|I wonder if you can help me.
| For some reason yesterday my desktop PC's tower unit lost power; I don't
| know what happened as I wasn't by my PC when it happened, and now I cannot
| turn it on. Unfortunatley I have a disk in my DVD drive that I need to get
| out.
|
| I have been lead to believe that there is a way to open CD/DVD drives
| without needing to turn the computer on. I think it has something to do with
| the small circular pin-prick sized hole on the drive but I am not completely
| sure.
|
| Is it possible to open CD/DVD drives without powering on the computer?
| If so how do you do it? Do you know of any websites that show you how to do
| it?
|
| Also do you know why my desktop PC will not power on? I have changed the
| fuse in the plug but it made no difference.
| The monitor has power but the tower doesn't. Do you have any idea at all
| what could be causing this? Do you think it could be expensive to repair? I
| know it is hard to say without seeing it or knowing more I am just after
| rough guidance so I know how to proceed as I am thinking of using this as an
| excuse to get a more modern & up to date PC.
|
| I hope you can help me.
|
| I appreciate any help or information given.
|
| Thanks!
|
| Neil
|
Insert the pointed end of a large straightened paper clip into the emergency-eject hole located on the front of the CD-ROM drive. Press it in until the tray starts to come out. It will not come out very far and you may have to use your fingernails to grip it and pull the tray out further until you are able to remove the disk. You may then gently push the tray back in.
No power could simply be that the power supply has died. There are usually indications of this about to happen before it completely goes.
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=31105&seqNum=12&rl=1
"CAUTION: It is rarely recommended that an inexperienced user open a power supply to make repairs because of the dangerous high voltages present. Even when unplugged, power supplies can retain dangerous voltage and must be discharged (like a monitor) before service.
The following is a list of PC problems that often are related to the power supply:
a.. Any power-on or system startup failures or lockups.
b.. Spontaneous rebooting or intermittent lockups during normal operation.
c.. Intermittent parity check or other memory-type errors.
d.. Hard disk and fan simultaneously failing to spin (no +12v).
e.. Overheating due to fan failure.
f.. Small brownouts cause the system to reset.
g.. Electric shocks felt on the system case or connectors.
h.. Slight static discharges disrupt system operation.
In fact, just about any intermittent system problem can be caused by the power supply. I always suspect the supply when flaky system operation is a symptom. Of course, the following fairly obvious symptoms point right to the power supply as a possible cause:"
Take it to a professional to have a look at. It is not worth your time and effort if you are not familiar with the working parts of a computer.