gently - I didn't
jam it hard), and now it doesn't open. It makes noises as though it's
trying to move, and I see the door move very slightly, but it's
definitely stuck.

My PC can't now find the device, or any other - when I click on My
Computer, it says I have no peripheral devices at all, including my
other CD ROM drive and the floppy drive (it's an older PC). (At least
I have a shortcut to the C drive on my desktop, so I can access that!)

Any suggestions? I'm a little reluctant to try sticking things inside
the drive to try to find out why the tray is stuck, for fear of doing
even more damage, but I'm not sure what else to do. I'm sure it's
cheaper to buy a new one than to get it fixed, but I'm pretty short of
cash for either of those things right now.

Thanks,

J. Wermont
--
Check that your power and IDE connectors are pushed in. Could be a power
supply problem but more than likely the drive is screwed up. Remove the
drive, you may need to set the CD-ROM to master to get it going again. Pop
the front plate off the drive and see if you can figure out the problem.
It's not that difficult and you've nothing to lose.
Check edealinfo.com. Drives are really cheap now.
Good luck and YMMV

T Shadow wrote:

Check that your power and IDE connectors are pushed in. Could be a power
supply problem but more than likely the drive is screwed up. Remove the
drive, you may need to set the CD-ROM to master to get it going again. Pop
the front plate off the drive and see if you can figure out the problem.
It's not that difficult and you've nothing to lose.
Check edealinfo.com. Drives are really cheap now.
Good luck and YMMV


Thanks!

J. Wermont