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Old January 4th 10, 07:11 AM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Ben Myers[_2_]
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Posts: 1,607
Default Latitude D610, DVD/CD ROM

Charles wrote:
After some extensive traveling the past week with my laptop I realized
last night that the light is on constantly on the CD/DVD drive and the
drive will not open. Rebooted several times and removed and replaced
the drive also and no change. It also does not show in Device Manager.
Have I lost it or is there anything else I can try?

Charles

Charles,

If the CD/DVD device does not show in the Device Manager, it may well
have bitten the dust. Before giving up on it and buying a replacement,
make sure that it is completely inside its drive bay. There is a small
chance that it is making intermittent contact. On the bottom of the
D610 (and D600 and Inspiron 600m and several other similar models) there
is a single screw that holds the drive in place. If this screw is gone,
the drive can slide out just a tiny bit or even more.

The D610 and similar models do not use a CD/DVD drive with a flat
plastic bezel. Instead, they use a drive with a curved bezel, and you
are better off with a replacement made for this series of Dell laptops.
The single screw needs to be removed to release the drive from its
drive bay. You can open the drive by pushing a small paper clip
(straightened) straight into the small hole in the drive bezel. The
drive tray will then pop out a little bit, and you can pull gently on
the drive tray to remove the whole drive.

You can get replacement drives in good condition from reputable sellers
on eBay. Fortunately, Dell parts are inexpensive and easy to find on
eBay, unlike other brands with smaller market share. Once the drive is
removed, the sticker with its Dell part number is visible. Buy the same
part number, or possibly a compatible DVD-RW if it suits your purpose...
Ben Myers