Eject and Close CD/DVD Tray - Add to Desktop Context Menu

How to Add "Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray" to the Context Menu in Windows​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to add Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray to the folder background, drive, and desktop context menu, and file/folder context menu in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

When used by a user, it will toggle the default CD/DVD drive's tray to eject (open) or close.

   Note

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to add this to the desktop context menu, but all users on the computer will be able to use it after it has been added.

If you need this to work for a specific CD/DVD drive letter instead, then please post and let me know. I'll be happy to modify the .bat and .reg files below for the drive letter you wanted instead.

EXAMPLE: "Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray" added to Desktop Context Menu






Here's How:
1. Do either step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do.


2. To Add "Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray" to Context Menu
A) Download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of NirCmd that is the same as your 32-bit or 64-bit Windows at the bottom of the website below, and save the ZIP file to your desktop.
NirCmd - Windows command line tool
B) Open the downloaded ZIP file, and extract (drag and drop) the nircmd.exe file to your desktop, and unblock the file.

C) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and save the .bat to your desktop.
Eject-Close_CD-DVD.bat


Download


D) Unblock the .bat file.

E) Move both the unblocked nircmd.exe file and unblocked Eject-Close_CD-DVD.bat file into your C:\Windows\System32 folder, and approve (Continue-Yes).
NOTE: The bat file must be named this exactly. Rename if needed.

F) Click on the Download button below to download the .reg file below, and save the .reg file to your desktop.
Add_Eject-Close_CD-DVD_Tray_to_Context_Menu.reg


Download


G) Double click/tap on the REG file to merge it, then click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7/8) or Continue (UAC-Vista), Yes, and OK when prompted to approve the merge.
3. To Remove "Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray" from Context Menu
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below.
Remove_Eject-Close_CD-DVD_Tray_from_Context_Menu.reg


Download


B) In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32, and delete the nircmd.exe and Eject-Close_CD-DVD.bat files.
That's it,
Shawn

 

[Brink]

Great news Chuck.

I'm not aware of any programs that'll do this automatically for you.

 

[sesha002]

I'm getting " is not a valid win32 application"
Is this because my CD-DVD drive letter is "w" ???
Pls help me
thanks

 

[Brink]

Hello Sesha, and welcome to Seven Forums.

The drive letter wouldn't matter. The context menu uses the default CD/DVD drive.

It sounds like you may not have download the 64-bit version of the nircmd.exe file in step 2A.

Double check through the steps to make sure that you didn't miss anything by mistake.

 

[sesha002]

I "think" i'v followd the procedure and YES, ussed nircmd.exe x64. This time no warning, tray DOESNOT open, but notice
kind of command prompt flasing in the background??
Thanks and much appreciate yr kind help
best rgds

 

[Brink]

If your Windows is not an English version, then their could be a translation issue with the commands and registry entries from this.

If your experienced, you could edit the .bat and .reg file to compare with your Windows to make sure that the paths are the same language or not.

 

[BC66]

great job. it works in windows 7 and windows 10 also

 

[Brink]

Thank you for confirming BC66.

 

[jhsgalxy]

The way you described it is not working. :huh:

Firstly: One needs to tell the explicit path under "command"
Secondly: It is not very clever to make it for the desktop right click dialog only.
You cannot expect anybody to deliberately change to the desktop each time
the command is needed. This is highly annoying.
Instead it should be working on rightclick inside the file explorer at least,
if not from about everywhere no matter where you just are (global command)
Thirdly: It works only for ONE single drive that a user can specifically name, if necessary,
if it isn't the standard D:

So, your idea isn't bad, however, the solution unfortunately isn't very well. :huh:

For my needs, I now get along after I changed the registry entry as follows:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\Shell\Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray]
"icon"="imageres.dll,-30"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\Shell\Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray\command]
"C:\Windows\System32\Eject-Close_CD-DVD.bat" "%1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray]
"icon"="imageres.dll,-30"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Eject/Close CD/DVD Tray\command]
"C:\Windows\System32\Eject-Close_CD-DVD.bat" "%1"

sent by jhs

 

[Brink]

Hello jhs, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I've updated the .reg files in the tutorial to include these locations as well now to help.

