I want to swap out my DVD drive

I've had two external CD burners that both toook a crap before 200 discs
had been burned, a Sony and a Buslink.

So I opened up my G4-400 (AGP) and I cannot figure out how to get access
to the screws on the left side (as you face the front of the computer),
in order to remove the existing DVD drive and install the new drive.

I took as much apart as I could, removed most of the exterior plastic,
looked between the outer plastic case and the inner metal case and saw
no way to get access to those screws.

The new drive cost $35, I'll be damned if I'm paying someone $75 to put
it in.

Can anyone help?

TIA.

AV

 

How much is your time worth and how much time do you expect to spend on
the whole process?

That's more a question for your own reflection when deciding you're not
going to pay someone $X to do something, because changing the optical
drive in a Sawtooth is trivial.

You got the front bezel off, right? Drop the side panel and then there
are 1 or two little tabs that release the plastic over the drive. Once
you get that off, there are two screws exposed on the front face of the
machine. Unscrew those. Now the whole drive assembly slides forward.
Push it up enough to get to the cables, disconnect them, and slide the
assembly out. Watch out for the shielding on the back of the optical
drive; it tends to get caught on the case for me.

You can work out the rest.

 

How much is your time worth and how much time do you expect to spend on
the whole process?[/QUOTE]

It isn't a matter of what my time is worth, it's about being
self-reliant. I rebuilt an aircraft engine, so this should not be such a
big deal.

Yep. But it appears as if there are a pair of screws into the bottom of
the drive unit on each side. getting access to the ones just inside the
side panel is a piece of cake but the ones closest to the cooling fan
are inaccessible as far as I can see.

Perhaps when you say the drive slides out, you also mean the rack that
secures it. No?

I'll give it a try again. Thanks for the tips. I'll report back, success
or failure.

I sure hope so.

AV

 

The entire aluminum box containing the bays for the optical drive and
Zip (or other 3.5 inch drive) slides out.

 

Yep. But it appears as if there are a pair of screws into the bottom of
the drive unit on each side. getting access to the ones just inside the
side panel is a piece of cake but the ones closest to the cooling fan
are inaccessible as far as I can see.

Perhaps when you say the drive slides out, you also mean the rack that
secures it. No?[/QUOTE]

Yes. A big metal box that has the optical drive and, if you have one,
Zip comes out as a unit.

G

 

[....cd/dvd replacement...]

Actually, civilians *and* active duty personnel can
perform this installation with ease.

 

Mission accomplished...SIR!

AV