Install the Optical Drive ... Step 13 of 21

If you have not yet removed the drive bay cover, do so now. This is usually done by pushing two tabs together and pushing the plate out from the front of the case. As I mentioned in the case preparation step, if you have metal plates in the drive holes that have not been removed, you will need to pry these things out before you can install the drive. Once the cover is removed, you can slide the drive in from the front.

You can now screw the drive into place. You might want to just place the screws in but not tighten them. This is done so that you can slide the drive out again later. When installing the cables later, you may need to slide the drive out a few inches so that you have enough room to work behind the drive. In many cases, especially mini-towers, one can have a hard time working behind the CD-ROM because it is pinned up against the front of the power supply.

Did You Know?
Optical disks have some advantages over magnetic disks. They have higher capacities being removable modules, and they are not subject to head crashes or corruption from stray magnetic fields. They also have a 30-year life and are less vulnerable to extremes of hot and cold.

Just like in the previous step, the physical installation depends on the case. Some cases come with a bunch of drive rails. What you do is screw a drive rail in the correct direction to each side of the CD-ROM drive. Then, you slide the CD-ROM into the case from the front and the drive rails follow a guide until they click into place. This design, once you get used to it, is really much easier, and leads to very quick installations in the future. The only trick is to make sure you screw the rails to the drive in the right position, otherwise your drive could be set too far out or too far in even when the drive rails click into place.

When tightened into place, make sure the front of the drive is flush with the front of the case. If the front bezel is off the case on installation, make sure you don’t make the mistake of making the drive flush with the case frame. It needs to stick out a little so it will be flush with the bezel when you re-attach it. Also make sure it appears straight. While this doesn't really affect functionality, it’s a matter of aesthetics.

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Chuck Lunsford is an owner and developer of CCSPartner.com. He offers advice on how to get design and build your own personal computer. Visit his website and learn more about designing a computer with the right hardware and software