CD-ROM drives

Optical media hardware

CD-ROM drives are devices that read compact discs containing digital data.

Standard equipment in personal computers from the 1990s through the 2000s, they allowed software installation, multimedia playback, and data access from optical discs.

The drives became obsolete as downloads and streaming replaced physical media, and as laptops grew thinner.

My new laptop doesn't even have a CD-ROM drive.

compact discOptical data storage medium
software installationLoading programs onto devices
laser diodeSemiconductor emitting focused light
optical discLaser-read data storage circle
digital encyclopediasElectronic comprehensive knowledge resources

photodetector · museum exhibits · educational tools · computer lab · Encarta · casing · read-only · autorun · data transfer · jewel case · CD-ROMs · disc tray · eject button · spinning up · multimedia · ROM · CD-ROMs · ROM

Opposites

storage medium type

CD-ROM drivesflash drives

Portable USB memory devices

solid-state drives · thumb drives · SSD · cloud storage · hard disk drives

read/write capability

CD-ROM drivesCD burners

Hardware for writing discs

CD writers · DVD burners

technological era

CD-ROM drivescloud storage

Online data preservation service

streaming services · digital downloads

Family

CD-ROM, drive, drives, driven, driving, drove, driver, drivers

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G