What makes a CDrom drive door stick????

[Ray Minich]

Is there any one thing in particular that makes these @#$%! things difficult to open over time? Seems that non-use makes the darn door stick closed when you I go to put a drive back in service. Then I gotta push it open with a paperclip.

Any repair suggestions or what to look for will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Mitch Drumm]

Ray:

Never experienced such an issue.

I can only guess it is bad luck, abuse, or a cheesy brand name. Most likely bad luck--as far as I know these things are pretty much commodities now with little difference in build quality or engineering.

[John Cipriano]

I don't know if you can get at it but the door is driven by a little plastic rack and pinion. Maybe there's some dust in there? Or the gear isn't tight on the axle? It's hard to guess without seeing it but what it comes down to is that plastic gears are worthless. If you don't have a drive that can burn CDs or DVDs, maybe now's a good time for an upgrade.

Here's something to give you an idea of the price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827151175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827118030

You will need to know if your current drive is IDE/ATA or SATA. IDE drives use a wide (typically gray) ribbon cable. SATA take a smaller (typically red) cable with an L-shaped connector. You don't need drivers or anything for these drives, they're very easy to swap out. I didn't check but those OEM drives probably don't come with cables, so you have to get those as well. If you get a retail box drive at a store then they usually come with cables.

[Wiz Feinberg]

If you can open it with a paper clip, but the problem of the stick CD tray persists, replace the drive.

[Ray Minich]

Maybe an oil change and filter would help it run better...
I'm off to Staples for a new one.

Thanks fellas.