To Replace Matshita BD-MLT UJ-880S or similar optical drives

Where and how can one buy replacement optical drives for Sony laptops and notebooks? The sonystyle site does not list them in stock. Sony parts phone support might be an option, but I fear I might be offered a model that is not compatible.

I own a 2007 vintage Vaio VGN FZ190 notebook with a drive that should burn Blu-ray, DVD, or CD. I edit video and have burned maybe 50 DVDs and perhaps 25 Blu-ray discs.

Last week, the drive began to fail to recognize blank Blu-ray media. Then it lost the ability to play burned discs, even rented commercial discs, which I tested to make sure the problem did not owe to defective media.

Now the Intervideo Win-DVD BD software will not play any disc, even a conventional DVD. The disc spins, Win-DVD launches, but the disc will not play, even if I click play. Windows Explorer may, perhaps 25% of the time, recognize a blank disc, but the burn software will not. Neither Win-DVD nor WMP will play it. Repeated attempts usually cause the drive to sputter, then barely respond at all.

I tried cleaning the lense with cloth, dry then damp. No good. I installed a 2009 driver update from the sonystyle site. No change. I tried system restore (picking a restore date three weeks back). That did not help either.

Internet searches yield lots of results for DVD burners, but not for the BD-MLT type I'd need to replace my model. I don't expect a replacement to be cheap, but it is very troubling that no replacement services or inventories appear to exist at all. Considering how easy it is to replace a notebook hard drive, why are replacement BD-DVD-CD R/W drives like unicorns?

I know that disc burning eventually wears out a drive, but my use has not been that exceptional.

When a drive reaches the end of its life, what can one do?

What successors to my model should also fit into an FZ190?

Many thanks to anyone who can relate either:

• where and how they found a replacement.
• if any Panasonic (Matutshita / Matshita) notebook drive of the UJ-880S or later MLT series is a reasonable alternative.
• if it is safe or reliable to send the notebook for "repair," or if you lose weeks and get a choice between; a) a replacement drive that may not support BD, b) one that does but costs more than a new notebook, or c) return of the unrepaired notebook and loss of a deposit.
• other repair or workaround solutions.
• an idea how many BDs one can expect to burn with a drive before it goes kaput.

Thanks.

I'll try re-seating it, on the outside change it might be a factor. Would dust be a problem only right where the burner lenses appear? Is the "slider" on which the lenses sit in the tray naturally stiff when the drive tray is out, or should it move smoothly? My only other experience is with desktop type drives, whose lenses one never sees.

Thanks for the link. It's the first site that seems to offer any replacement drives at all. Unfortunately, I don't see one that supports BD-Write, only BD-ROM. The site did give me a clue, though, that it might work to search for "notebook drives" instead of the specific model I have. A search produced the following:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118037

Or: http://www.sony-optiarc.us/en/produc...ives/ad-5540a4

It is also BD-Write and is "Sony," though whether really made by "Matshita" (Matshusita) or someone else, I don't know. It looks as though it might be spot on.

But how compatible are notebooks' optical drive slots with eachother? For instance, hard drives tend to be the same size and "easy" to substitute. Other accessories are more fussy: dimensions, locations of interface ports or screw holes, etc. I could manually change some things, but not dare meddle with others. Should the "half height" optical drive models fit in most any notebook?

Again, thanks.

Not great news

The Sony Optiard Blu-ray Burner Model BD-5730S-01 uses a SATA interface. I erred in assuming that, because my dead drive is a model UJ-220s (ending in S) meant that it was SATA too. It is not. It is IDE/ATAPI, ATA, or PATA. Maybe I'm mistaking these as synonyms too! Will any compact notebook model that is not SATA likely work for me? I'd prefer not to monkey with any adapter contraptions that may not work or even fit in the notebook.

IDE/ATAPI woes

I've found no metropolitan store with IDE/ATAPI optical drives in stock. All new drives or burners seem to have SATA interfaces. A few use eSATA, but those don't yet include burners. Often, since staff pay is low and turnover high, clerks don't even understand the topic.

