Drives. The slot on the case of the computer into which the floppy disk or the CD (compact disk)-or any other type of removable disk-is inserted is called a "drive." The drive contains a read/write head for transferring data between the disk and the computer.

The floppy drive is by now a standard component, with no significant differences among models; the various models of CD drives instead differ mainly as to reading speed. The abbreviations 20x, 32x, 52x, etc. stand for the speed at which the data on the disk is read (1x being the read rate of normal audio CDs). This category also includes the DVD readers (memory supports with higher capacities than normal CDs) and the CD recorders or burners (drives that besides reading can also record-literally etch or "burn"-data on blank CDs).

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