Sony AD7590AK3 DVD Burner

[surfersaiyan]

hi guys, the dvd burner in my laptop is up for renewal and i'm looking at this one for a replacement.

but i just want to find some way of checking the compatibility before i buy (online).

any ideas?

(i have a toshiba satellite A40 laptop)

 

[raybay]

Avloid the Sony if you can... it doesn't come close to TEAC or other models when longevity is concerned...
Look for Teac, Plextor, Samsung, LG, and Lite-on... over Sony... but it Sony is not as unreliable as HLD or HLDS, HP, or NEC.

 

[surfersaiyan]

thanx raybay..

can you give me a basic rundown on how compatibility works, because i've seen some for sale which say specifically 'not suitable for toshiba laptop'.

as long as the physical size is right and the interface (ide) is the right one, is there anything else i need to consider?

 

[raybay]

Laptop optical drives have become quite standardized over the past four years... Usually, you must remove some of the guides on the old one with a screw driver, and install them on new drive.
We buy ours so as to fit a number of model, with only those guide adjustments, in lots of 24 to a case...
Most online stores, such as Directron.com, Frys.com, CDW.com, NewEgg.com and perhaps 100 others will tell you if something is going to fit or not...
We have had our best luck with Teac, LG, and Samsung, and our poorest luck with Sony, Sony Nec, HLD, HLDS...
First thing to do, it seems to me, is to take out the old one... If you cannot do that, you probably don't have the system figgered out well enough to put in a new one.
It has been a long time since I have seen a drive that didn't fit after changing the guides and snaps around with a #0 philips screw driver.
When you remove the old one, you can see on the label on the bottom what are the specs, and current model.
When you install a new one, be extremely careful not to get oil, dust, or fingerprints on the lense of the optical drive. Other than that, just make sure it connects properly so it does not come shooting all the way out of the machine.

 

[raybay]

The website of the drive manufacturers will have all the info you should need in deciding whether a replacement will work... drive by drive
Do not force anything into place. It should fit nicely, easily, then accept any external hardware from the old drive easily.

 

[surfersaiyan]

cheers ray, i'm more than comfortable replacing the drive, as i already replaced this one a year or two after i got it.. in addition to having replaced both fans, both hinges and installing internal wireless where it did not originally come with it!! (thats at least 3 stripdowns i think!)

just for some reason compatibility always freaks me out in case i buy something that doesnt work. in the case of the drive, i asked the seller on ebay why he specifically states that its not suitable for a tosh sat A40.. he said:

"Some Toshiba model using different setting then (than?) cable select"

does that shed any light on it?