AppleCD 300e Plus & CD 600: Button Will Not Open Tray

I have a Macintosh computer with an AppleCD 300 Plus. My CD-ROM tray does not always open when I press the eject button. Is this normal?
On tray loading CD-ROM drives like the AppleCD 300 Plus and the AppleCD 600, the tray can only be opened with the button when:
At all other times, you must request that the system software eject the CD. This can be done by dragging the CD to the Trash, or by clicking on the CD icon, and then choosing "Put Away" from the File menu.

To eject a CD from a computer at start up, press and hold the eject button until the CD is ejected.
Published Date: Feb 19, 2012