When was the last time you used your CD drive?

This is something I've been thinking about. I've had my current laptop for maybe 7 months or more and not once have I used the CD drive on it.

With the likes of Steam and the Humble Bundle, digital downloads for games have become much easier and often times a lot more beneficial than having physical copies (the cloud backup/storage that Steam provides is excellent for when you get a new machine!) Then you've got Netflix and other services that makes the need for purchasing DVD movies and TV boxsets not as important any more. For music you have Spotify and iTunes, with both having vast backcatalogues of songs that can be listened to for free or cheaper than purchasing them in store.

And that's not even mentioning Tablets and Smartphones.

I wonder how long it'll be before CD drives are considered obsolete and go the way of floppy disk drives.

pedanticpat

I used it yesterday for a DVD, and a few weeks ago for a CD.

Sauve

Lol wuts a CD?

Wabbit Ears

I bought a blueray drive a fair whack back. Played avatar in it, once. Its never been used ever since.

IvyTheTerrible

Don't even have a CD drive on my new laptop.

AnonoBoy

I used it just last Tuesday.

Same day I gladly paid back a guy for a hamburger he bought me last week.

jrmb

I don't have one. I have an external one for watching DVDs but I only use it once or twice a month, if even.

Genghiz Cohen

When I bought my latest computer case I specifically got an external drive for the sole reason of once I installed the OS from USB I'd need network drivers from the motherboard disk to get everything else. That was about 2 years ago. Haven't used it since.

Duggy747

Zip drives are the future :pac:

c_man

I don't have one on my home machine actually, and my work pc has had its cd drive disconnected for over a year now (needed that SATA for a SSD baby!).

Maximus Alexander

I use one in work from time to time because we interact with some dinosaur businesses who like to send / receive documents on CD. On my laptop at home I don't think I've ever used it.

super_furry

Burnt a DVD about a month ago.

petes

Last night watching a DVD!

camel jockey

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I used it just last Tuesday.

Same day I gladly paid back a guy for a hamburger he bought me last week.

No cheeseburgers?

camel jockey

pedanticpat wrote: »

I used it yesterday for a DVD, and a few weeks ago for a CD.

How did you get on with the DVD in the CD drive?

Dravokivich

I've a lot of games on DVD-Rom, not gonna re-buy'em off steam or anything like that, just because it's available to be purchased through'em. So, I'll still need the drive.

camel jockey wrote: »

How did you get on with the DVD in the CD drive?

Oh my, quite the conundrum indeed. :rolleyes:

camel jockey

Dravokivich wrote: »

I've a lot of games on DVD-Rom, not gonna re-buy'em off steam or anything like that, just because it's available to be purchased through'em. So, I'll still need the drive.



Oh my, quite the conundrum indeed. :rolleyes:

I thought the poster, as a pedant, would appreciate that. Seems someone missed that. :rolleyes:;):cool:

Dravokivich

camel jockey wrote: »

I thought the poster, as a pedant, would appreciate that. Seems someone missed that. :rolleyes:;):cool:

I don't read user names, not even my own.

c_man

Dravokivich wrote: »

I've a lot of games on DVD-Rom, not gonna re-buy'em off steam or anything like that, just because it's available to be purchased through'em. So, I'll still need the drive.

Well you could just register the game on steam and have it there. Like I did with my original Half Life cd.

Dravokivich

c_man wrote: »

Well you could just register the game on steam and have it there. Like I did with my original Half Life cd.

Not all of'em have transferable keys, which is why I said I'm not interested in purchasing again.

Rhyme

Installed Diablo 2 a few weeks ago.

Mistake.

JohnMearsheimer

I bought my current laptop about a year and a half ago, I don't think I have ever used the disc drive come to think of it. I ripped a good few of my DVDs and all my CDs a long time ago and have the content saved on my laptop and backed up to my external hard drive. Any new music I get on iTunes and I just stream movies on Netflix. I don't really miss buying physical copies of CDs and DVDs because the house is falling down with them. I also own a Kindle but I just can't stop buying paper books. I can't fault the Kindle really but I'm not adapting to digital books as quickly as I adapted to digital movies and music.

