[madmikejt12]

Hello all,
i was wondering if a laptop's HD has the same connection as it's optical drive?
i am asking because i have ordered something similar to this: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...203.5&doy=18m7 to add a laptop's HD to my pc and was thinking about getting another one for the optical drive (because at the moment i have an old CD-ROM drive that cand even READ DVD's!!!) and doing a bit of modding so it fitted the bay.

Thanks,
Mike

[jephree]

You can do this but will need a different adapter.

The Hard Drive adapter is from 44 pins to 40 pins and adds the power connection which in the laptop is the reason for the other 4 pins.

The slimline CD/DVD's use a 50 pin connector.

Slimline CD to Desktop IDE Adapter

Also be aware that there might be an additional mounting device specific to the laptop that must be removed as seen here:

http://www.bixnet.com/in8xslimdvdr.html

Tech Note:

Some laptop may use some mounting frames or a caddy around the bare CD drive for easy swap. Some laptop may also use a the rear adapter to change the position and shape of the rear connector. If your original CD drive’s rear connector looks different from this drive, it may have a special rear adapter added to the drive’s rear connector. In this case, you need to remove mounting frames or the caddy and the rear adapter from original drive and re-use them on the new drive.

[madmikejt12]

ok, thanks alot

i have just seen one in maplins for £10 (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Home.aspx) , so if i can get my sisters drive to write CD's again then i will probably get one

Thanks again,
Mike