Replacing the DVD-R Drive in G5 Tower by Myself?

Hi guys - this has probably been asked before but are there any online manuals or tutorials that walk you through the steps involved in replacing the superdrive in a G5 tower?

My local shop wants $50 just to install it. I've got a feeling I can do it on my own. I don't want to shell out $50 if it's a simple procedure.

I've already installed my own RAM & switched my own video card... how much harder could a DVD drive be?

Thanks in advance for the help guys!

Oh and p.s. - the reason I want a new one is because the one in there now - a SONY DVD RW DW-U10A - refuses to burn 99% of the 16x media that I throw in there. It burns any 8x DVD... but it doesn't seem to like 16x media. Toast gives me errors and the disc will hardly ever burn. And Using the finder to burn also yields errors. So I assume it's the drive.

Dual 1.8Ghz PowerMac G5, Mac OS X (10.4.8), 1.5GB RAM, 160GB HD, 256MB ATI Radeon X800 XT, Samsung 22" LCD, 30GB iPod 5G

Posted on Jan 27, 2007 8:15 AM

Feb 3, 2007 7:37 AM in response to Paul Alessi

A follow-up from last night's post.

Here's a reference to the the various manufacturers of digital media and why some of the stuff is only good for coasters:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

Also, don't keep DVDs in CD cases; they're made differently and eventually you can crack the hub or delaminate the DVD and make it useless.

If you go over to this category:

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=592

and search - 16x media - , you'll find a lot of threads you might find helpful.

You might also try flashing the firmware; essentially you'll be getting a new drive (maybe even a new "manufacturer") without even cracking the case. Search the same category above with - SONY DVD RW DW-U10A, flash firmware - and get a load of references.

Good luck.

dual 2.5 G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)