Public Service Announcement
If you ever have to replace a CD drive in your computer, and people tell you it will be easy, beware. Especially if they use phrases like, "Pop the old one out, pop the new one in."
Why beware? Because they are fucking lying to you.
In other words, so far this project has not gone well. 45 minutes of frustration has yielded me: Three new grey hairs; one cut thumb; a CPU that looks like the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz" with his guts pulled out; and a defective CD drive that will budge a little backwards or forwards, but is ultimately not interested in going anywhere. "Pop it out." Right. To paraphrase James Lileks, Liar, liar, red CompUsa polo shirt on fire.
Aside from the obvious problems--computer in pieces, drive stuck--there's another wrinkle. When I cut my thumb, I might have gotten some blood in the CPU. I read "The Mangler"; I know how that works.
