Replace combo drive on PB or get an external burner?

[2A Batterie]

I'm currently assisting my computer-illiterate friend with some technical issues he is having with his 15" 867mhz PB. His combo is currently pretty jacked up. I've spent some time with it and I can almost never get it to burn any cd's. If I try to burn an audio CD in iTunes, 9 times out of 10 it will cancel the burn halfway through and give a message that says the disc is unusuable or unreadable. The 10th time, the disc may burn, but it sound warbly when I play it in a cd player. The combo drive also will not burn CD's from the finder. It did however, manage to burn a data disc from iTunes after 3 attempts. I've repaired permissions, done a clean reinstall, purchased a cleaner for the combo drive, tried using several different brands of cd-r's, tried every burn speed, and nothing seems to work.
I've given up on this combo drive and want to just replace it and make it as simple as possible for my friend to burn cd's. Should I replace the combo drive? How difficult is it to open up the PB (it's 2 1/2 years old so I'm not worried about any warranties) and replace the drive? Could I set up an external burner that would be user friendly for my friend? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[mad jew]

Firstly, try resetting the PRAM and then resetting the PMU. A fresh install of OSX wouldn't have solved any corruptions in either of these.

Having said that, I doubt they'll work because it really sounds like a bad drive. Look through this guide before deciding whether you want to replace the drive yourself.

 

[California]

Should I replace the combo drive? How difficult is it to open up the PB (it's 2 1/2 years old so I'm not worried about any warranties) and replace the drive? Could I set up an external burner that would be user friendly for my friend? Any help would be appreciated!

It's VERY easy to replace anything on a Tibook. I'd just get him a combo drive and replace it myself. Just do the pbfixit thing and go slow. Wish all pbs were as easy to open as a Tibook. Only issue is snugly fitting bottom case back on... that's it.
Oh, and he might as well splurge for a superdrive while you are at it, and update his hard drive while you have it open. Those Tibooks run and run.

 

[2A Batterie]

Could I just go to the apple store and buy a superdrive and install it myself, or should I go to somewhere like newegg.com?

 

[California]

Could I just go to the apple store and buy a superdrive and install it myself, or should I go to somewhere like newegg.com?

Well, I have a new one that I could sell you but you can also get them new online. I have it because I was going to drop it into an iBook but have been having second thoughts (warranty breaker). Somehow, I would avoid Apple directly. I have bought a couple of Apple branded Matshitsua/Panasonic superdrives as this is what comes oem in Apple laptops (what i have now.) I would only go that way with one. I love those old Tibooks -- and do the hd upgrade too, watch that thing fly.