CD-ROM
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer Hardware
| Stands for | Compact Disc Read-Only Memory |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, a computer hardware abbreviation.
Pre-recorded compact disc holding computer data, usually 650 to 700 MB, used to distribute software, games, encyclopedias and drivers from the late 1980s to the 2000s. The term also names the drive that reads such discs.
Example: The printer came with a CD-ROM of drivers that my laptop can't even read.
Usage notes
Sony and Philips defined the format in their "Yellow Book" specification in the mid-1980s, building on the audio CD. Drive speeds were quoted as multiples of the original 150 KB/s, up to 52x. Titles such as Myst (1993) and Microsoft Encarta showed off its capacity. "ROM" signals that the data cannot be changed, unlike CD-R and CD-RW.
Related abbreviations
More computer hardware abbreviations
- ALU – Arithmetic logic unit
- APU – Accelerated processing unit
- ARM – Advanced RISC Machines
- ATX – Advanced Technology eXtended
- BMC – Baseboard management controller
- CD-R – Compact Disc Recordable
- CD-RW – Compact Disc ReWritable
- CF – CompactFlash
- CISC – Complex instruction set computer
- CL – CAS latency
- CMOS – Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
- CMR – Conventional magnetic recording