How to Install a New CD/DVD Drive in an HP Laptop
By Aramenta Waithe
Computer components with moving parts are usually the most likely to fail. If the fast-moving motor in your HP laptop's CD or DVD drive has failed, you can purchase a replacement optical drive. With little technical experience, you can remove the existing optical drive in your HP laptop and replace it with a new drive, restoring the original performance of your computer.
Step 1
Locate and purchase the appropriate replacement optical drive for your HP laptop. Since the side of the optical drive lines up with the casing of the laptop, it isn't possible to replace an optical drive with anything other than model intended for your computer model. Use the HP PartSurfer website or locate the service manual for your laptop by navigating to the HP Customer Care website (see Resources).
Step 2
Remove the battery from the bottom of the HP laptop, using the release lever on the underside of the computer.
Step 3
Position the HP laptop face-down on a table with the display closed and all cables and add-ons removed.
Step 4
Remove the locking screw for the optical drive from the underside of the HP laptop. Usually, the screw is located roughly in the center of the computer.
Step 5
Straighten a paper clip and push it into the drive tray release hole on the front of the optical drive. The drive tray will subsequently pull away from the side of the HP laptop.
Step 6
Grasp the optical drive by the extended tray, and gently pull it from the HP laptop.
Step 7
Check the back of the optical drive for a metal bracket secured with Phillips-head screws. If the optical drive for your HP laptop has a mounting bracket, remove the screws and transfer the bracket to the new optical drive.
Step 8
Slide the new optical drive into the empty cavity until the drive is seated. Make sure that the logo on the drive tray faces toward the screen.
Step 9
Replace the locking screw on the underside of the HP laptop.
References
Tips
- If you're unable to purchase a replacement optical drive for your laptop directly from HP, try using an auction website instead. Many retailers sell new and refurbished spare laptop parts on the Internet.
Writer Bio
Aramenta Waithe has been a professional writer and ghostwriter since 1989. Her work has appeared in Florida's "Sun-Sentinel" and the "Miami Herald." She writes about a variety of subjects from home improvement to medicine. Waithe attended the University of Massachusetts and Florida Atlantic University, majoring in oceanographic engineering.