Can you put any laptop optical drive into any laptop?

[RedRooster]

I'm looking to upgrade my laptop's(Sony NVR23) optical drive to a newer DVD burner, and was just wondering if basically any OEM laptop drive will work? I know I'd have to unclip the bezel, and there's probably a chance this Sony bezel might not fit other drives, but otherwise should it work?

 

[V00D00]

Yes, any drive will work.

I recently did this with my Dell D600 Laptop. I've done it on other laptops as well.

The key thing is sometimes the drives have an outer shell that lets them interact with the laptop's specific hot swap bay. Also, sometimes you have to cut the bezel and frankenstein it so the buttons line up with the buttons. There is no "standard" for bezel mountings or anything. I had to glue mine.

Sometimes you will get lucky if you're getting a drive out of a laptop from the same manufacturer, and the bezel mountings and button positions will be the same.

 

[bearxor]

yea, the bezel might not be right, but all laptop optical drives are the same form factor and same connector (maybe not all, but alot). The ones that look specialized for different makers are usually just enclosed in a shell. See this web page I made real quick for an idea of what I mean:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/c/mcdo7795/dell_cdrom/dell_replacement.htm

 

[Jeff7]

I'm afraid I must contradict. Some laptop drives do not feature a removable faceplate. I replaced a crappy drive in an Inspiron 2650 - the old drive's bezel was not removable. The new drive fits well enough - it doesn't match, and it will occasionally stick when it tries to open, but it does work.