Dell Latitude E5530 with no burning capability :(

Hey everyone. I bought a Dell Latitude E5530 a few months ago, and I opted for the regular 8X DVD option instead of the 8X DVD+/-RW option which was ~$30 more. Now I'm finding I'd like to have the capability to burn CDs and DVDs but I guess I can't. I looked on Dell's website for upgrades for my laptop, but they don't show anything for the optical drive. What are my options?

Also, I opted for the cheapest option on the wireless card: Dell Wireless™ 1504 802.11g/n Single Band Wi-Fi Half Mini Card
I'm finding that it doesn't have much range and was curious if getting one of the better wireless cards would work better. I had a Dell on site tech fixing a hinge on my laptop last week, and he said it would definitely help, because the higher grade ones use all three antennas instead of just the two, but Dell offers three upgraded options:

Dell Wireless™ 1540 802.11a/n Dual Band, High Speed Wi-Fi Half Mini Card
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 802.11n 2x2 Half Mini Card
Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 802.11n 3x3 Half Mini Card

Which one will be the best as far as range and connectivity goes? Thanks for any and all feedback!! I really appreciate everyone's time!

 

The Intel Ultimate will give you the best range, but because it uses 3 antenna leads, it's important to confirm that your system has 3 antennas installed. Sometimes manufacturers will cut costs by leaving out the third Wifi antenna if a card that doesn't use it was initially ordered.

As for the optical drive, you can buy a notebook (slimline) optical drive from Amazon or Newegg and install it in your system. You'd just have to swap out the default bezel (part that's viewable on the outside of the computer) for the one on your system.

 

You have to check the thickness of the optical drive and you should also be able to get a quote for the DVD burner if you call Dell's parts department, otherwise, get an optical of the right thickness and just swap the bezels.

 

Chances are that you can burn CDs, just not DVDs, as each demands a different laser. And to second djembe's comment, the Intel Ultimate 6300 will really amp up your WiFi capabilities, but it does not have Bluetooth built in. If you want Bluetooth, you should be able to purchase an Intel Centrino Advance - N 6235; it has Bluetooth but is a small step down from the 6300 card - though, if you're not involved with large file transfers and/or online gaming, you probably won't notice a big difference.

 

I see tons of them. Are there any that are better than others? And thanks for the info on the wireless card! I'll be buying it very soon! The third antenna is definitely in there.

I may have to call their parts department because I really don't know exactly which one to get and which size, and don't want to waste money buying something that doesn't fit.

I honestly haven't tried so you may be right. I'm not really worried about Bluetooth. I had it on my old laptop and never used it. What exactly do people use Bluetooth on a laptop for?

 

If you look around the web, you can find a few optical drive ratings and reviews, but there are so many varieties out there, a lot can come down to personal preference. The Sony Optaric DVD burner in my W530 (model #AD-7740H) seems to work well, if you want one option.

 

You shouldn't have to as long as it is a slim dvd writer Sata connector you can just swap out the drive and front bezel and any other connectors that attach it to the laptop sata drive connector. I swap dvd reader for both IDE and Sata drives and they work just fine. You just have to make sure all the parts that were on the OEM drive are connected the same to the replacement drive and if you do that correctly you should be fine.

Well for one I have BlueTooth on all my Dell and Gateway and they work just fine as I use M$ BlueTooth mouse 5000 and it works and my Mobile is Bluetooth and can connect to my laptop. Bluetooth isn't seen much cause the hardware that it works with is proprietary and it has alot of different uses and can do more then you think and connect to alot of other devices that are Bluetooth.

 

Doing a quick search, the optical drive should be 12.7mm. You can get them for ~ $10 off ebay.

For the intel 6300, just make sure it is not hp/lenovo pull.

 

I would imagine they all pretty much do the same thing to the same extent, but like you said just come down to preference. Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll certainly look into it.

Oh wow I totally forgot about wireless keyboards and mice...boy do I feel silly. So according to their website, the bluetooth on my laptop is not "customer upgradeable", so if I wanted it I had to get it when I bought it. I guess that takes bluetooth completely out of the picture then?

Thank you very much. I'll be sure to look for that today when checking the specs for the one I buy. I appreciate your advice and help.

 

Saying the Bluetooth is "not customer upgradeable" tends to mean you can upgrade it, but Dell won't provide any support if it doesn't work right or if something else on the system doesn't work right after installing it. The only reason it would not be functionally upgradeable is if it's soldered to the motherboard.

 

What would I need to do or look for to confirm whether this is the case or not?

Also, I just tried downloading iTunes and burning a blank CD and it didn't work. When I put a blank CD in and open My Computer, it doesn't even recognize it. When I try to burn a song to it, it just flashes at the top of the iTunes screen saying "Disc burner or software not found" Now what?

 

The bluetooth module is removable and a new one can be installed. You can find instructions here: Dell Latitude E5530 | - Page 31 You can get the module itself here: http://www.honeybee-online.com/usd/...odules/latitude-bluetooth-modules-cables.html

 

Looked at the available config and it looks like the basic drive you got has absolutely zero burning capabilities. Sorry JBurt.

 

Okay sooooo I just got the Ultimate 6300 wireless card in the mail today. Are there any instructions or drivers, etc. to installing this thing? There are three antenna ports with no color code either.

 

Grey antenna goes in the middle, black and white go on each side, the order for the black and white wires shouldn't matter. Before swapping the wireless adapter, dl the Intel wireless driver for the 6300, uninstall your old adapter through the device manager, perform the swap, and then install the new Intel driver.

 

So I don't have to do anything in the BIOS?

 

Nope.

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