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 ...

Sometimes you may need to reinstall OS X on a computer, but the drive is broken, resulting in an obvious problem with reading the installation DVD. Here are some methods to install OS X around a ...

Technology is ever changing. What was ubiquitous one day can be archaic the next. Cassette drives no longer run software. We don’t transfer files on a floppy disk, either 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch. And ...

Mac desktop and MacBook owners are used to living without a CD or DVD drive, but there are occasions where access to one could be handy. AppleInsider explains how to remotely access the CD or DVD ...

I need an external DVD/BR drive for my next computer setup for sure. My next laptop will be an ultrabook (probably Dell's linux lappie, once they come out with a Haswell version), that will never have ...

Not entirely certain this is the appropriate forum, but I'm looking for a good/reasonable quality enclosure to repurpose one of the optical drives (CD/DVD RW) I saved from previous laptops. A quick ...

Sometime around 2008 and with the advent of the first MacBook Air, Apple made the declarative statement that the end was in sight for optical drives built into its notebooks. At the time, the lack of ...

Nowadays, many people tend to regard optical drive as obsolete in PCs. Modern desktops and laptops generally come without one. But there are still convincing reasons why it makes sense to have an ...

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more› By Arthur Gies Arthur Gies is an editor for Wirecutter's tech coverage. He's ...