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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
February 18, 2007
Q.
It seems that I always forget to remove a CD
from the drive before I turn the computer
off. Is there a way one can be removed
without re-starting the computer?
A.
Unlike the old floppy drives that used a
purely mechanical device to reject the
floppy, a CD drive uses an electrical means.
When a CD drive closes, it has a locking
device that prevents it from being opened by
just prying or pulling on the tray. This is
to assure that it does not accidentally open
while the CD is in use, possibly damaging
the CD.
But,
there is also a means provided on most all
CD drives that allows mechanically unlocking
the drive and allowing it to open without
the need for the computer being turned on.
If you
look carefully at the front of the CD drive,
you will see a tiny hole. This is usually
located just below the CD tray and can be
anywhere across the drive. Here's how you
use this to open the drive when the computer
is turned off.
Take an
ordinary paper clip, and straighten out part
of it until you have 1 to 2 inches as
straight as you can make it. Gently insert
the straight end of the paper clip
perpendicular to the front of the drive face
until you feel it hit something. If done
correctly, this will be the unlocking
mechanism.
Then
press gently and the drive will unlock and
the tray will start to come out. It can then
be grasped with the fingers, and pulled out
to remove the CD. The CD tray will have to
be closed manually and should not be forced
in either direction. If this is done
correctly, it will not damage the drive.
It is
always a good idea to be sure there is no CD
in the drive before the computer is moved.
The CD can become jammed in the drive, and
then can only be removed by dismantling the
drive, something that is not easy to do
without permanently damaging the drive.
Note: The
above applies to DVD drives too.
Q.
In Internet Explorer V7, how do I save the
tabs?
A.
There are two ways this can be done.
#1 - With
Internet Explorer open, and the tabs set the
way you want them. On the Menu bar shown
here
Click on
Tools, then Internet Options and this dialog
will appear.
Click on the "Use Current" button, and the
tabs will be entered automatically.
The Menu
bar with the words "File Edit
View Favorites Tools
Help" is not displayed by default when IE-7
is installed. To display it, RIGHT click just to the left of the
Home icon at the top right of the screen.
A small drop down menu will appear like
this:
Click on
"Menu Bar" to check it and the drop down
list will close, and the menu bar will
appear.
#2 - You
can also enter the tab manually by clicking
on Start, Control Panel, then Network and
Internet Connections, then Internet options.
Click the General tab, and the dialog shown
above will be displayed. You can enter the
URLs for the desired tabs manually, using a
separate line for each tab you want to be
used every time Internet explorer is opened. |
