Thank goodness for freeware

[Hawkmoon]

My "new" desktop computer -- which is now a year and a half old -- is a Dell Inspiron. If I had understood what that meant, I would have saved up a few more drachmas and bought an Optiplex, but it's too late now.

In their efforts to make the Inspiron look pretty, Dell hid all the USB ports, memory card slot, and CD/DVD drive behind flip-down doors. Okay, I can live with that. BUT ... the CD/DVD drive doesn't have an EJECT button. To open the drawer, you have to go into My Computer, find the drive, right-click on the icon, and then click on EJECT. Not very convenient, when the box is sitting right next to me and I can just reach out and touch the button -- if there's a button, as on my old desktop. I can't imagine why anyone at Dell thought that might be a good idea.

Saturday I finally decided there had to be a better way. A little Internet sleuthing brought me to a freeware utility: NirCmd.exe. Is apparently does a lot of things, none of which are of interest to me except for two. With NirCmd on my hard drive, I can (and have) set up desktop shortcuts to command line commands, one to open the CD drawer and one to close the CD drawer. Simple. Elegant, even.

So I just planted the two little icons directly above the START button, and life is good.

BTW -- for those who observe Easter, Happy Easter.

[lee n. field]

Try mashing the front panel right in front of where the CD drive's eject button is. 

[Perd Hapley]

Try mashing the front panel right in front of where the CD drive's eject button is. 

This.

[Brad Johnson]

Common issue. Button is there but not obvious.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19479037

Brad

[230RN]

I seem to recall from the dear dead past that they used to put a little hole in most of the drive boxes so you could stick a straightened-out paper clip in there to open them up with the power off.... ?

I have about the same problem with My HP G72 laptop.  I have to push, push, push along the door to find the Sesame button or location.  But I figured on a laptop, which you carry around with you, it's probably not a good idea to accidentally bump a projecting button while you're carrying it and have the drive pop open... I guessed that this was the rationale for it being the way it is.

Terry

[birdman]

Common issue. Button is there but not obvious.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19479037

Brad

Having read that thread...this planet should be nuked from orbit

[Hawkmoon]

Try mashing the front panel right in front of where the CD drive's eject button is.  

You mean "right in front of where the CD drive's eject button isn't"?

There ain't no button. I looked ... and looked, and looked again.

[HeroHog]

"Mash the right side of the CD/DVD drive panel, there is no visible button. If the unit is on it's side then it will be the top or bottom end depending end depending how the box is oriented. Try both, one should work."

Having worked IT for several decades, ya REALLY have to dumb it down for most (L)users.

[MechAg94]

I have a lenovo computer.  There is no button, but there is a seam in the chrome flashing just under the CD drive that you can mash to get the CD tray to open.  They actually did print a little icon above it.  It still isn't that obvious though. 

[Perd Hapley]

You mean "right in front of where the CD drive's eject button isn't"?

There ain't no button. I looked ... and looked, and looked again.

I think he's talking about the button on the drive itself. The drive is concealed behind a panel, and when you press on the far right side of said panel, it presses the button, the panel hinges down, and the drive opens. At least, that's how it works on my Dell at work.

[lee n. field]

I think he's talking about the button on the drive itself. The drive is concealed behind a panel, and when you press on the far right side of said panel, it presses the button, the panel hinges down, and the drive opens. At least, that's how it works on my Dell at work.

Exactly.  The drive is a generic drive, with its own button, hidden behind the all the curvy decorative front panel plastic.  There is probably a plastic post molded into that front panel plastic that actually pushes the cd drive button.  You just have to find it.

Or you could just tear off the front panel plastic.

[RoadKingLarry]

Common issue. Button is there but not obvious.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19479037

Brad

Just WoW...Really?

[Hawkmoon]

I'll look again the next time I fire up the new box. All I can say is, if there's a button there ... it's VERY well hidden. And not mentioned in the documentation.

Meanwhile, my shiny new freeware desktop icons work just fine ...

[lee n. field]

What model and form factor Inspiron is it?

[K Frame]

Didn't the original Macs lack an eject button for the 3 1/4" disks and just had an on screen app?

[Hawkmoon]

What model and form factor Inspiron is it?

Model 3847. I don't know what Dell calls it -- I'd call it a mid-size tower form factor. It's definitely not one of the mini-bricks.

[lee n. field]

Model 3847. I don't know what Dell calls it -- I'd call it a mid-size tower form factor. It's definitely not one of the mini-bricks.

This thing:  http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-3847-desktop/pd?

Your basic mini-tower.  Sold a bunch of Dells mostly like this one, over the years.

If I remember right, press the front panel molding on the right side, level with the spring loaded flap that hides the cd drive.

Dell's support page on that model

ReadTheFineManual.  Look at page 19, "removing the front bezel".  Pop the front panel off, you should be able to see how the button works.  or just leave the front bezel off.

[Brad Johnson]

Inspiron 3847 Setup Guide. It supposedly has a button, albeit one which is poorly marked.

Page 2. Item 9.

http://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_inspiron_desktop/inspiron-3847-desktop_Setup%20Guide_en-us.pdf

Brad

[K Frame]

I'm getting a source error for that PDF.

[Brad Johnson]

I'm getting a source error for that PDF.

Interesting... I can't open from the link, either. But if I copy the link and paste it into my browser window it opens fine. Strange. Maybe it's set to block direct linking?

Brad

[Fly320s]

Opened fine for me, but I had to push the hidden key on the mouse, just to the left of the right button.

[HeroHog]

1) acquire framing or ball peen hammer...

[Scout26]

Opened fine for me, but I had to push the hidden key on the mouse, just to the left of the right button.

Opened fine for me too.  It's labeled as #9 on the second page of the PDF.  Although that PDF makes no mention of the mouse or any of the secret buttons or secret big, illuminated, roller wheel on the mouse either.

[230RN]

Just noticed on my HP that there's a delay after actually hitting the sweet spot to open the drive.  I guess the machine has to figure out what's going on first, and that takes, say, 3-400 ms.  In the meantime, you've pushed further along the drive door and that re-closes it if it was starting to open.

The total impression is that you never actually hit the button, try, try again.