dvd drives (ide)

[miztrniceguy]

Are laptop dvd drives swappable ? I have an older Dell Vostro 1500 and the dvd drive sometimes just sits and makes noises. sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I am setting this up for my kids, since I have a new Asus g750 for myself.

 

[Pinhedd]

In most cases yes they are

 

[miztrniceguy]

That's what I was hoping. I haven't worked with laptop hardware much, so wasn't sure. Looking for OEM doesn't leave much options for IDE drive, and expensive.

 

[miztrniceguy]

Are there any form factor guidelines other than "slim" ?