got my panasonic UJ845B dvdRW/RAM/CDRW today...heck of a lot faster than that crap dvd drive i got with the computer...but more importantly, slot loading, so none of that fussing around with stupid flimsy trays.

the thing to watch out for is that the thing sucks the cd in quickly (if anyone has the pioneer drive is it slower?)

anyways, the good thing is that Fn+F10 still works to eject the cd and the eject button on the drive itself is much easier to push than the dell drive

Any pictures?

The pictures don't load.

now that i got the 3com 3crwb6096b bluetooth to work. everything is flush like i want it. the 3com bluetooth works without having to extend the antenna. here are some new acquisitions so i could play around with the bluetooth. The anycom BTM100, the iogear mini 800DPI, Motorola HS850, and Motorola RAZR V3. The panasonic UJ845B is plain looking so it's not so exciting. simple swap of the adapter on existing drive and the plastic housing frame to fit in the media bay.

Hey.. where did you get it and how much? I didnt upgrade to the dvdrw... I was thinking later on I might go for a USB2 dvdrw.. but that slot loading rulez... tray suckks

i bought mine at www.pcalchemy.com

www.dfwdepot.com also sells them. dfwdepot also sells the pioneer dvr-k04L which is the same size. if the pioneer employs their traditional slot mechanisms, then i think it will be a smoother disc insertion than the Panasonic. However, I do not know if the Pioneer is dvd-ram capable if that matters to you at all. i did not buy from dfwdepot, b/c they are in texas and i didn't want to pay tax

you do not need to buy the adapter they sell as an option...just use the one off of your current drive. both sell the panasonic for $150 (you'll have to work out if you need to pay tax and how much shipping). pcalchemy does not sell the Pioneer, though. dfwdepot sells it for $155

Does anyone know where to get this in the UK? The sellers I've look at online are all in the USA and only ship internally.

I made a thread about this already :P I win! Search it in the notebook general area

ahh but no one actually said that they had one!!


how does it fit in the slot?? My main concern is that it would look awkward because of all the space around the bezel. THe current drive on my i6000 fits nice and snug, i just dont want to have tons of space there, and i really cant judge by your picture since its so close to the edges there. Also, it looks like its stickin out a bit, is it perfectly flush? I want one so bad but dont want to waste my money on something thats gonna look dumb

Well, as a dell fanboy I never visit the Notebook General area

Oops - I see you weren't replying to me. I feel neglected.. ;(
So, does anyone know where to get one in the UK?

Yeah, I've always liked slot loaders better. As they probably break less and could, I imagine, require less hardware, I don't see why they aren't more common.

I found one!
If there are any other UKers looking for this drive, try
Span.com
http://tinyurl.com/6etwm

Let us know what you think of those two bluetooth mice.....

here are some photos for your questions.

yes, it is completely flush
no, the outside bezel leaves a 2.5mm gap on the left side..the delll OEM face has a little extension on the left to cover it up. not a problem for me though

you take the plastic housing off from your old drive and screw it onto the new drive...this includes the interface adapter. if the bottom front part is glued, you'll have to use a screwdriver to peal it off...no problem...it resticks on fine. since it is a slot loader, you cannot use the front plastic piece, so you will have to live with the 2.5mm gap on the left. but that is rather cosmetic since the side plastic housing essential covers the left side