Laptop drive problem, please help

[happyhero]

Hi have established that I have a faulty DVD, do everything drive, on my laptop after a previous thread in which I asked for help with how to remove it. I am now a dab hand at removing it etc.

The laptop I have is a Toshiba Satellite P15 – s409 and the drive I have is a Matshita UJ-811b which I believe is something to do with Panasonic.

The problem is there is stuff on this drive plastered all over the net saying how they always break down and are rubbish and you can’t get any help on them etc, etc.

So I would really like not to get the same one but to get a reliable one to replace it. I was hoping to get a cheap replacement on ebay. There are plenty of UJ-811b’s some of which are offered part not working, which only adds to my not wanting to get one.

Trouble is how do I know what one I can have that will fit that laptop?

I would like a do everything drive again, so I can burn DVD’s and CD’s but what will fit, is there just a few different sizes or loads, or is there a clever way to know what will fit and what wont?

If I can find a different make, good replacement drive, I would be tempted to try and find one on ebay.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[systemtek]

If you cant get one, why not get a USB external writer or similar that way you can use it on any PC .... just a thought.

If you can cope with a external one that is.

 

[Igorian]

If you cant get one, why not get a USB external writer or similar that way you can use it on any PC .... just a thought.

If you can cope with a external one that is.

That was already suggested here.

The problem you have is the physical shape and interface type/position, so you will probably be limited.

 

[eggplant]

You can remove the drive? Post a pic here, may or may not be a standard laptop drive.
As for Mashita, remove the Mas and the a says it all

 

[happyhero]

You can remove the drive? Post a pic here, may or may not be a standard laptop drive.
As for Mashita, remove the Mas and the a says it all

Cheers for the help guys.

I don't know how to get a picture on here but if you enter uj-811b on ebay it brings up a few examples of my drive. With a lot of them I will have to change the bezel etc, but otherwise they are the same.

What I am surprised at, is that it can be that difficult to get a different make to fit. I can appreciate it may not be as simple as a normal PC putting a different drive in, but I would have thought there would have been some conformity to keep things simpler for the laptop makers if nothing else. Also surely Toshiba made many different models of laptop and surely they didn't change the drive fit on every model or put the same Mashita drive in everyone. A lot of the time the Mashita is referred to as a Panasonic drive which then surprises me that it was so bad.

Help!