Jordan 199

Duggy747 wrote: »

Zip drives are the future :pac:

Blast from the past there Duggy. The Iomega zip drive

Fratton Fred

I still have a load of CDs, if I fancy listening to an old one, I use the disc drive to load it onto the iPod, I couldn't do without it.

gugleguy

My own contribution to this thread is , I DO STILL HAVE a panasonic CD player, YES it STILL works. Bought in early 2002.
I'VE FORGOTTEN WHEN I LAST USED IT. WILL ADD A PIC OF IT LATER TO THIS THREAD.

wes

Use it to burn a several DVDs, to send some HD video to family members (wasn't gonna send a thumb drive or a hard drive). Had no where online with a large enough storage, so had to resort to this.

Also, use it for Blurays sometimes as well, and also use it for some old region 1 DVDs.

Super-Rush

I use mine all the time.

Where else am I going to put my mug?

ardinn

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I used it just last Tuesday.

Same day I gladly paid back a guy for a hamburger he bought me last week.

A what burger??

krudler

Once, burnt a dvd for my dad, owned my laptop over 3 years.

AnonoBoy

ardinn wrote: »

A what burger??

Goddamnit. :mad:

jester77

I've a macbook pro at home that is over 5 years old. I used the DVD drive once about 3 years ago to reinstall iworks after a fresh os install. The DVD drive in my macbook pro at work has never been used. It's a due an upgrade in the new year, smart move by Apple getting rid of the drives, wasted space and weight.

gugleguy

see pic attached.

I see nobody has mentioned HD DVD, the failed Blue Ray competitor.
I suppose this thread is in After Hours afterall, and not in Computers or Retro.
'Bonzer' then.

frozenfrozen

I don't have a cd drive on my laptop or my desktop. Never really need one...

biko

Gosh, years ago. In my current computer I've never used it.

YFlyer

ardinn wrote: »

A what burger??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYK3Fz6pXnA

IvySlayer

Have a West Wing boxset, watch it from time to time

mutley18

Use it quite a lot for sticking albums on iTunes, yes I still buy CDs, I am oldskool bro.

LoonyLovegood

Two days ago to watch a dvd

muppetkiller

I actually started building a new PC yesterday and forgot that I had no DVD drive for it...Not really an issue if you have a windows/Linux usb boot drive but did cause a panic moment lol.

All set up now but not likely to buy one in the Future.

And as for tunes forget CD's Vinyl is back ...Spin the black Circle !!!

bonzodog2

For my current main laptop, I took out the optical drive and put another HDD in the bay. Sometimes I put the optical back in if I want to watch some of the movies I downloaded when my connection spped was lots better than my ability to store or watch. I put it in recently to make an ISO.

Holsten

I use it sometimes for back up archival data.

New pc's don't really need them, most laptops don't have them anymore, windows can be installed by USB etc...

They're becoming obsolete.

gugleguy

So OP where and when is the next 'CD/DVD drive users anonymous' meeting to be held? Have'nt realized how uncool it has become!

bigron2109

Last year when i bought Football manager 13, to install it for the first time.

Since then i haven't used it, as Ive used steam and other sites to download games and Programs so no need for it really .

Archeron

Duggy747 wrote: »

Zip drives are the future :pac:

It's all about jaz drives now man.

nlgbbbblth

I regularly make mix CDs or vinyl to CDR rips for the car

so the answer is - last Friday.

ps - Netflix selection sucks.

pps - physical formats rule

looking_around

I bought the latest Sims EP from a store, as it was almost 10 euro cheaper than from origin (the fecking rip offs). But now I need to use the disk when I ever I want to play ):.

KungPao

Was listening to a full album on Youtube the other night. Then I just thought 'why am I listening to this shyte quality when I have the actual CD a small stretch away?'

So, into the drive it went.

Used it last night as well to reinstall Windows as the partition with the recovery data is corrupted somehow.

Use my laptop as a DVD player too the odd time, and have an output to the telly.

So, I actually use it a fair bit.

kowloon

I only have a retractable cup holder on my machine.

Sh1tbag OToole

Used one to rip a rare / unusual CD last week so I could seed a .torrent

Lennyzip

Last Wednesday to burn a mkv file . PS3 doesn't recognise this file type . Generally use the drive twice or three times a week .

Gooners37

Every 2 weeks, burning a new CD for the car as my cigarette lighter is broken I cannot connect my phone to play through that!
Other than that…never!