broken cd in drive

[southeastastra]

think i got at least half of it out but it's shattered.

i opened it up but the disk part is sealed off and i can't get to it.

disk drive doesn't work but opens and closes ok. is it buggered? (son is going spare)

[nannynick]

If you can't get inside it to see if there are bits of disc floating around, then not sure what you can do. If you only got half the disc out, then that would imply that the other half is inside somewhere. With the tray open, could try tipping it upside down and listening, gentle shake to work them towards the opening.

To be honest, probably best to get a new drive.
Internal drive will cost around £25 new from highstreet retailer... external USB drive probably around £40. Internet prices will probably be less, but watch out for postage costs.

[southeastastra]

would probably have to go for an external one, have no idea how to replace an internal drive.

thanks nn.

[nannynick]

Short Guide for Replacing an Internal CD-ROM drive

[Greyriverside]

I open up my DVD writers to clean the lens - it's only a few screws. However as they are so cheap and it may be damaged inside now anyway, I'd recommend you use nannynicks guide and simply replace it. when you have done it once you will wonder what was so scary about it and will be offering to help friends with theirs

[southeastastra]

as far as i can work out it's a NEC DVD RW ND-3550A, do i have to get the exact same model?

[nannynick]

No, you can replace it with any drive with the same connections on the back - looks like it is IDE interface, so very common.

NEC Installation Guide shows you where the Drive Select Jumpers are on your existing drive. Most likely your drive will be configured as MASTER. However, when you take the drive out, look at where the Jumper is, and then on the new drive, set that (see it's manual) for the same configuration.
May sound hard, but it really isn't.
Tip: If the connecting cable goes from the drive to the main board (motherboard) and not to any other drives, then it's probably MASTER.

[nannynick]

Most DVD drives these days read/write all formats. Some lower-cost drives may not. So if you use it as a DVD-Writer, check what blank discs you have, and make sure the new drive can write that format - for example DVD+RW, DVD-RW.
Does that make sense?

If you want to buy from a Highstreet Retailer, then Argos have a LiteOn drive, which is multi-format, so will read/write most types of DVD, CD, etc.

If you want to buy online, and wait for delivery, then you can get drives cheaper. I would suggest that you by a Retail Pack, not a Bare Drive... as then you will get things like new cable, screws, instruction manual. You may not actually use those, but it could help give you confidence in fitting it yourself.

[nannynick]

Just to check, you have not got a Laptop have you? If your computer is a 'block' which you connect everything to, then it's not a Laptop - and the guide I linked to earlier will apply.
If you have a laptop, then replacing the drive may, or may not be easy... so an external drive can be a good bet. I got an external DVD Rewriter from PC-World quite cheaply, which links using USB.

[southeastastra]

no it's not a laptop, thanks for all the info nannynick will try and understand it

[southeastastra]

the NEC installation guide is great thanks. tbh there are so many drives out there i'm not sure what i'm looking for.

[nannynick]

If you are not fussed about the price, just get the one from Argos - as you should have an Argos somewhere near to your home.

[southeastastra]

lol yes, or i'll have a look at the shops tomorrow to see if i can get something a bit cheaper. thanks for your help nn

[southeastalien]

can i just bung in the one that came out of our old pc?

[onager]

You can.

[southeastalien]

thanks, i have put this off