disable cd/dvd button on linux laptop (ubuntu)

At the command line:

eject -i 1

To return to normal:

eject -i 0

Or you can software eject it using:

eject

In all cases, you can add a device name if you have more than one ejectable device.

Apparently, this doesn't work with all versions of eject. If it doesn't with yours, you can bypass eject completely and do it the "hard" way:

echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/dev/cdrom/lock

You might want to try this out...

http://www.poweradded.net/2009/09/cddvd-tray-lockunlock-under-linux.html

Ubuntu's default automounter doesn't lock the CD/DVD try when it mounts an inserted disc. But if you mount the disc manually (say, with sudo), the tray should lock and stay locked until you dismount the disc.

So this process would accomplish what you want, without disabling other functionality, and you could even script it for quick access:

1. Insert a disc,
2. Run sudo umount /media/cdrom, then
3. Run sudo mount /dev/cdrom /media/cdrom

Obviously, replace those paths and devices with ones your system uses.