 

[Chuckamundo]

Ok, that's kewl. BUT, does it work for multi-drives AND can you select the drive in the right-click context menu with the "New" registry update? I like the idea of having it in the "global" context menu, awesome idea.

 

[Brink]

Hello Chuck,

Correct, it'll be in the context menu of all drives as well, but it will still only eject/close your default CD/DVD drive.

 

[TedPacheco]

Hi Brink,

I only have praise and gratitude for all the help I've got from your forum through the years, thanks especially to your step-by-step procedures on certain subjects. After reading this one regarding how to add Eject/Close to the context menu of one's CD-DVD drive, I gave it a try by carefully following your instructions, but it didn't work. I noticed that it was written for win 7 & Win 8.0, but I presumed or took for granted that it should also work for Win 10 Pro, which is the OS I am running.

Since you mention somewhere in your instructions if, for any reason the drive letter of the CD-DVD tray of one's computer, is different than the default one, you might be able to change it in the .reg & .bat files so that the tweak could work on that specific drive. That's exactly what I am doing; asking for you help in order to make it work for my BD-DVD ROM with the Drive letter (H.

Thanks in advance for your help if it's not too much of an inconvenience for you.

 

[Brink]

Hello Ted,

Here's a version for the "H:" drive.

View attachment Eject-Close_H_CD-DVD.zip

 

[TedPacheco]

Hello Ted,

Here's a version for the "H:" drive.

View attachment 397652

A great many thanks for your help, Brink. I am going to try it and let you know whether or not it has worked.!
:huh:

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome. I hope it will for you.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I've been using a free little program called Door Control. It's customizable to work from an icon in the notification tray or from a key stoke combination you define. You can right click on the icon to choose between multiple drives. I'm guessing if you wanted separate icons or keystroke combinations for multiple drives, you could install multiple instances of it in differently named folders.

Another route would be to click on the Windows icon (press the Windows key), click on Computer, then right click on the optical drive you wish to open. From that menu, you can click on Eject to open the tray or Close to (duh) close the tray.

 

[TedPacheco]

You're most welcome. I hope it will for you.

Isn't it amazing the way Windows can baffle us all?. Guess what, my optical drive was with the drive letter (H:\) yesterday; today, after reading your answer and saw your .zip link as requested and for which I was so happy, I went to apply the procedure again, but the drive letter for my optical drive has changed overnight to letter (F:\). I said to myself "No big deal". So I went to disk management and changed the name and path back to (H:\). I then applied the same procedure using your .zip extract; unfortunately, to my big surprise, it didn't work again.

I remember very well, the first time I applied the procedure, i,e. before even asking for your help, I did see the "Eject/Close CD/DVD tray" in the right-click context menu of my optical drive, except for the fact that it was not working. This time around, I don't even see any change.

The procedure is so simple to follow that I am pretty sure that I didn't do anything amiss or totally kerflooey. I even retried a third time after restoring my PC from a system image backup taken before yesterday.

I am a bit disappointed and I am thinking of living things just the way they are.

 

[TedPacheco]

I've been using a free little program called Door Control. It's customizable to work from an icon in the notification tray or from a key stoke combination you define. You can right click on the icon to choose between multiple drives. I'm guessing if you wanted separate icons or keystroke combinations for multiple drives, you could install multiple instances of it in differently named folders.

Another route would be to click on the Windows icon (press the Windows key), click on Computer, then right click on the optical drive you wish to open. From that menu, you can click on Eject to open the tray or Close to (duh) close the tray.

Hi Lady Fitzgerald,

Thanks for your suggestion. I am going to give it a try. I have just downloaded doorcontrol.zip file. Once I figure out how it works, I 'll let you know.

 

[TedPacheco]

Hi again Lady fitzgerald,

I am getting back to you sooner than expected. I just tried your suggestion about "doorcontrol" and that little program, as you put it, is working like a charm. Thank you so, so much. Now I am a happy man.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Hi again Lady fitzgerald,

I am getting back to you sooner than expected. I just tried your suggestion about "doorcontrol" and that little program, as you put it, is working like a charm. Thank you so, so much. Now I am a happy man.

I'm glad it worked for you! I'll send you a bill at the end of the month.