Pronounced see-dee-rom. Short for Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory, a type of optical disk capable of storing large amounts of data -- up to 1GB, although the most common size is 650MB (megabytes). A single CD-ROM has the storage capacity of 700 floppy disks, enough memory to store about 300,000 text pages.
CD-ROMs are stamped by the vendor, and once stamped, they cannot be erased and filled with new data. To read a CD, you need a CD-ROM player. All CD-ROMs conform to a standard size and format, so you can load any type of CD-ROM into any CD-ROM player. In addition, CD-ROM players are capable of playing audio CDs, which share the same technology.
CD-ROMs are particularly well-suited to information that requires large storage capacity. This includes large software applications that support color, graphics, sound, and especially video.
Optical Technologies Overview Outlines the optical technologies used by a CD-ROM drive and the various associated CD standards. Includes graphics, diagrams and an integrated glossary. This page is from "The PC Technology Guide."
CD-ROM LAN FAQ Provides answers to questions on CD-ROM networking solutions and links to related newsgroups, publications, and FTP sites.
PC Guide's CD-ROM reference Extensive coverage of CD-ROM drives and technology. Describes how the CD-ROM drive works. Covers CD media and the different formats, CD-recordable and CD-rewriteable technology, performance and reliability, and interface and configuration issues.
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