Replacing notebook optical drive

[mjw72652]

I have an HP ENVY Notebook m7-u109dx 17" laptop with a DVD drive. I want to replace the drive with a Blu-Ray writer. I also have a n HP 15-bs234wm and a 15-da0053wm, both with the same Blu-Ray writer in them. Will this Blu-Ray fit the Envy? And how do I remove the DEVD drive from the Envy, as it has no external screw holding the drive like the 15" laptops. Can I open the case and access it that way?

[Huffer]

Here is the Service Manual:

Manual 

See p. 34. 

The m7 uses a 9mm thick drive which is a bit of an oddball. The more common 9.5mm drive will not fit although it seems like it will until you try to bolt everything down. 

15-bs also uses a 9mm as does the 15-da so all are interchangeable. You will have to swap over face plates and the bracket but your Manual actually shows how to do that. 

Post back with any more questions and please accept as solution if this is the info you needed. 

[mjw72652]

Thank you. The two 15" laptops have an very easy way to remove the drive by simply removing one screw whcich is easily accessible on the bottom of the case. The Envy is quite a bit more complicated- it appears from the manual that you have to disassemble almost half the laptop ( a slight exaggeration) to get to the existing drive and replace it. Thank you for your help- I sincerely appreciate it.

[mjw72652]

I just looked at the eBay listings for the two Blu-ray burners that I installed in the 15" laptops. They were both UJ-262 drives and were described in the listings as 9.5 mm drives, so it would appear that these drives will not fit in the Envy, although they fit and operate perfectly in the 15" laptops.

[mjw72652]

It appears that a BU50n drive is a 9mm drive, that does not have the bracket extending off the back to secure the drive.

[Huffer]

I looked at the service manuals for all three models you listed and all say the optical drive is 9mm. Bare drives are all the same shape and configuration; mounting holes, etc.. As fitted in specific laptops, they may have additional parts: brackets allowing mounting and the faceplates will be different. You have to use the DVD burner in your laptop and scavenge off the parts needed to customize a bare BD-RW drive to fit in your laptop. So you have to strip down the drive from the "donor" machine to a bare drive and then build it back up with the parts from the target machine. Or you have to find a BD-RW drive made specifically for your model.