Hi, i've contacted HP about our Presario C300 not reading discs.

After checking the machine over the phone, HP recommend a replacement CD-ROM drive.

in device manager the drive is identifies as a Philips SDVD8821H.

i have found some 2nd hand ones for sale on ebay. However, one shop is selling two at different prices. the difference being that one says 'OPT648' and the other 'AH8591'. i wonder how i can tell which one i need?

Also, i have never worked on a laptop before. is there anything i should be worried about? is it just a case of unscrewing the base and replcing the part?

i'm guessing a 'used' drive might not come with instructions. should it be a straight swap, or would i need new drivers etc.

it is my brother's machine and i have to be very careful to get it right before giving it back to him

thanks for any help

James

Relating to the OPT and AH8 thing, I don't know, but see what type of drive it is. It could be a DVD+RW, CD-ROM, etc. The problem is, if you take the drive out, and there is a plastic frame around it, you will need to remove the plate, carefully, and install it into the new drive. Most drives have drivers already.

Also, how much are you planning on paying?

It doesn't really matter what drive you get. You can even get one from another computer and remove the frame and connection adaptor. Then install the frame from your 'damaged' one and plug it into the computer.

I actually took a DVD+RW drive out of a broken computer (dropped, smashed) and installed that drive into my new computer, because my original drive was not as good.