CD/DVD-RW optical drive
Most modern laptops are equipped with a CD/DVD-RW drive also known as an optical disc drive which allows it to read and write data from or to a CD/DVD disc. All laptop CD/DVD drives are shaped the same but they all have different face plates also know as front bezels. On the picture above you can see three different laptop CD/DVD drives with different face plates/front bezels.
When you are replacing a failed CD/DVD drive, you have to make sure that the face plate from the old drive will fit your new drive.
On the picture below you can see two different types of connectors found in modern CD/DVD optical disc drives. One drive has a SATA connector and the other one has an older slim ATAPI connector.
An optical disc drive with a SATA connector is not interchangeable with an optical disc drive with a slim ATAPI connector and vice versa. In other words, if your laptop motherboard comes with a SATA connector for the optical drive, you can only use CD/DVD drives with SATA connectors.
On the next picture I compare a SATA connector used in laptop hard drives with a SATA connector used in CD/DVD drives. As you see, these two connectors are a little bit different. The data connector (right connector) is shaped similarly for both drives, but the power connector (left connector) is shaped differently.
By the way, you can connect a 2.5″ laptop SATA hard drive to a desktop computer using same cables as you use for a regular 3.5″ desktop hard drive.
In order to connect a Slimline SATA optical CD/DVD drive to a desktop computer, you’ll have to purchase the Slimline SATA Cable.
If you are replacing the CD/DVD disc drive in your laptop with a new one, make sure your new drive is compatible with the laptop. The best way to find a new optical disc drive is searching by the manufacturer’s part number found on the old drive.
When you install an optical drive which is not compatible with your laptop, it will not be recognized by the BIOS or you’ll get an IDE #1 ERROR on start up.
HOW TO REMOVE CD/DVD DISC DRIVE
In most laptops, the CD/DVD disc drive is secured by one or two screws on the bottom of the laptops. Remove these screws and pull the optical disc drive from the laptop.
On some other models, the optical drive is secured by one or two screws located under the keyboard. If that’s the case, you’ll have to remove the keyboard first. After that remove those screws and pull the drive from the laptop.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Hi guys,
Is anybody know, which model of dvd-rom driver suitable for SONY Vaio VGN-FE31Z ?
Cheers
Alex
November 12th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I recently acquired a laptop optical drive to be used in an external case as an external optical drive for a netbook. Unfortunately, that external case requires 2 (very small) screws from the back of the optical drive – that I don’t have.
These are NOT the screws used to hold the drive inside a laptop, these are the screws that connect mounting hardware to the optical drive itself (said mounting hardware is then used by the external screws to hold the drive inside a laptop).
These screws appear to be much smaller than standard screws and I cannot seem to find them online, anywhere. Any recommendations?
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:30 am
Colin Rees,
I think you can buy a special lens cleaning CD.
A CD with small soft brushes attached to it. Ask about cleaning CD in a local electronics store.
October 30th, 2009 at 6:48 am
How do I clean the lens on my Dell studio lap top. The discs are inserted via a thin slot on the side of the machine with no easily seen means of removing the drive to clean the lens. Any ideas please. The machine is 13 months old
September 17th, 2009 at 5:44 am
OK… so I’m the proud owner of a Blu Ray drive with a Slim Atapi connector… I’m also the proud owner of a Dell laptop with a Slim Sata connector… umm yeah, so it would be great if these companies would get on the same page and standardize these things better but since that’s an impossible task… I just want to know if there is an adapter that takes a slim atapi connection and flips it into a slim sata connection (the power side of the slim sata is smaller than a traditional sata power connection so the sata side would need to look like the one labeled “Sata Connector” in picture 2 above). Anybody know where I could get one of those ?
September 13th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Ximon,
1. Try reconnecting the drive. Maybe it’s not making good connection with the motherboard.
2. Enter the BIOS setup menu and load default settings.
3. The new DVD drive could be defective.
4. Instead of searching for a new replacement drive by the model number, try searching by the manufacturer’s part number. Can you find any part number on the failed DVD drive? Google the part number.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Hi I have a laptop and the DVDrw drive has failed. the drive is made by pioneer and is a DVR-K12DB. I can’t find a replacement drive anywhere so I thought I would try the closest match and got a second hand DVR-K12D (manufactured one month before my old one) It does not appear in the BIOS however but there is power getting to it as it opens and closes and the lights flash on it. Any ideas as to why it won’t work or how to find a compatible drive that will work?
