How to Connect a Laptop DVD Drive to a Desktop

Many laptops come standard with no internal DVD drive to reduce the size of the actual units, thus USB external DVD drives are often used. Additionally, many laptop users with internal laptop DVD drives often find use for an additional drive. You can easily connect the laptop DVD drives to, and use them on, your desktop computer.

Instructions

1. Connect any external power sources, if needed, to the laptop DVD drive.

2. Download the drivers from the manufacturer's website for the laptop DVD drive if you do not have the original driver disk provided by the manufacturer.

3. Follow the on-screen steps if an installation application was provided on the manufacturer-provided driver disc, or was included in the download. If only drivers were provided, point the hardware wizard to their location in step 5.

4. Connect the USB cable (or Firewire, depending on the drive and your computer) to both the computer and the laptop DVD drive.

5. Point the new hardware wizard to the drivers provided by the manufacturer or downloaded from their website. After a short initialization, the drivers will be assigned to the laptop DVD drive and it will be ready for use.

Tips & Warnings

• The most convenient laptop DVD drives do not require an external power source, which makes them more portable and easier to set up and use.

References

• How to Use Laptop Drives (DVD and Hard Drives) with a desktop