Optical Drives are used to read and/or write to removable optical disks like CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMS. Optical drives work by using lasers to read microscopic pits on the surface of optical disks. These pits and their absence represent the binary states of 1 and 0.
Optical drives are slower than hard disk drives or SSDs and they are of smaller capacity as well. Optical disks are non-volatile, permanent storage media.
The different types of optical drives are:
Before software distribution via the Internet became common place, an optical disk was usually the only way you could install software on a computer system. So optical drives used to be very popular but are no longer as important as they once were.
Optical drives are slower than hard disk drives or SSDs and they are of smaller capacity as well. Optical disks are non-volatile, permanent storage media.
The different types of optical drives are:
- CD ROM Drive : Reads CDs.
- CD Writer: Reads and writes or “burns” CDs.
- DVD ROM Drive: Reads CDs and DVDs.
- DVD Writer: Reads and writes CDs and DVDs.
- Blu ray drive: Reads blu ray disks, CDs and DVDs.
- Blu Ray burner: Burns and reads blu ray, DVDs and CDs.
Before software distribution via the Internet became common place, an optical disk was usually the only way you could install software on a computer system. So optical drives used to be very popular but are no longer as important as they once were.