DVD drive broken...

So something went wrong with my HD and i need to back up my HD and reinstall Mac OS, but my DVD drive dosnt work anymore for some reason... so i was wondering if i boght like a portable usb DVD drive and plug it in would that work for starting up on the install disk so i could do a back up and reinstall?
or should i just take it in to a store to get it replaiced/reparied? i heard it was like $200 for a new one so thats why i was thinking to buy a portable one for now.

HI,
Try booting in Safe Mode
Run the Disk Utility application (Applications/Utilities) That way you can find out if there are errors on the drive that need repairing. You can't repair in Safe Mode but you can at least Verify. If there are errors on the startup disk then you may not be able to backup files anyway.
Best thing to do is take your Mac into an Apple store or Apple certified retail provider. You will need to be able to boot from your install disc at some time in the future regardless.
Carolyn

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Message was edited by: e. jones

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Hi Heidi,
Welcome to the Community!
That's not a problem, you can certainly download the product online. Please go to http://prodesigntools.com/adobe-cs6-direct-download-links.html and download Photoshop CS6 from there.
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Hi
Sorry to said it but in my opinion the drive is dead and only the replacement can helps to get the drive functionality back.
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Take a look into the user manual. Sometimes the compatible drives are listed.
And its useful to known that all parts can be ordered from the ASP in your country.
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