Poll: Do you still use optical drives?

[BFG10K]

So I just hooked up my optical drive for the first time since moving to Windows 10. It's probably been about 18 months since I last used it, and I purchased it back in 2009.

I ripped a new music CD I just purchased to my iTunes library. This is an LG SATA Bluray drive connected externally through a PCI eSATA bracket.

I also use it occasionally to access old original game media, and to watch Bluray/DVD movies. Also if I'm doing something that needs physical ISOs.

 

[Paperdoc]

I use an optical drive infrequently, but I NEED it sometimes. I use it for installing software (still prefer to have a disk to keep). Also for important utilities that need to run without Windows when things go really wrong, like Seagate SeaTools, etc. - download an .iso image and burn to a CD+R or DVD+R, and boot from that to do the testing and repairs. For example, I've used that to completely wipe an old HDD by Zero-Fill (NO other drives attached to avoid errors!) before storing or installing stuff on it. I used it once to prepare as a gift for our granddaughter a set of DVD's containing the entire multi-year series of her favourite TV show.

 

[CP5670]

I keep one around for many old games and backups I made a long time ago. Most cases don't have bays for them anymore but an external USB one is only $20 or so. I only use it rarely but it's useful to have around.

 

[sdifox]

I map to the one on my server if I need to.

 

[fluffmonster]

Rarely. Have external USB unit just in case...somewhere.

 

[mindless1]

I voted internal SATA, but besides having one in a laptop by default, I use it so seldom that it's not installed in any system. If the time comes where I need it, I'll just pop the front bezel off a system where I have a wire-tie holding a spare SATA cable end and power connector, and hook it up long enough to rip the disc to a file and put on network storage, as I've done any other in the past that I might need again.

SO, odds are fair that I'll never again need to use an optical drive unless some product comes with software on a disc but no download source. If there's a download source I don't ever use the (usually same or older) version on the disc.

 

[Thump553]

I use internal SATA frequently. Archiving data to burnable DVDs. I want to have a "permanent" backup (actually burn two sets) on a different type of media.

And, like the OP, ripping audio CDs which I will start doing again when we actually have concerts again. I tend to buy CDs at concerts in order to support the artists directly.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I reconnected the BD/DVD optical drive two months ago to load the M$ Win10Pro DVD and fresh install the OS. Once I got that done I unplugged it. But we are talking about a legacy drive that is 8 years old. If I had to start from scratch I'd get an external one.

 

[videobruce]

Absolutely! I have two BD drives in my Tower and one DVD in each of my laptops.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I use it about once a month. Either to rip a DVD for my PLEX server, or because somebody sends me a CD/DVD with some data I want.

The local photo/slide scanning and video conversion place provides DVDs, and my housemate's dad is an amateur accordion player who releases his "albums" a couple times a year. (It's actually more enjoyable that it sounds)

I also did a stint a couple years ago, imaging and uploading old shareware CDs to archive.org. (I subscribed to a few magazines back in the day that did CD issues, and they were missing some of them.)

If I ever bother to set my RetroPi up with DOSBox, I'll probably rip all my old DOS game CDs for emulation purposes.

 

[MalVeauX]

Yes,

Optical media is my preferred long term backup media for having that 3rd physical copy of something. So I use M-disc Bluray 100Gb discs.

But I too will rip any DVD/CD that I buy (I still buy optical media) so that I can put it on my Plex server, but keep the optical disc for the future.

Very best,

 

[Scarpozzi]

I only have three in my personal computers, but they're all legacy laptops I don't normally use. Both of my work computers have them, but sit unused.

Network delivery first (with fast wifi) and USB sticks with 32gb-256gb capacity have made them obsolete.

 

[ralfy]

Yes, to make archives of CDs and DVDs and back up some important files.

 

[mikeford]

Tablets and phones with OTG, usb on the go, will often work with a usb drive as long as you use a split cable and power the external device with a power bank etc. We watch movies about half the time this way.
All of our desktop PCs have a optical drive, what almost killed it was the crazy level of DRM, buying a new version of DVD player software every generation. Now we rip everything and use VLC for playback.

Now that its common to find good quality drives in a laptop format, and fitting in the small USB 3.0 external cases, no plans to include optical in future systems.

Fair chance thought that we will have at least one internal BDXL burner to archive critical files on 100GB M-disc.

 

[UsandThem]

I'm using my external one now to rip some music CDs onto my PC.

It is so much slower going than when I had an internal one. I don't do this often enough anymore to justify keeping one in my case.

 

[alexbirdie0]

For many years I had internal cd-, later dvd- and bluray-devices.

But for my son's and my new build in Jan. 2020 we do not have any longer internal drives but sata-ssd ( no more HDDs, no optical drives etc.). For emergency cases I bought an external dvd-burner, which has 2 USB-connections and works quite well.

I have the opinion, that even system-boots can be done already with USB-sticks (even windows-updates), the USB-stick-capacity is much higher than that of DVD or Bluray, and therefore even saving music or data is more comfortable.

Therefore not more any internal optical drive.

 

[mxnerd]

Don't use DVD drive anymore.

I download ISO files for Windows & Linux OS, and write them to YUMI multiboot USB drive.

YUMI Multiboot USB Software ✅ Boot Windows or Linux Easy

YUMI Multiboot USB boot maker. Bootable USB software for Windows or Linux. Make a multi-booting USB flash drive. Run multiple ISOs from USB

www.pendrivelinux.com

 

[dlerious]

I have internal LG bluray and an external OWC Mercury Pro. Use them for backing up video,audio, photos to Mdisc. Flash based storage, while faster and higher capacity, lack longevity for long term storage.

 

[Rottie]

Just got a MacBook Pro back in 2012 and I stopped using optical drive since I got tired of Windows 7 Pro PC.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Yep, still buy audio CDs, and still use discs for 1 way data transfer, like when the parents want to send something one way or the other.

 

[bononos]

My next case probably won't have an internal 5.25 bay anymore and I'll have to use an external one but it'll be infrequent because I'm probably going to shift everything to harddrives.

 

[Lopoetve]

One external kept around for ripping movies and music, and for some retro gaming. Works fine, but I won't do internal. Still do internal 5.25 bays though, because Icydock makes a great 2.5x4 -> 5.25x1 or 2.5x16->5.25x2 adapters, for lots and lots of storage.

 

[BoomerD]

My pre-built didn't come with one and no way to install one, so I bought an external drive enclosure. It's not great, but works well enough...MOST of the time.

 

[Oyeve]

Man. I still have 1000s of blank DVD disks. I went through a buying frenzy over 10 years ago when Newegg had sales on Ritek DVDs and I would buy hundreds at a time. Ah, wasted $$$.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

While I have only rarely need of them in recent times I did order one a couple of days ago. External with both USB Type-A/C. Doing this to dump the physical CD also just purchased. Yeah, I'm pretty old school.