Calling ALL computer people!!!!!!

So last night I was burning cds (They were bought, and well paid for) I had done 2, and put the 3rd in. All of a sudden I heard this LOUD POP! I jumped three feet, but then it was strange, nothing else happened. I was waiting for smoke or my computer to crash, or something.... The only thing that happened was that the message on my screen popped up and error in writing to the disc, and I couldn't eject the disc. So I turned the computer off, and went to bed. This morning I fired it up, and ejected the drive in a different way, and it ejected shattered pieces of a cd. I'm flabergasted! I know there are still pieces in the computer, so I haven't closed the drive, but I vaccumed out the pieces that I could. My question to all you smart computer folks is, What do I do now? Could the pieces inside the computer mess stuff up? I know that you can take the entire drive out, (not me, someone else) is that what I should do? Is it likely that I will loose data? My computer is 10 months old!!! Should HP be taking care of this? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE give me some insight!!!

It's not in your computer, just in your CDROM drive. should be fine. try burning again. if it fails then replace the cdrw drive it should cost $30 for the part.

If I try burning again and there are still pieces of the CD in the drive, is it going to mess anything up?

Federkeil wrote in post #5592742
If I try burning again and there are still pieces of the CD in the drive, is it going to mess anything up?

probably not, hopefully all the shards had settled to the bottom of the drive. worse comes to worse you replace a $30 drive. unless you are willing to take the unit apart and clean it, then I would just see if it reads a cd.

Federkeil wrote in post #5592742
If I try burning again and there are still pieces of the CD in the drive, is it going to mess anything up?

I may or it may not, depending on where that piece is. Worse case scenario is that the piece gets jammed in the drive mechanism and freezes up your CD burner. But it'll be very easy and relatively cheap to replace. Since the burner is fully enclosed, there's no worry about getting any of the pieces inside the body of the computer itself.

It is really not hard to take the drive out, but if you are not comfortable in doing so just vacuum it out the best you can and try again. The worst that can happen is you destroy another disk.

Ok Thank you, thank you! I will try it.

Ok, so there is definately a piece obstructing the way. I can't push the drive back in. (Without forcing it) So how would I go about taking the drive out? what's involved?

Just swap out the drive. It's really quite easy. Unplug the computer, pop off the access door and you'll see your drive. Undo a screw or two, unplug the data cable and power cable, and slide the old drive out. Installing the new drive is basically just a reverse of the process. I'm sure if you do a quick search on Google that you'll find a ton of step by step tutorials on the process.

You need to remove the drive. If you're mechanically inclined, it will be a breeze.

1. Open the computer.
2. Locate the DVD/CD-ROM drive.
3. On the back of the drive you will find 2 plugs. Remove them both. (One is the power and the other is either the IDE or SATA cable - depending on what kind of interface it is).
4. Do whatever you have to to remove the drive. On some computers, it's a matter of latches and/or snaps OR screws.
5. Once the drive is out of the computer and in your hands, open the door and gently shake the drive so that the pieces come out. If they don't all come out, you may have to open the drive. You've got to be careful either way, because the optical lens and laser are all delicate and precisely placed.
6. Once all the pieces are out, reassemble the drive and reinstall it.

You should be good to go. If you need further help with this, take some detailed photos of inside the computer and especially where the drive is and I will try to guide you better.

Hope this helps!!

Cheers!