My nephew put a penny in my Laptop DVD Rom Drive + Rare/Special PC Cards + S Slot?

[maniac_lonestar]

Well my Nephew put a penny in it and it isnt recognized anymore, but I hate using USB DVD Rom Drives, so I was hoping that I can fix this. So I'll start out with...

1. I am wondering if you fellas can help me:

A. make sure my DVD Rom might still work.
B. make the Laptop Recognize this DVD Rom Drive
C. find a compatible Laptop Drive that FIT's in this Laptop of >>>Mines<<<
D. Fix my DVD Drive and give suggestions

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2. I have two PCMIA slots on this laptop, I think, and well:

A. Even though I tried lookin for em, are there any PC Cards that are special like Antivirus, Storage, or like Cooling System etc.
B. Are there any Cards that do something else besides: Sound Quality, Graphics, Networking?

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3. I notice on my laptop there is a Slot labeled with an S. It looks like a slot for mouse/keyboard, but it doesn't fit and this laptop only supports USB Mouse and Keyboard.

 

[i_am_a_newbie]

The "S" might possibly be S-Video out; as they look similar to the PS/2 ports mice and keyboards use.

 

[maniac_lonestar]

And what can I use it for? Inputting my Laptop Monitor to a bigger one?

 

[mailpup]

S-Video out would be for sending output to a TV with a corresponding S-Video in. It might not be a direct connection, however. The "S-Video" connection on the laptop is probably not a true S-Video but would need an adaptor which will separate the video and sound output. The "S-Video" on the laptop will have a different number of pins (because of the sound signal) than a real S-Video.

 

[Rottenweiler]

What type of machine is it?
What model?
The older Dell laptops have an S port which is indeed S-video out. You can plug a standard S-video cable into it, it will bring only the video signal to a Television as an output (ie like a big monitor).
Or you can use the cable that comes with them. They usually come with an adapter that splits the S-video signal and the audio signals. For example Dell P/N 070TVD. (Look for examples on EBay)