Thinkpads Forum

Can the CD drive Eject button function be canceled?

It clicks when I don't want to open it, when I hold the laptop side.

[Incorrect info deleted by poster]

On most drives the button is NOT mechanical and you can "lock" the drive so that the eject button does nothing.

I've seen Linux installations lock the door, and CD recording software, but I've never seen anything in regular Windows that will let you lock the CD in place.

Google is my friend. I found "2002 CD Eject 2.5" for $10 shareware that will lock your drive for you, and there are other titles around the same price. I didn't find any free titles with my quick search.

I agree with whizkid. When I first got my T42 I had problems with the CD eject button on the drive not working after I used the drive for certain things. If I rebooted, the button worked again. Happily for me, one of the software updates that I did corrected this problem. In fact if you search on this forum, you will see others that had the same problem as I did, with the button not ejecting the CD. If I remember right, the button also will not work with the laptop powered off.

whizkid wrote:On most drives the button is NOT mechanical and you can "lock" the drive so that the eject button does nothing.

DOH! Absolutely right, a little afternoon brain freeze here, thanks for correcting my bad info. (Though you could physically remove the button to prevent activating the eject switch - but why do that when there is a software solution?)

and of course, you can remove the drive in the Notification Area

Yea,

The 'Safely remove hardware' in the notification area seems to cancel the button. To restore it I shift that other little button that springs out that rod, and then re-insert the rod. It is then operational again.

Thanks everyone