Yeah but it wasn't easy. There's a small black clip that holds it in place, but it just pops off rather easy. The gear was already ruined but still has enough teeth...they should be able to fill in the gaps with their machine. I dunno where the black clip flew off to though...but fortunately, the post is a pretty standard size and can be clipped again with ease. Even if the right clip can't be found, a workaround can always be used, such as a piece of thin, sturdy wire curved to the correct size. In any event, there's the possibility that this is a stock gear...in that case, it should be quite cheap to replace. If they have to custom-make this gear, then it's going to get expensive quickly. But considering how rare these CDROMs are getting, not to mention the fact that they've been out of production for well over a decade and a half, any price to keep them alive is worth it...in my opinion anyways.