I would simply replace the CD burner sudden like. See the paragraph below, I had originally suggested you upgrade to a DVD burner, but.......... If you need help on howto there are plenty of folks here who can and will guide you through the simple process. Well, before posting this I checked Best Buy, Staples and Officemax, right now they all seem expensive. I bought a Sony here in Canada for $50 a while back so I figured south of the border you might do better. So much for thinking. Try the flyers on Sunday, they may have them on sale next week.

Nicki, I have the same prob since the Dell man was here and had it all apart. I tried the paperclip trick the other day (at Bob's suggestion). With a few attempts and holding my mouth just right, I got it open several times. Now this evening even that does not work. I just tried fruit's suggestion above. It opens one of the drives, but not the problem one. I tried pushing the button, and then pressing in a bit on the drive while it is attempting to open. Sometimes it opens, and sometimes not, but will open then with no problem the next time I push the button. Just keep fiddling with it, and I think you will get the knack of it. Do you feel comfortable with taking the side off of it? I'm going to take the side off of mine now and see what that does. brb Sue...off to tear up/down her computer

I found this at WorldStart which appeared in their Newsletter and it worked for me. I thought I would share it with others in case they have a similar problem. I quote: "Other Eject Options" I'm sure many of you have read our tips on how to eject a stuck CD from your computer, but even after going through all those steps, are you still having trouble getting that stubborn CD to come out? Sometimes those things can be so frustrating and after you mess with it for awhile, you probably just feel like throwing your whole computer out the window. Am I right? Well, before you go that far, give these alternative tricks a try. They may be just what you've been waiting for! First, try adding something to the CD. If you put an extra file or another song on it, that might be enough to coax it out. Also, when you're using a CD, make sure you eject it before you start up another program. If you leave the CD in its tray while you use other programs, it could cause some problems. Another thing to try is a simple reboot. Sometimes when you shut down your computer and then turn it back on, the CD will eject. Now, while all of those are good suggestions, they still might not work for you. So, if that's the case, you may want to try the other tips I mentioned in the first paragraph. One of them tells you to try the traditional method of right clicking on your CD drive and choosing Eject. I know that's the problem you're having, but if you try it more than once, it could finally open. You never know! The other tip we have tells you how to use a paperclip to get your CD out. You can read all about that here. Either way you go, I hope you're finally able to get your CD out so that you can enjoy your life in happy CD bliss once again!" end of quote.... IT WORKED FOR ME. Also, I bought a Laser Lens Cleaner for my CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM and DVD....and they are now cleaned.

I just replaced the dead cd-burner drive on one of my computers, I got a lite-on DVD burner drive that does pretty much everything from newegg for like $39. There are good prices out there. I also have an external usb cd-burner that I can connect to any of my computers by usb to have an added cd-burner, I found it on a clearance rack at an electronics store for around $15. If you do not want to dig into the machine to take the old one out and install the new one you may want to get one of the external usb ones. Replacing the internal one is not difficult but does take a bit of knowledge, it is more difficult than say adding memory. Some times the doors can get off the tracks and on occasion they can be taken out and worked on and fixed but that is a big maybe! It is a good idea to never force things! Also if you use the paperclip in the little hole in the front of the drive it is usually advised to have the pc turned off and unplugged to do that, I know not everyone does that but on the directions that come with them it does say that. Guess the risk of something electrical happening is the reason.