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Questions tagged [optical-drive]

An optical drive is a kind of drive that can read (and usually write) optical media like CDs, DVDs, or Blu-Ray discs.

279 questions
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How are commercial DVD's burned?

I'm not talking about the DVD-R's here. When you buy retail software and DVD movies from the store for example, how is that DVD burned onto the original disc? What would I need if I want to burn those type of "commericial" discs? (Is there a special…
Ken Li
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54
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10 answers

How do I remove a MyBook's "WD SmartWare" virtual CD from my desktop?

I recently got a Western Digital MyBook external hard drive to enable Time Machine. It has its software installed on a "virtual CD" called "WD SmartWare" which shows up on the desktop any time the drive is plugged in. Since I will use this virtual…
Justin Love
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38
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7 answers

How can I find what /dev my DVD-drive is?

I'm on Mac OS X, have a DVD in the DVD-drive and can look at it in the Finder. I'd like to try to create an iso of it by using the dd command. But to do that I need to know what device to use as an input. How can I find what device my DVD-drive is?
Svish
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37
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8 answers

Will there ever be faster CD and DVD discs and writers?

I was thinking about the fact that in the last years I have never seen CDs and DVDs supporting writing/reading speeds higher than 52X and 16X, respectively. Is this a commercial choice (i.e. manufacturers don't care about optical discs anymore and…
user1301428
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Change drive letter for CD drive on Windows 7

How to change the drive letter for CD drive on Windows 7? I want to map network location to the letter that is currently used by my CD drive.
Juozas Kontvainis
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28
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9 answers

Why are optical disc drives slower than hard disk drives?

I know that hard disks have faster access times and transfer rates and when I searched why it appeared that: Hard disk drives spin much faster If filled with helium this can decrease the energy needed for spinning them and thus faster speeds You…
Manar
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27
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5 answers

Does a scratched DVD result in lost data, and how do I fix a scratched DVD?

Does a scratched DVD result in lost data? How do I fix a scratched DVD?
Shumon Saha
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26
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4 answers

Is it safe to use a regular marker (Sharpie, etc.) to write on a CD-R disc?

In the past I've used a special CD-R marker to write on CD-R's. But I'm wondering if it's OK to just use a regular felt-tip marker (Sharpie, etc.). (Obviously, a pen that you have to use pressure with (ballpoint, etc.) would NOT be safe.)
Clay Nichols
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20
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10 answers

Disable CD eject button on Windows laptop

Most laptops have a CD eject that is very sensitive, and placed such that it regularly gets triggered when handling the laptop. This is in particular a problem (for clumsy-handed me) when picking up the laptop to stow in in a laptop bag; I've lost…
Marc Gravell
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20
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2 answers

How do I disable DVD auto eject in Windows 7?

I just discovered an incredibly annoying "feature" of Windows 7 tonight. If you click on your optical drive in Explorer, and there is no disc in the drive, Windows 7 is kind enough to open the tray for you. I'm finding it hard to contain my rage…
raven
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18
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5 answers

How can I copy files from a scratched CD/DVD?

I have so far tried the following software solutions without success. Windows Explorer Copy (default) TeraCopy Roadkil's Unstoppable Copier Unstoppable Copier stops copying as a whole, it keeps continuing the same file after 20 minutes, despite…
ujjain
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14
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3 answers

Windows won't release lock on drive tray after burning a disc

I have two bluray drives of the same exact model and brand installed in my computer. I occasionally like to use either of them to burn CDs or DVDs using various software (Windows Media Player 12, Zune, ImgBurn, Windows DVD Maker, etc). It will get…
Ben Richards
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14
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2 answers

What is the name for the plastic piece on the end of a 5.25" optical drive tray?

I have a PC set up with 3 optical drives (to rip compact discs). One of the drives was salvaged from a pre-built machine that had a cover to hide the optical drive. As a result of this, the plastic piece (I would call it a bezel) on the tray has…
Ivan Holmes
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14
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2 answers

CD-ROM subchannel is different when dumping the same disc?

I'm making backup copies of old video games with CloneCD 5.3.3.0 on my Windows 10 x64 computer with a Samsung SH-S223L drive. One of them is Hellfire for PC (Diablo 1 expansion): The disc has a COMPACT disc DATA STORAGE logo Serial number:…
Chris
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13
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9 answers

How to close the Optical Drive tray in Windows?

I've always wondered why Windows has an Eject option but doesn't include a corresponding Close / Close Tray option in the context menu of optical drives. Is there a way of closing the optical drive tray without the use of any third party software in…
Reza M.
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