Dvd player turned drive?

[helper]

Can you use a dvd player as a dvd drive in a computer, and if so, then how?

[homer]

interesting question. i guess it depends on a couple of things...

1. the form factor of the DVD drive itself (if it is actually capable of being mounted in a 5 1/4" bay)

2. the DVD drives data interface type. (if it is a standard IDE/SATA interface it should be okay, but if its some custom interface then no, unless you know how to mod it.)

3. the DVD drives power input type. (if its a standard 4 pin molex connector it should be okay, but if its some custom connector then no, again, unless you know how to mod it.)

just a quick question, why are you asking? brand new quality DVD writers cost about $30-$40 dollars right now.

[helper]

Thank you homer. I asked because my mom gave me our broken dvd player and i wanted to see if i could do it. Looks like the data interface is either SATA or IDE (how do you tell the difference?) and it seems to use the standard 4-pin power connector But i am unsure about the form factor and whether you could mount it or not.

[homer]

But i am unsure about the form factor and whether you could mount it or not.

take some measurements. if its 5.25 inches across then it will fit.

below is a picture that shows the physical difference between SATA and IDE.

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[helper]

What about the power supply? Is there, like, any way for the drive to catch fire or something?

[homer]

Is there any way for the drive to catch fire or something?

not if you hook it up to the correct voltages. if the DVD drive is powered from a standard 4pin molex connector then it should be good to go with a computer PSU's 4pin molex connector. however, for the sake of safety, it would be best to verify the voltage input of the DVD drive before hooking it up; making sure that the input voltage of the DVD drive matches the output voltage of the computer's PSU 4pin molex connector.