Help please
I need a new (new) dvd drive for my computer. I would like to install games, software, burn music and videos. I'd like to stay under a 100 bucks. I fell behind on the latest technology and perusing forums just doesn't appeal to me. I'm sure you guys have some excellent suggestions. I'm Vista 64 btw. I'd rather start with people I trust. Thanks.
What make is it toshiba, acer, HP etc.
DVD drives are a dime a dozen these days. They're dirt cheap and widely available. I can get any of the major brands in a 16x DVD+/-RW DL for around $30US just down the street. While you may have further to go to find a local computer shop, the pricing should be similar.
Just don't go to a store like Best Buy or the like. When you buy optical drives in a retail box, they tend to cost twice as much and come with crappy software that you'll never use. Go the extra mile (or ten) and find a computer shop where you can buy a drive OEM (no retail box). They're extremely easy to install and I'm sure there are tons of YouTube videos out there you can peruse before doing the deed. It's super-low risk and takes no time at all. If I can do it, you can do it. 
I've replaced DVD drives before. Your right, it's not that hard to do. But I went to Newegg and the choices were so vast, I didn't know where to begin. I thought I would start here and see what ppl had to say. Thanks for the head's up about the retail ones. I wouldn't have considered that anyway when it's cheaper to go online.
I think that this drive would be just perfect for you. Great price too!
The only catch is, does your motherboard support SATA? (Look inside to see if the motherboard has those ports on it.) If not, go for the IDE version instead.
By the way, if you go with the SATA drive and you don't already have one, you'll need a SATA cable, as OEM drives like this one do not come with cables.
Excellent, ty Asaic. I would never have known that. (See my ignorance?) I gutted an older computer and stole the drive out of it but I have yet to put it in. But considering it is old, it's just a temporary measure. No, I don't think I have SATA. The cable attached to my dvd drive looks nothing like the SATA cable anyway (remember my computer has a clear side where I can see right in it 
). So I guess it is an 80 wire cable instead of the 7 
(bummer).
That's just an IDE cable. Very common, though on it's way out in the near future. Get 'em while you can.