| In this post I'm going to discuss how difficult it is to | | | | Most of the Toshiba Tecra range, approx 40% of |
| upgrade your CDROM drive on your Toshiba Laptop. | | | | the Portege range,100% of the Equium range, 50% |
| The discussion includes all models of the Toshiba | | | | of the Satellite Pro and Satellite range can be done |
| Laptop on sale and previous models all the way back | | | | very easily without major trauma and drives can be |
| to 1999! | | | | purchased easily. |
| This article is aimed at all skill levels, and you do not | | | | Some models such as the Satellite A60 (and Pro, |
| need to be a "techie" to understand many of the | | | | Equium range) are fitted with a bare drive, that is |
| concepts I'am going to talk about. | | | | they are just as they come with nothing else except |
| Perhaps your CDROM drive, burner, DVD player has | | | | a fixing bracket attached to the rear of the drive |
| finally given up the ghost? you go online only to | | | | with which you can remove very easily. More modern |
| discover that its actually more difficult than you | | | | Toshiba laptops (from 2006 onwards) are now fitted |
| imagined to replace and purchase a replacement drive | | | | with this style of drive. |
| for your Toshiba laptop. | | | | Models that predate 2006 were fitted with drives |
| We will start with what is a CDROM drive? | | | | fixed inside a caddy or a special plastic carrier, but |
| Simply put it is a device can can read data from a | | | | essentially they are exactly a bare drive when they |
| CDROM which has its data read surface programmed | | | | are removed from the caddy. The advantage of |
| in such a way that a controlled laser beam can read | | | | placing the drive in a caddy was simply to protect |
| any part of the CDROM disk. To enable the data to | | | | the drive and provide an easy method of removing |
| be read from the surface faster the disc is usually | | | | the drive from the machine very easily. The |
| rotated around about 12X up to 52X times the speed | | | | downside of this is added weight, use of special |
| of a single speed CDROM drive. A single speed drive | | | | connectors and in some cases specially shaped front |
| has the ability to transfer 150 kilobytes of data per | | | | panel bezels on the front of the drives. Most of |
| second (which is really slow! by todays standards), | | | | these drives that were manufactured with a caddy |
| where a 24X CDROM drive will transfer 3.6 | | | | are a specific logic and require replacements that fit |
| Megabytes of data per second. Most modern drives | | | | that exact logic. An example of a popular machine |
| whether they are a CDROM drive, DVD readers, | | | | would have been the Toshiba Satellite Pro 6100 (P4 |
| DVD and CDRW drives and DVDRW drives are | | | | 1.6G, machine), as is the Tecra 9100 series machine |
| usually have a transfer rate of around 24X and | | | | (P4 1.6G~1.8G machines). All these drives are readily |
| upwards. Older systems usually had a 2x, 4x, or 8X | | | | available as either new or good working second hand |
| and 10x drive fitted as standard, earlier DVD drives | | | | units. The drives themselves are interchangeable with |
| were 2x or 4x and more modern DVD's are at least | | | | different models from this era, but the bezel colours |
| 12X upwards including DVD/CDRW drives. | | | | and styles were different. |
| CDROM refers to a media type that is read only and | | | | So what if my CDROM drive has failed? |
| that is you cannot change the data on the CD by | | | | No problem, if the machine has a caddy system you |
| attempting to write over it. CDRW indicates that a | | | | can release the locking catch on the underside of the |
| CD disk has the property of being able to write data | | | | laptop and pull out the drive and then remove the |
| on it, as are DVDRW Cds. | | | | caddy or buy another complete drive with caddy and |
| Most Toshiba laptops manufactured within the last 4 | | | | reassemble, on more modern machines you will need |
| years will certainly be fitted with a CDROM/DVD | | | | to dismantle the system partially to gain access to |
| CDRW drive (commonly called combo drives), if you | | | | remove the drive. |
| take a look at the front bezel of the drive it will | | | | What do I buy if I can't get the original drive? |
| actually be displayed on a legend. Or you can view | | | | These days a basic CDROM drive is not really enough |
| the properties of the drive in the device manager | | | | in terms of being useful, so you should look at a |
| inside the system icon located within the control | | | | minimum a DVD/CDRW drive (DVD reader, Data |
| panel. | | | | writer), or perhaps a DVD/CDRW/DVDRW(DVD |
| If perhaps you have a Toshiba Laptop that is around | | | | reader, Data writer, DVD writer), or if you are |
| this age you may find that by this time the drive is | | | | upgrading a CDROM/DVD/CDRW drive then go to |
| "tired" or intermittent and perhaps is due for a | | | | the next higher combination. Newer drives being as |
| replacement. | | | | they are will be faster than older drives, some people |
| The good news is that it is no longer very expensive | | | | who are constantly burning onto media will require |
| to replace any drive and even better depending on | | | | faster drives check the spec before you buy and in |
| which model you own, removal of a drive is within | | | | this case always buy new, if you are just upgrading |
| your ability. Even better still most modern drives | | | | but are only going to occasionally write data then |
| fitted to most of the Toshiba range of laptops were | | | | you can upgrade to a DVD/CDRW drive. If the |
| fitted with the newer "generic" type of plastic cover | | | | CDROM device that you have removed predates |
| bezel, this means that with little or no modification | | | | 2006 then you may be better buying a used |
| you can buy a bare drive remove the original bezel | | | | replacement drive that been tested and working with |
| and then fit this to the new drive and then fit the | | | | of course a suitable warranty. |
| drive inside the laptop. On older machines of age | | | | Technology Hierarchy |
| greater than 4-8 years old, Toshiba fitted many | | | | - CDROM = cdrom |
| different front bezel styles that were particularly | | | | - CDRW = cdrom reader/writer |
| made for that type of drive fitted, but it can be | | | | - DVD = cdrom reader/dvd reader |
| done with little or no effort on 50% of the machines | | | | - DVD/CDRW = cdrom reader, dvd reader, cdrom |
| manufactured. Some Toshiba machines for example | | | | write(data) |
| as the Satellite Pro 4030CDT/CDS series of machines | | | | - DVDRW = cdrom reader, dvd writer (DVD cdr) |
| are not easy to do and it is not recommended that | | | | - DVD/CDRW/DVDRW = cdrom reader,dvd |
| you try, and quite frankly if you are still using this | | | | reader,cdrom writer,dvd writer |
| model its not worth it. The same goes for the | | | | - DVD/CDRW/DVDRRW= cdrom reader,dvd |
| Satellite 1100 and 1110 machines (PIII1300 Celeron, | | | | reader,cdrom writer,dvd writer, DVD re-writer. |
| and P4 1.5G Celeron machines respectively)but at | | | | Assuming you made it this far! |
| least these machines are still very usable if your using | | | | I would like to thank you for reading this article and I |
| Windows Xp or Windows 2000 and may be worth it | | | | hope it has been useful! |
| factoring in the labour costs plus the drive. | | | | |