How do I determine if the DVD drive in a Dell laptop is bad? The video and
audio are choppy when played. I have gone through the troubleshooting
process to no avail. If the drive is bad on a laptop, can I simply replace
it or must I return it to Dell. The machine is no longer under warranty (of
course).

Laptop drives are usually specific to the laptop, and are best obtained via
the laptop Mfr's service center or from the parts Department.
It is possible that the laser head needs cleaning

That said, your symptoms more closely match a software reather than a
hardware problem. Usually it is something running in background.

..

"JLR" <JLR@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:43E416B5-7C21-4CE4-BC04-06BB5BA92497@microsoft.com...
> How do I determine if the DVD drive in a Dell laptop is bad? The video
and
> audio are choppy when played. I have gone through the troubleshooting
> process to no avail. If the drive is bad on a laptop, can I simply
replace
> it or must I return it to Dell. The machine is no longer under warranty
(of
> course).