Advice please re DVD drive

melbury

Now that I have a lovely new computer, I have very kindly donated my old Dell to OH for his driving games. However, the DVD drive will no longer read anything, so although he has re-booted the computer and taken everything off it, he still can't play his games.

Is it possible to buy a cheap plug-in thing to run the DVD's rather than trying to remove the broken one and fit a new one in the computer itself?

Many thanks.

Figment

What model is the DELL? Laptop or Desktop?

melbury

Figment wrote: »

What model is the DELL? Laptop or Desktop?

It is a Dimension 5000 desktop.

Ad86

Is the drive showing up in 'my computer'

melbury

Ad86 wrote: »

Is the drive showing up in 'my computer'

Yes it is. It will read the odd one, but it is very random. For example, I copied a lot of photographs onto a disk and it wouldn't read it at all, whereas it used to. I can't understand why it has packed up because it has hardly had any use at all.

Figment

Might just need cleaning, or it's possible the laser has lost power.

Replacement drives can be had for not very much from ebay, e.g.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-DELL-DIMENSION-5000-DVD-PLAYER-/251150755854?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Washing_Machines_Dryers_Parts_Accessories_ET&hash=item3a79c0680e

Figment

more....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=sd+616&_sacat=0&_odkw=dimension+5000+dvd&_osacat=0&_from=R40

flashg67

If not keen to tinker in your PC (though it's easy enough), you can buy usb DVD drives too

googler

Swapping old drive for new is EASY.

Loads of guides all over the web, and on YouTube.....

Ad86

As said, swapping the drive is really 2plugs and 2 screws. You cannot go wrong tbh.
Id try and stick with internal over usb drives.

melbury

Thank you all so much for your very helpful replies.

Is it really that easy to change it? My OH and I are not very techie minded and so it would really need to be very straightforward.