CD-ROM

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What is a CD-ROM?

A CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only-Memory) is a type of CD that contains data that can't be changed, because it's read-only. More specifically, when you purchased software like games in the past, you purchased CD-ROMs containing their installers. Your PC could run those installers from the CD-ROM if you had a CD drive, but you couldn't overwrite the data in the CD-ROM to store your own files in it.

A plastic case labelled with an illustration of a video-game called Sim City 2000, next to a CD of similar size with a similar graphic printed on it.
A CD-ROM and its caddy. Photo: Museum of Obsolete Media. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Written by Noel Santos.

About the Author

I'm a self-taught Brazilian programmer graduated in IT from a FATEC. In a world of increasingly complex and essential computers, I decided to use my technical expertise in hardware, desktop applications, and web technologies to create an informative resource to make PC's easier to understand.

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