BleepingComputer.com: DEAD CD ROM (COMPLETLY DEAD)

I have a gateway computer....several yeas old, but still fast. I restored the computer and when it recovered there were a few programs missing and some drivers. Well, I got that all repaired but the CD-Rom will not work at all..not even a tiny bit. At first I could still get the disks out by using a paper clip to open it manually, but now that wont even work. I have never seen such a dead CD-Rom in all my life, so what the hell should I do? I can get an external CD-Rom, but I would really like this to work if at all possible. This thing has no power and no way to make it work...but the device manager still shows that it is working properly and all the drivers are there. Is this a hardware issue, a firmware issue, a software issue, or a registry issue?

This post has been edited by hamluis: 28 April 2011 - 05:32 PM
Reason for edit: Moved from Vista to Internal Hardware.

I'd assume, you need a new drive?

If its an internal I would suggest replacing it with an internal. As Broni stated the drive is shot just replace it.

There is a motor inside all optical drives that use gears to move the disk tray in and out of the drive.

This motor is obviously shorted out and no longer functions any more, this is why the drive still reads disks but can not eject the tray.

Repairing this drive would cost you more than a new drive, that is unless you have spare parts you can get from another drive, that has a failed laser, but do not count on it fitting exactly as the original without performing some alterations first.

Bruce.