CD-ROM DRIVES
CD-ROM drives allow your computer to read information recorded on compact discs, or CDs, much like the ones you buy at the music stores. The ROM in CD-ROM stands for read-only memory, meaning that you can use CD-ROM drives to read information on CDs but not to record any information. Some CD-ROM drives fit inside your system unit, much like most floppy disk drives. Others are external units that plug into your system unit. Although CDs are about the same size as many floppy disks, they hold between 650 to around 710 megabytes of data. They are frequently used for storing reference works, like encyclopaedias, dictionaries, legal precedents, catalogs and census information-things that you want to look up or display but not change. CDs also play an important role in the multimedia world, where their ability to store digitised audio as well as data makes them ideal from interactive educational software to full-motion videos. To write on a CD-ROM drive, you need a CD-R. This is easily available in today's market, however, CD-Rs are not as suitable for normal work than as for industrial use. This is because they are only writable, and once a CD has been written to , it cannot be rewritten. However, new technology has enabled the invention of the CD-RW, which enables you to reformat a CD and use it as if it were brand new. The drawback to this is that CD-RWs require an installed to driver to operate, so if you are thinking about transferring information to a friend via a CD-RW, think again, for it could be harder than you expect. CD-Rs however, are cheap and available, and very useful for transferring large amounts of information anywhere and quickly, as many computers have a CD-ROM drive.
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