or the disc itself is warped, the drive won’t properly read it. Be gentle with
the delicate CD tray. It isn’t intended to bear much weight or pressure. If a
disc doesn’t easily center on the spindle, don’t force it into place.Sometimes a disc sticks and the tray won’t open when you push the regular
button. (Some laptops also allow software to open the tray, although this may
not be the best feature. You don’t want the fragile tray popping open in a situ-
ation where it could be damaged.) The procedure to open a stuck tray is
decidedly low tech. Go find a paper clip and straighten it out. Look for a tiny
hole on the front of the CD tray; darned if it isn’t exactly the size of a straight-
ened paper clip. Gently push in the probe to open the drive. If you’ve been
good in this life or a previous one, the drawer opens and you can remove the
offending disc. Try to determine if it was seated improperly or warped.
Experiment with a fresh or known-good disc.If you’re unable to get the disc out using the standard release button or the
emergency eject hole, you may have to remove the entire CD or DVD drive
from the laptop and hope to gain access to the tray — or replace the mecha-
nism if it has failed. Consult your laptop’s instruction manual for specific
instructions on removing a drive; on some systems it’s as easy as unlatching
the device from a plug-in bay, while on other systems you may have to remove
several intervening pieces of equipment including the battery, floppy disc
drive, or other devices.While I’m on the subject of warped or otherwise inadequate discs, I want
to pass along my recommendation against using one of those cute, oddly
shaped CDs some companies or people insist on handing out at trade shows
or other events. I’ve received star-shaped, Easter-egg shaped, and modern
artsy mini-discs. Although in theory they work just as well as a full-sized CD
(albeit with a smaller capacity), they’re off balance because of their shape
and more likely to warp. I don’t use them myself and recommend you pass
on them when offered.Another possible mechanical problem that can shut down a CD or DVD is a
failure of one of the drive’s tiny motors or positioning devices. The primary
motor spins the disc, varying its speed as required; though these devices rep-
resent great technological achievements, they nevertheless can seize or burn
out. Some CD or DVD devices have a second, even tinier motor that opens
and closes the drive tray; other designs are spring loaded. Finally, the little
positioning motor rapidly moves the read/write head toward or away from
the spinning disc’s spindle to align with a particular location.Yet one more point of failure is the tiny laser and its focusing lens. On a desk-
top PC, these parts are hidden within the drive; on a laptop, some designs
put the laser and lens on the slideout tray, exposed to accidental damage.
Don’t touch the lens; you could move it out of alignment and the oils from
your finger could distort its focus. Try to avoid allowing dirt to enter the
drive. If the lens or tray does become dirty, try a gentle spray from a can of
filtered, compressed air.36 Part II: Explaining What Could Possibly Go Wrong