So I was trying to burn a CD and was not able. Once I was able to open the drive the CD was shattered in the drive tray. Any ideas on how this could have happened?

Hi Eunice, just want to clarify, for lenovo notebook if it doesn't have DVD drive you can use external DVD drive to access DVD CD. DVD external drive is just plug and play device once attached in your USB port, it will automatically detected and once detected you can use it already. Just install Burner application to burn some files if your DVD is capable of burning CD.

It sounds like something is wrong with the CD you burned. Take a paperclip and straighten it out. Open the CD rom cover flap if there is one covering it. There will be a small hole in the cd drive under the CD tray. Stick the paper clip in and push. This will release the tray. Pull the tray out manually and remove the cd, then push the tray back in gently and reboot your computer.

Look for a small pinhole just under the tray door. This is the manual release for the dvd tray.

Just insert a long needle like object into the hole about 2 or 3 inches and push.

This should pop out the tray. You should then be able to remove the shattered pieces of disk. If the drive tray does not function normally after removing the disk pieces you may have to remove the drive entiirely from the case in order to shake out the smaller bits. If the problem persists after that, you may have to remove the metal case from the drive itself and clean it out or it may just be time for a new drive.

Good luck and please comment back if this was helpful and with how you make out.

Either the CD is full or the quality of the CD is inadequate to burn it with your CD writer.

Try a good quality CD, or lower the writing speed and make sure it is an empty CD.

Jules

This has happened to me. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I'll place a CD or DVD in the tray and start to close it without making sure that the disk is seated flat in the tray. If it's ****-eyed the CD wil shatter when the tray is closed. The only way to remove the pieces inside the CD drive is to take apart the CD drive. Might be easier just to replace the unit. They run from about $25.00 to $75.00. One other note: You can try to open the tray manually by inserting the end of a paper clip into a small hole on the front bezel of the drive.

when a cd-rom makes a shattering noise or rattling noise, it is due to the tray being out of whack. It may have been bumped. Gingerly try to skew it back to normal.

I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309

You can see a hole located on the tray of the cd rom drive. Commonly seen beside the button to eject the cd out. Grab a small pin and push the hole and this should eject the tray. Close the tray again by pressing the button. Eject it using the button. If everything still failed, call up Dell to have the CD Rom Drive replaced.

Problem of tray opening on hp dvd burner. I got the door open as suggested above with paperclip. Then took some CRC 2-26 plastic safe electrical grade lubricant and swabbed the pivoting door mechanism. Opened with the paperclip about 5-6 more times until it finally opens normally.

its very simple .remove the outer cpu case.then remove the cd rom open itplace THE TRAY in RIGHT MANNER ONCE AGAIN . donot try to move the tray of your cd rom without opening the cd rom ,it might result in a permanent damage

> I've already replaced it once

Well, I've seen CD-drives that would re-open, when you try to close them -- it is _falsely_ detecting a "jam" as the tray is closing, and then just re-opens the tray, rather than "forcing" itself to close.

Replacing the CD-drive is the only way to fix that type of "false-positive" jam-detection conditions.

But, since you've done that, either you were unlucky-enough that the replacement drive was also "defective", or, you have a computer-virus on your computer that is maliciously issuing commands to the CD to "open-the-tray".