Optical drives let your computer read and interact with discs like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays. While nearly every computer had them a few years ago, they're rare to see on new computers now. If you need ...

Optical drives are still practical for many users, whether to play old CDs and DVDs, install software, or create backups—especially with modern laptops, which are usually supplied without a drive.

If you were to buy a new laptop, you'd have a hard time finding one with a built-in disc drive that can read CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs. That's been the case for years, with Apple famously starting ...

New physics research out of the University of California Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) offers new insight into a poorly understood aspect of disc drive failures, according to industry experts, though ...

Music, movies, and books have gone from physical objects to digital files over the past 10 years, and computer designs have changed with the times. A lot of computers — laptops, all-in-ones, and ...