Need advice on replacing DVD burner in 7422GX

My 7422GX's :gateway: TSST-L532A is behaving erratically, wasting many blank DVDs and it even spoiled a DVD+RW! There was no use in cleaning it or flashing the FW.

I plan to replace it with a Pioneer DVR-K15, DVR-K05 or a NEC ND-6650. What makes me doubt is the arrangement of connectors on the back of the burner. I live in Peru, so I'd have to get the new one sent from the US. Thus I will be unable to see its connectors until it arrives, and then I won't be able to send it back.

I hope anyone can advise me about it. Also I have encountered some trouble opening my notebook. Perhaps a hidden plastic clip which I don't want to break. Does anyone know an online photo manual on how to disassemble it?

Thanx

 

Is it still under warranty? Try to turn off some background stuff. That may be messing things up. Or a fresh install of Windows could help. Do you have the sevice manual? Sometimes you get one when you buy it or you could request it from Gateway. Don't know if they will give it to you. Highly recommend the NEC burner. When replacing a drive fit and master/slave can sometimes be issues. Good Luck.

 

Thanks, but the warranty is of no use this far away from the US. I would spend a lot more just in shipping. It is definitely a hardware issue, as it fails under Windows and Linux alike. Also, many forum comments on this burner state that it's a cheap one and very prone to failure.
My main concern before purchasing a replacement burner is the connectors on the back. Are they standard? Somewhere I read about the need for an adaptor in some cases, and I know I wouldn't be able to buy it down here.