COMPACT DISKS Known by its abbreviation, CD, a compact disc is a polycarbonate with one or more metal layers capable of storing digital information. The most prevalent types of compact discs are those used by the music industry to store digital recordings and CD-ROMs used to store computer data. Both of these types of compact disc are read-only, which means that once the data has been recorded onto them, they can only be read, or played. Another type of compact disc, called CD-Rs and CD_RWs, can have their data erased and overwritten by new data. Currently, erasable optical storage is too slow to be used as a computer's main storage facility, but as the speed improves and the cost comes down, optical storage devices are becoming a popular alternative to tape systems as a backup method

Steps to install a CD ROM, CD-R, CD-RW or DVD
Connect CD ROM device and set jumpers to slave if hard drive is present in a daisy chain environment if by itself in a single cable install jumpers and set to master.
Attach 40-pin ribbon cable (make sure pin1 is closest to Molex connector) in IDE controllers found on the motherboard
Attach Molex connector for power
Attach audio cable from sound card to back of CD ROM
Go to CMOS and set it to auto or CD ROM detection

CD ROM speeds
1x * 150KBps (Whatever the speed in X times 150)
16x - 2400 KBps24x - 2600 KBps32x - 4800 KBps40x - 6000 KBps48x - 7200 KBps52x - 7800 KBps60x - 9000 KBps72x - 10800 KBps
CD-R have two speeds that matter: the record speed and the read speed16 x 32
CD-RW have three speeds that matter: the write speed, rewrite speed and read speed12 x 10 x 3248 x 16 x 48
CD R technology media you can record once good for copying permanent data such as music
CD RW technology lets you rewrite information
CD holds about 650MB (74 minutes) or 700MB (80 minutes)
ATAPI - ATA Packet Interface is the protocol that lets a CD/DVD device connect to an IDE controller
SCSI CD ROM - Give CD ROM a unique ID and if its at the end of the chain terminate it (load SCSI driver in BIOS)
CD ROM Drivers (your CD is going to need drivers in order to function)