External CD-ROM Drive?

[BlueStarryHat]

Hi guys...

Well, my computer up and died yesterday. Went to the Big Motherboard in the Sky. Luckily, my aunt came through and offered to buy one for me, to be repaid in monthly installments. All the PCs in my price range, including this one that we bought yesterday, came with no CD-ROM drive. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem because there are plenty of USB ports and I have all my stuff on flash drives. However, my printer and a couple of my older games that I still want have and need installation discs.

Anyone here have a external CD-ROM drive? Can you recommend a good one? I have Windows 11 on an HP machine.

 

[kanerf]

The ones we have in my office for this purpose are LG.

 

[tvguy]

My wife has a Dell for her Dell laptop.
I am assuming you are talking about laptops.
Also not knowing your price range.
Just checking Dell desktops, even the $400 one comes with a CD ROM.

 

[firefly_ris]

I have a Samsung external Blu-Ray that I never had any issues with. My current personal laptop has a drive built in but my previous laptop as well as my current work laptop do not have one so comes in handy still.

 

[GreatLakes]

I'd probably just go with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Portable-External-GP65NB60/dp/B00ODDE33U

Unless you have a very old printer, and I mean decades, you won't need the CD ROM to install it. Windows will natively work with most and the rest will have drivers online. Unless it came with software that does stuff like monitoring the toner remaining you don't really need anything besides the driver.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I should have mentioned that it's a desktop, sorry. @GreatLakes now that's three recommendations I got for an LG. I think we may have a winner. Thanks...and thanks also to @kanerf .

My printer *is* fairly new, just a couple of years old. I'll try plugging it in.

 

[fla4fun]

I should have mentioned that it's a desktop, sorry. @GreatLakes now that's three recommendations I got for an LG. I think we may have a winner. Thanks...and thanks also to @kanerf .

My printer *is* fairly new, just a couple of years old. I'll try plugging it in.

I agree with the PP that printers, even ones that initially had their drivers on a CD, often have the drivers available for download on the company’s website, typically under Support. I had to download the driver for my printer online when I got a new laptop without an optical drive. I know you said you have other games that you need the optical drive for, but while you are deciding, you can probably get the printer up and running.

 

[kdonnel]

As others have mentioned, you can always download the needed drivers.

In fact I would recommend downloading the latest drivers rather than use the ones that came on a CD. Anything on a CD would be woefully out of date.

As for your games, do you have any friends that have a computer with a CD drive? They could create an ISO image of the CD you could then use for install.

It has been awhile since I used Windows but when I did I had great success with ImgBurn.

https://www.imgburn.com/

 

[BlueStarryHat]

As others have mentioned, you can always download the needed drivers.

In fact I would recommend downloading the latest drivers rather than use the ones that came on a CD. Anything on a CD would be woefully out of date.

As for your games, do you have any friends that have a computer with a CD drive? They could create an ISO image of the CD you could then use for install.

I never thought that maybe the drivers would be out of date, thanks.

I have had this one particular game for twenty years (Sims 1 believe it or not people still play), and you need one of the discs to play, and also you need the registration numbers that come with each disc. I know people who have a downloaded version with a workaround for not having the disc, but they always seem to have a problem. Do you think I could still do this? I'd be willing to give it a try.

 

[bcla]

As others have mentioned, you can always download the needed drivers.

In fact I would recommend downloading the latest drivers rather than use the ones that came on a CD. Anything on a CD would be woefully out of date.

As for your games, do you have any friends that have a computer with a CD drive? They could create an ISO image of the CD you could then use for install.

It has been awhile since I used Windows but when I did I had great success with ImgBurn.

https://www.imgburn.com/

There's always the possibility of drivers that have never been updated and might not be available for download. I've had some really old drivers still manage to work, but that's an iffy proposition.

Even then, less than $30 for a DVD-ROM drive isn't too bad. The main issue would be that the ones I've seen come with a USB-A to mini-B cable and USB-C adapters can be a real minefield sometimes.

 

[kdonnel]

I never thought that maybe the drivers would be out of date, thanks.

I have had this one particular game for twenty years (Sims 1 believe it or not people still play), and you need one of the discs to play, and also you need the registration numbers that come with each disc. I know people who have a downloaded version with a workaround for not having the disc, but they always seem to have a problem. Do you think I could still do this? I'd be willing to give it a try.

It is certainly possible to make an ISO from the CD and play the game from the ISO. I did that many years ago for games my kids played. But it was 15 or so years ago so I do not know what tools are commonly used for that purpose now.

I searched for external enclosures thinking at first you could take the CD drive from your old computer but then found just how cheap you can buy an external CD drive.

This one does not mention Windows 11 specifically but is extremely cheap.

https://www.newegg.com/p/105-00EG-00001?Item=9SIBBFJK3N0821

The easiest solution would be to buy an external CD drive.

 

[Imzadi]

I agree with the PP that printers, even ones that initially had their drivers on a CD, often have the drivers available for download on the company’s website, typically under Support. I had to download the driver for my printer online when I got a new laptop without an optical drive.

I was just about to say this. I was able to get the drivers for older equipment downloaded directly on manufacturer's support pages.

My HP printer is about 15 years old and still going strong, and I was able to get the driver, which is archived on their page, when I upgraded my laptop.