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.

The 1.44-megabyte floppy-disk drive is an endangered species largely because its primary predator, the CD-rewritable drive, uses media that can store up to 700MB per disk and costs only about $100. CD ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Laptops with a physical CD/DVD drive feel like relics of the past. But they do still exist. And no, they are not necessarily weird, unknown ...