changing out laptop dvd drive

[Rawkus]

has anyone done thing? My drive is fucked up but i'm not sure how big of a task replacing it would be and would rather not get an external burner unless ireally had to.

[PapaBear]

has anyone done thing? My drive is fucked up but i'm not sure how big of a task replacing it would be and would rather not get an external burner unless ireally had to.
It's a DVD drive. Just take it out and put a new one in. Look up your particular laptop model and how to change the drive on YouTube. There's a video for almost every laptop out there. If what MEANT to say was, a fucked up HARD drive, then I don't know any other way to do it without an external drive.

[Rawkus]

no sir i do mean the dvd drive. The thing that worries me is the face plate. I guess it's just pop on and off? i just hope i don't fuck it up.

[OGC]

I have had Dell computers over the years and have swapped out dvd drives a few times. It was really simple.

On my laptop there is just one screw removed to take the drive out. I don't know what you mean by faceplate. My dvd drive was all one piece.

Like Papabear mentioned, the big thing is to make sure you buy the exact same drive as the one you are taking out. Just search on ebay with your make and model and you should be good to go. Looking at the pictures of what you see on ebay may give you a clue about this faceplate thing you are worrying about too.

[StanUpshaw]

On mine all you have to do is push one button and then slide it out.

[OGC]

no sir i do mean the dvd drive. The thing that worries me is the face plate. I guess it's just pop on and off? i just hope i don't fuck it up.

what brand/model of laptop ?

[Chigworthy]

It sounds like he has a slot loader, which I hear can be a pile of bitch to replace.

[PapaBear]

The bezel usually isn't too hard to take off. And if you end up buying one used on eBay, they quite often already have a bezel on them.

[Rawkus]

Yes! exactly i'm talking about the bezel. My laptop is a gateway t-satellite from around 4 years ago. The bezel is the part that makes the drive sit flush when you pop it in right? I thought it was called a face plate but, aren't those very specific PER laptop? I didn't know that i could buy a replacement one so i don't want to fuck it up if i can't.

[PapaBear]

Yes! exactly i'm talking about the bezel. My laptop is a gateway t-satellite from around 4 years ago. The bezel is the part that makes the drive sit flush when you pop it in right? I thought it was called a face plate but, aren't those very specific PER laptop? I didn't know that i could buy a replacement one so i don't want to fuck it up if i can't.
I've replace several DVD drives on multiple models of laptops. I've never had a problem finding one for any model I've looked for. And almost all of them came with the bezel. However, if it doesn't, it's still not too hard to take it off. You just have to examine the clips closely, and don't force them off. You will need the drive to be open. Just stick a paper clip in the little hole on the front, and it will pop open.

I don't know if this is the exact same model as yours, but based on what you said, it may be. EBAY SEARCH (http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=gateway+t+series+dvd+drive&_sacat=0&_odkw=gateway+t+sattelite+optical+drive&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313)

[zentraed]

Can you post your exact model? It should be an easy job. Just take a screw or two out of the bottom and the whole drive should slide right out. Then it's just a matter of getting the bezel off or ordering a new one, and making sure your new drive has the right connector (PATA/IDE or SATA).

[KC2OSO]

Agree to all of the above. The bezel should have a few mini screws that attach to the unit itself.

I always thought it would be a good idea to have a sticky at the header of the 01001101 01101111 01101101's Basement forum that asks the OP to list a few basic pieces of information such as make, model, CPU speed, RAM, etc.. Not that anyone would read it but it might help.

- Mr. Helper