Generally refers to the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive in a computer. See optical disc.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 3.06Hz Intel Core 2 Duo, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, Fall 2009)
- We awarded Apple an Editors' Choice for its new $1,699 iMac, largely because its 27-inch screen dwarfs its competition in that price range. So what to make of Apple's new lower-end iMac? At $1,199, its 21.5-inch screen is hardly the size leader for its price, and without a touch screen...
- Product reviews 2009-11-17
- New ultra-thin laptops ready to catch on?
- They still seem a bit over priced for what they do. I feel the same way about the netbooks too.They will NEVER take off like Netbooks becauseThey violate the netbook Trinity. These are the three contributing factors which are required for the extreme mass market appeal of a netbook....
- Discussion threads 2009-11-17
- Advanced Windows Unattended Installation 2.6 (Windows)
- If you work as a system administrator in an organization and maintain a lot of computers, you are sure to have come across the situation when you had to buy a consignment of computers and install all kinds of software on each of them. The direct consequence of such a...
- Software downloads 2009-11-17
- InstantBurn 5.0 (Windows)
- InstantBurn is a packet-writing solution that lets you operate your optical disc burner as if it was another hard drive or a huge floppy disk. Once launched, the program operates in the background, thus eliminating the need to worry about using optical disc burning software. You drag and drop files...
- Software downloads 2009-11-16
- Virtual CD 10.0.0.3 (Windows)
- Virtual CD creates images of your optical media (CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu Ray), so you can use them at any time without having the physical medium on hand. Your data is available exactly as if the medium was in the drive, without the disadvantages attendant, for example, on network shares....
- Software downloads 2009-11-14
- Alienware M15x (Intel Core i7 720QM, 250GB HDD, 3GB)
- Keeping the same revised look and feel as the recent 17-inch M17x version, the Alienware M15x is an imposing black slab of computing power that's thicker and heavier than most 17-inch laptops. We love having high-end options such as Intel's uberpowerful Core i7-920XM CPU, and it's a plus that...
- Product reviews 2009-11-13
- Gateway NV7802u
- Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.Gateway continues to offer some of the best bang-for-your-buck retail laptops. The NV7802u is a fine example: It's a 17-inch wide-screen model with a...
- Product reviews 2009-11-13
- Sony Vaio L117FX (Core 2 Quad Q8400s 2.66GHz, 6GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 7 Home Premium)
- Had Apple not introduced a 27-inch iMac for $1,699, we'd have fewer reservations about Sony asking $1,999 for its new 24-inch Vaio L117FX. Yes, HP's TouchSmart 600 expanded on some of Sony's innovations from its previous generation all-in-ones. Sony also doesn't even attempt to match HP's creative multitouch software. But...
- Product reviews 2009-11-13
- HP Pavilion Slimline s5220y
- HP's $480 Pavilion Slimline s5220y is another low-end slim tower PC that offers mediocre performance and equally unexciting performance packaged in a relatively boring case. Its small stature might tempt some of you to use it as a light-duty PC, or even a media-streaming box, but its out-of-date connectivity options...
- Product reviews 2009-11-12
- Asus UL50AG-RBBBK05
- Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores. This year has undoubtedly been defined, if not by Netbooks, then by the growth of affordable thin laptops that shave size--and even...
- Product reviews 2009-11-11
- Nokia Booklet 3G (black)
- Mobile phone maker Nokia is jumping into the Netbook pool with its recently announced Booklet 3G laptop, offering a premium-feeling system for a rock-bottom price, as long as you agree to a two-year AT&T mobile data contract. The Booklet 3G is easily one of the most upscale-looking Netbooks we've...
- Product reviews 2009-11-10
- Dell Studio XPS 8000
- Dell's Studio XPS 8000 offers an attractive chassis and mostly up-to-date features. Its configurations start as low as $699, but our $1,329 review unit is a solid upper-midrange performance desktop that will play games and handle more demanding digital media tasks with little difficulty. For the very price-performance conscious, both...
- Product reviews 2009-11-10
- Study claims netbook users dissatisfied with Windows 7. Are you?
- Very satisfiedVery satisfiedIt's a intentionaly crippled OS from a software company with lackluster QACYou should expect to be disappointed.In the Netbook realm, closed source can't compete with free.I have 7 Pro on mineand I also dual boot with Ubuntu Netbook Remix. And while I personally prefer Ubuntu, there is nothing...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-10
- Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU
- Editors' note: This review is part of our holiday 2009 retail desktop and laptop review roundup, covering specific fixed configurations of popular systems that can be found in retail stores. There's something to be said for simplicity. The Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU might not look like much and its limited supply...
- Product reviews 2009-11-07
- WD TV Live HD Media Player
- The first few rounds of network media streamers we tested weren't necessarily recommendable. Sure, this was partially because most of these devices depend on Windows Media Center for connectivity and content, but we also had issues with their interfaces and performance.Fast forward a year and it's safe to say that...
- Product reviews 2009-11-07
- Dell Inspiron i545s-1476N
- The $480 Inspiron 545s-1476 is the third Dell desktop we've reviewed with the company's current slim tower chassis, and we can't say our opinion has changed since the last time we saw it. We're still satisfied with its design, but we remain disappointed with the features Dell seems to have...
- Product reviews 2009-11-06
- Gateway NV5207u
- The Gateway NV5207u is what happens when a slow processor happens to an otherwise respectable budget-priced laptop. It's a good-looking notebook with a large screen, a decent port assortment, and a couple of extra features to sweeten the deal. But its AMD processor is a poor performer despite being dual...
- Product reviews 2009-11-05
- Phantom CD 1.5.2.2087 (Windows)
- Phantom CD is a virtual CD/DVD emulator. Mount your CD/DVD image files as virtual CD/DVD disc with Phantom CD. Use disc images for your CD and DVD backup. Replace your physical discs to avoid wear and tear on your optical drive, and to avoid disc problems resulted from heat, scratch,...
- Software downloads 2009-11-05
- AVADirect Nano Cube
- AVADirect's $2,266 Nano Cube tries to take on Shuttle's XPC H7 5800 at its own small form factor game. Both systems come with smaller-than-normal SFF cases, and each requires sacrifices, even more than with a standard SFF PC, in exchange for its tiny dimensions. Therein lies our problem with this...
- Product reviews 2009-11-04
- Toshiba Satellite A505-S6980
- You can't argue with a large-screen, value-priced laptop when it delivers good performance, and looks nice to boot. We appreciated the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6960 when we reviewed it in our 2009 back-to-school retail roundup, liking its affordability, large screen, strong battery life, and excellent-sounding speakers. Just a few months later,...
- Product reviews 2009-11-04
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