m17x bluray drive cannot eject

Problems are starting to surface on this newish machine. My bluray drive today suddenly stopped working and now I can't eject the disc. I've tried ejecting it in the bios and during diagnostic to no avail. Can't eject it in safe mode either. Is this a common problem? I've contacted dell for a technician to come and have a look for this but in the mean time I'd like to know if there's anything else I can try.
Btw, this incident happened when I insert bioshock 2 to show to my friends. After loading the game, my antivirus bitdefender prompted for a scan of the disc. I accidentally clicked yes then cancelled it later on and after that, I can no longer use the drive

 

Try opening with another software like Cyberlink Power DVD to eject? Try a windows restore point.

Most AV does far more damage than the viruses they are suppose to protect against. Try MSE if you are looking for an alternative.

 

Tried using cyberlink.. didn't solve the problem. Can people just physically remove the disc?

 

Try booting to the DVD drive and then pressing the eject button when it comes up with the unable to boot msg

 

Usually any optical drive has a manual override, look for a small hole under the laptop that you may be able to stick a small paperclip into.

If that is not there, there should be a few screws you can take out and the entire optical drive will slide out of the machine and from there you should be able to trigger the manual eject.

 

I've not found a manual eject on my m17x, neither the original or my new R2. They really need to put one on too.

 

it is not a few screws to get to the optical drive on a M17x, you basically have to open up the entire laptop to get to it.

 

here is an exploded view

 

Here are some things you can try in no particular order:

1) Windows restore point before bitdefender made changes

2) Pull the DVD drive out

3) Holding eject key while the computer boots up.

4) Open "computer" from start menu, click on DVD drive, right click, and select eject from the menu

5) I think something has changed in your registry. Bit Defender probably thought the Disk was a virus. Personally I would delete bitdefender and see if that makes a difference but the registry has probably already been modified so not sure if that would make a difference. If the DVD is jammed in there than that is one issue. If the software is corrupted than that is another.

6) Remove the DVD driver and reinstall

7) roll the dice with a registry cleaner

8) My favorite, call Alienware and let them sort it out if under warranty.

P.S. Never travel with media in the DVD player as it in theory could cause damage to the mechanism, dislodge the DVD, or scratching the media.

P.S. How many viruses (real) has bitdefender found on your system versus bit defender corrupting your system?

 

Not so zealous, man! You're gonna start sounding like these guys.

After doing plenty of research myself I've come to the conclusion that MSE will probably work for my needs, but you needn't become the poster boy for the program or else people could avoid getting it just because they're ticked at you for posting so much about it so forcefully.

Just go a little bit more on the softer side, at least.

 

Softer like this perhaps... The world according to Chris Bjorklund: Is Dell and McAfee Fooling Customers to Make Money?

 

Ouch, first laptop I ever seen with a design that wont let you slide the optical drive out. Poor engineering ftw.

 

I've tried all the above but no luck. Question though, where can I find the driver for this drive. It's a bluray writer

 

1) Go into your device drivers and make note of what type and brand of BD player you have as Dell sources from multiple brands.

2) On the back of your computer is a barcode with a service tag number printed on it. Copy this number down.

3) Now go to the Dell website (country specific) and click on "FOR HOME". At the bottom of the pop up it says "SUPPORT & DRIVERS". Than click on "Support for Home Users".

4) Next click on "Drivers and Downloads". DO NOT USE THE ANALYSE SYSTEM as it wont work on Windows 7 64.

5) Use the box that says enter your call tag. You should be able to find the firmware and driver. Make sure you select the correct operating system before downloading anything.

 

They've only got this listed up
TSST TS-T633C 12.7mm Slotload 8x DVDRW
on the driver section for CD/DVD which I don't think is the right one

 

Hi T3Vince

I purchased the low end DVD player and it appears I am using a Ricoh driver R5U230 as well as the TS-TS-T633C firmware you have listed.

Perhaps someone with a similar BD player to yours could advise you what driver and firmware you need or call Alienware technical support. I would think the BD drivers and firmware should be under the CD/DVD. Not sure why it is not on your system.

 

Does it make any noise or anything? Can you access the disc in the drive or does it appear to just be dead? I'm assuming it worked before? What happened right before it quit working? If you have a thin plastic scribe, can you try to slide it into the slot for the drive (just a little) to see if there is any blockage or if it seems clear? I've seen a couple of these fail for the same reason, but I can't reproduce in house and we're not seeing any failures on the manufacturing line, so we're a little confused about what is going on. Can you also send me your service tag via PM?

Thanks!

 

yea, when I press the eject button, it makes 2 buzzing noises with a pause in between. And the driver appears dead, can't assess the disc. It's been working before right up to the point i tried to show my friend bioshock 2 on the laptop. I inserted the disc and my antivirus popped up asking if I wanna scan the drive. I accidentally clicked yes but cancelled it later. After that it just stopped working. I tried sliding something thin inside and i get a blockage right down the middle. Sent you my tag

 

Hi T3Vince

Pretty sure you have a corrupted firmware issue that can only be fixed by reinstalling firmware for your version. Hopefully someone could identify which files you need to download. This is a common problem with slot load drives. Just google Slot Load Won't Eject. Even if you tear down the computer and take the disk out that way you still have to fix the damage done to the firmware.

Not sure if this is too late or too drastic and not sure if it would work but there is a restore on the partition that resets your computer to factory specs. If you try this I would go into the bios and stop the computer from trying to boot from the DVD during start ups. The reason I am not sure if this will work is I am not sure if Windows will ask for the orginal operating system at some point and of course you wouldn't be able to insert the disk. Id check with alienware before trying to reset to factory specs.

How are you making out with Alienware Technical support? Is this a new system under warranty and what do they suggest you do? Do you have the R1 or R2 by the way.

 

Hi T3Vince

How are you making out with this problem, any progress?

 

well.. dell engineer came today. Replaced the drive and guess what..
Now the whole laptop wouldn't start up. This also happened to my previous R1 when the technician took it apart and put it back together.
Anyone knows what might have happened that both these technicians might have missed out on?
Oh, and the technician also put a dent on my keyboard. I should've just tried fixing the problem myself in the first place.

 

The Blu-Ray burner from Alienware is a Panasonic drive, and to be honest, they are crap.. Have had problems with them in the past.. (From no longer burning DL Blu-Ray to just completely dying) Been lucky with this one for now, but, next time, I am just gonna get an external one. The AW DVD-+R is a either a hitachi or sony/optiarc and are a lot better, but no Blu-Ray burner option from either company in slot-load.