Computer Hardware Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

Optical disk is a storage medium from which data is read and to which it is written by laser beams. CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and DVD-Video are read-only optical disks that are recorded at the time of manufacture and cannot be erased. CD-R, DVD-R, WORM and magneto-optic (in WORM mode) disks are write-once. They are recorded in the user's environment, but cannot be erased. CR-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and MO disks are rewritable.

Related Terms

optical disk