September 8th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Feco,
It’s hard to tell because sometimes Sony uses proprietary connectors.
Also, it’s possible that there is a connector board inside the CD/DVD drive case and on your picture we see connector on that board.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
arun,
When you open the drive you’ll find the lens inside. You can clean the lens with a cotton swab soaked in 99% alcohol.
September 8th, 2009 at 5:48 am
am having a trouble with my dvd disc drive.when i writ somethin it shows an error code “0xeb020b88″.its casued due to dust in the lens.can you tell how to clean it .i tried a lens cleaner but the drive not responding to that dvd.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:36 am
Hi, I have a Sony crx800e dvd-rom, i don’t know exactly what connector has it. I made 2 pictures, and uploaded it, can someone tell me, is this a slim IDE or what?
Here is the 2 pictures about it:
http://hitmancontract.uw.hu/sonycrx800e-1.jpg
http://hitmancontract.uw.hu/sonycrx800e-2.jpg
August 26th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Yousaf M. Shaikh,
This piece comes as a part of the optical drive. I really doubt that you can buy it separately. If I find where to buy it I’ll let you know.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Can nobody help me? I asked a question last month, but nobody replied. I’m desperately hoping that somebody out there knows the answer to my question (see below for copy and paste):
Each laptop has a little black (sometimes brown) little circular piece that sits in the middle of the optical drive, so that when you place a CD or a DVD into the drive the media will snap securely into place. I’d like to know what the name of that piece is and if it’s available to order online.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Cindy,
Do you mean a regular OPTICAL DRIVE from your home computer? I guess using a regular optical drive is possible but it’s way too much trouble.
1. You’ll have to remove the optical drive from your desktop.
2. You’ll have to find an external USB enclosure where you can stick the optical drive.
3. The laptop might not recognize this drive when you plug it in.
I don’t know what you are trying to do but if you have to reinstall the OS, it’s better to use an external optical drive suggested by Asus.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I have an ASUS EEE PC laptop and the instructions call for an external optical drive to use the support dvd. I don’t have one. Can I just use a regular hard drive from my home computer?
August 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Adrian is 17,
This is a good adapter, but… Using this adapter you CAN connect a laptop CD/DVD drive to a desktop computer. This adapter will fit perfectly into the IDE cable.
You CANNOT use this adapter for connecting a 2.5″ IDE hard drive into the Slim ATAPI connector in a laptop.
August 24th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Repair Man Says:
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
ricky,
I was thinking even if I could get a cable that changes the slim atapi to a regular ide interface
I really doubt that you can find connector like that.
Here you go –
http://www.directron.com/cddvdadapter.html?gsear=1
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
ricky,
I really doubt that you can find connector like that.
August 21st, 2009 at 10:26 am
Hi Repair Man,
Hope you can help me with a question. I have a laptop that i’d like to remove the dvd drive and replace it with a 2.5 hard drive so i can have 2 hdd installed.
The laptop dvd drive has the slim atapi connector you show and the 2.5 hdd will be a sata drive.
I’ve checked and there’s plenty of space for the hdd, but i can’t find anywhere a converter and cable to connect the sata drive to the atapi port.
I was thinking even if I could get a cable that changes the slim atapi to a regular ide interface and then pick up an ide to sata converter – as those converters are easy to find.
What do you think – any way at all to do what i’m trying?
August 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Mohamad,
Not sure what’s going on. If the same disc works fine in another drive, most likely the problem is related to your drive. Either the drive is failing or maybe it is some kind of compatibility issue between the disc and drive. Is it a factory made DVD disc or home made DVD disc? I know that some DVD drives might have trouble reading discs burned in a different drive.
Just in case try cleaning the laser lens inside the drive with a cotton swab socked in alcohol.