Does anyone sell external housings for notebook type internal optical drives? Were there one that houses a SATA drive and connects to a notebook via USB2 or eSATA, that would be a handy way to salvage the Sony Optiarc SATA drive. Even a simple SATA to USB or SATA to eSATA interface might suffice.

Since the burning lifespan of the drives appears uneven or short, I'll probably prefer to use an external drive for most future burning, since replacement will be easier.

IDE/ATAPI BD burners appear to be sold only as "used" (how much?) or "recertified" (by whom?), or by remote vendors with scant recommendations or unknown return policies. I'm wagering that an Ebay vendor is legit and that his UJ-220 drives are unused and IDE/ATAPI. It appears that all UJ-220's have the older interface.

A word of advice: any folks whose burners are IDE/ATAPI or PATA should either:

a) find out if future conversion to SATA is easy (perhaps with desktops) or not (notebooks);
b) buy from the dwindling after-market for unused IDE/ATAPI drives before they become extinct, in anticipation of the eventual failure of an existing drive;
c) use another drive for most burning, and the IDE/ATAPI drive sparingly, thereby postponing the failure;
d) swap the notebook for a new one, before the drives fail;
e) expect eventual drive failure, but clean the lens, try other software, update the driver, and check the connections, before reaching conclusions.

Is bezel or faceplate substitution a "high science" or a rough chistle and gorilla glue job? Looking at my existing drive, I don't see any obvious screws or brackets. I'd hate to end up simply destroying the existing bezel / plate as I try to remove it, and then discover that the damaged stubs of plastic don't even harmonize with the replacement drive's holes.

Seeking proper SATA to eSATA or USB2 converter cable

The Sony Optiarc BD-5730S BD S-ATA burner boasts faster burning speed than the Panasonic / Matshita UJ-220 PATA or IDE/ATAPI model I'll be getting to replace the failed internal drive. The S-ATA one could serve as the external drive for most burning, if only I can find the right converter to either a USB2 or eSATA port on the VGN FZ1900 notebook.

Unfortunately, I am ignorant whether the right converter exists. Two hitches:

1. An illustration accompanying a S-ATA model suggests that the DC power cable must split off from the control cable. Would a single cable adapter be impossible?
2. Most of the "SATA cable" types available have an interface configuration (second example) that looks nothing like the twin "L" interface on the SATA drive. the cables have a single "L" shape and I can't see whether the number of pins or gender are right, either.

The only item (so far) that comes close is a slim-SATA to USB adapter board, whose picture unfortunately fails to show the USB port too, and which would be perfect if it would connect to eSATA too, since my existing USB2 ports are usually "busy" with the mouse and external HDD connections.

It still bugs me that the Windows Vista Device Controller tells me that my deceased drive is a model number that ends in "S," which in most catalogues signifies an SATA interface.

Found a slim SATA drive enclosure with USB2 connection

The following item seems to be spot on:

SYBA CL-ENC55001 5.25" USB 2.0 External Enclosure for Slim SATA CD/DVD Drive/writer

When searching, the trick was to search "slimline SATA" or "slimsata," as opposed to simply SATA, which retrieves mainly links to hard drive connectors that are different.

A reviewer reports it worked with an Optiarc drive and the manual indictes it has tested with similar Sony NEC drives. All the reviews report success and satisfaction with the solid construction. Considering that the price is hardly more than that for cables, or the naked circuit interface I also looked at, it seems to be a good value. I checked the manufacturer's site to see if a eSATA enclosure were also available, but found none. I'll simply have to free up a USB2 port any time I burn a disc, or else get an eSATA external HDD next time my existing ones fill up or reach the age when it's better to put them out to pasture before they fail.

The Syba enclosure works in conjunction with the Sony Opticarc SATA BD burner. The only quirk is that the USB connection requires TWO USB ports. It works as a DVD drive with only one, but both must be connected for Blu-ray media to play or burn. The interface cable connects to one mini USB at the enclosure, but splits into two USB plugs at the other end. Is this just an idiosyncracy? Many hard drives require only one USB connection to the PC.

Is a USB hub with multiple USB ports a realistic tool with a notebook? Would it cause a "traffic jam" if the same hub also linked to external hard drives? Would there continue to be a drive letter change or confusion every time one connected, disconnected, and later connected a particular piece of hardware?