Replacing a laptop optical drive!
 

Alright, here's the email I get from my cousin.

Now I can find that model online for $60, but as far as I can tell, it's NOT a CD-RW... just a DVD-ROM/CD-ROM that can READ CD-Rs. Also, it appears to be slightly outdated. So my question is this: can she replace this drive with any slimline optical drive? I'm assuming her laptop has all the necessary mounting rails and such, though I'll look into that before I have her buy anything.

I also found on Newegg the Toshiba SD-R2612, which seems to be an updated version of what she was talking about. There's also a Toshiba branded DVD burner. I have no loyalty to Toshiba, but I want to make the transition as easy as possible on the compy, and hopefully if I stick with Toshiba, we won't need new drivers or firmware. I've never replaced an optical drive in a laptop, so I really don't know how easy it will be.

Nothing I have search for regarding that model seems to point to is being a writable drive of any sort. I would replace with the exact model just to make sure it works properly.