How to Get a CD Drive to Open on a Dell Computer

The CD drive on Dell laptops and desktop computers is intuitive and usually easy to open, but the drive may stick or not open for a specific reason. If the drive does not eject as it should, do not force or pry it open because you may damage the drive. There are several commands and manual methods of opening the CD drive on a Dell computer. If you still have a disk drive stuck after exhausting every option, professional help may be required to open the drive without causing permanent damage. The disc drive on most computers is replaceable, and external disc drives operate connected to a USB port.

To manually open a Dell CD drive, locate the small, rectangular button that is either on the drive itself or immediately adjacent to the drive. The location of the button varies slightly by model but is most often on the disk drive tray. Press this button for a second and release it to open the drive. If this doesn't work, try using the tip of a pen to press down the button. Your finger may not fully press to engage the drive. If you aren't successful, look for a much smaller button that is recessed in a tiny pinhole. You need a pin or paper clip to press this one. Turn off the computer and press this button with the end of a paper clip to open the drive to eject a disc. If this manual approach doesn't work, turn to keyboard commands to open the drive.

Open your computer to the start screen and simultaneously hold the "Windows" key and the "E_"_ on your keyboard to open the disc drive. This keyboard shortcut sends an eject-disc signal to the drive. If nothing happens, open the "Control Panel" and right-click on "CD/DVD Drive." Click "Eject" to open the disc tray. Unless the computer is frozen or the tray is physically stuck, these commands should open the tray to eject the disc or accept a new disc.

As a last resort, run a power cycle reset and then repeat the steps to open the drive. To run the power cycle, shut down your computer normally. Unplug it from power after the shutdown and wait for a full minute to drain any remaining power. Plug it back into the wall or power strip and turn on the computer. Attempt to open the drive manually or use the command prompts to open the drive. If nothing works, it is time to seek out professional help to repair the disc tray.