Tips for buying a new notebook DVD drive

Laptop DVD driveBefore you upgrade or replace the DVD/CD-RW drive in your notebook, make sure that the drive you are buying is compatible with your computer. Some notebooks require an optical drive that works in cable select mode (CSEL). Some notebooks require master/slave (M/S) drives. Typically the drive is set to master or slave through a firmware flash. If the optical drive is not configured properly, it will not be detected by the BIOS or you will get IDE #1 error when you start the laptop. The best way to avoid these kinds of problems is to buy an optical drive designed for your laptop. If you plan to buy a generic drive, make sure to contact the seller and confirm that the drive will work in your computer.

In most cases you would be able to use the same connector board and DVD drive caddy (braces) from your old device. Just remove them from your old drive and install on a new drive.

Also make sure that your current plastic bezel (front panel) will fit a new optical drive. All bezels are different and very often you have to have a specific bezel for a specific drive. Do not hesitate to contact the seller and ask about the drive and the bezel computability.

 

Entry Filed under: Laptop Upgrading Tips

39 Responses to “Tips for buying a new notebook DVD drive”

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  1. 39
    Patrick DonEgan Says:

    I read repair…. but it is really replace.

    I want to repair my burner.
    I need to know about the eject mech….

  2. 38
    cj2600 Says:

    suresh,
    Try cleaning the DVD drive lens first. You can use cotton swap and alcohol.
    If cleaning the lens doesn’t help, most likely there is a problem inside the drive and it has to be replaced with another working one.

  3. 37
    suresh Says:

    im having pcg-k115s sony vaio notebook. my dvd rw is not reading dvds but cds functioning is proper. my dvd drive make is matshita uj-820d dvd rw.
    can anyone help me to resolve the problem.

  4. 36
    Judy Says:

    I need to set my slim line DVD-RW-K06 to slave, via software utiltiy, can you tell me where I can download this utiltiy.

    THX

  5. 35
    Peter Costwell Says:

    Hi, I am trying to upgrade the failing 1X DVD R drive in my Sony PCG-FRV35 laptop (a Matshita UJ-810) to a modern DVD RW drive (8x speed, DL). Any suggestions regarding this upgrade? Thanks, Peter Costwell

  6. 34
    George Kapsambelis Says:

    Hi, I’m trying to upgrade my Toshiba Satellite A85 cd drive with a dvd burner. I purchased a TS-L632 Model burner to replace the TS-L432 that came with the machine. The computer does not recognize the new drive. It doesn’t show on MyComputer and still shows the CD Drive in Bios. Any suggestions to resolve the problem will be appreciated.

  7. 33
    ketuketeh Says:

    I has had encountered the dvd drive slave/master problem. My new DVD from TEAC set as master. What i do is just set my harddrive to slave and dvd drive still set as master. work fine.

  8. 32
    james Says:

    All of a sudden my matshita multidrive in my a75 laptop stopped reading burned cd’s and dvd’s. I’ve cleaned the lens and still nothing. It’ll read regular dvd’s and cd’s, but not burned ones.

  9. 31
    cj2600 Says:

    Mike,

    I can’t figure out how to get the old one out. Is there a place on the net where I can get installation instructions.

    I’ve created a few disassembly instructions for Toshiba laptops. Take a look and find a model similar to your laptop.

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