External drives--storage and media-burning options that hook up to your notebook via cable--can be a pain to carry around and hook up, plus they can be pricey. You're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything you need out of the box. Nevertheless, external drives are sometimes required. If, for instance, you buy an ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, make sure you get an external drive so that you can load software. Types of external drives include CD-ROM, CD-RW, combo DVD/CD-RW, DVD-rewritable, floppy, hard drives, Zip drives, and more.
External drives--storage and media-burning options that hook up to your notebook via cable--can be a pain to carry around and hook up, plus they can be pricey. You're generally better off buying a notebook that has everything you need out of the box. Nevertheless, external drives are sometimes required. If, for instance, you buy an ultraportable that lacks a built-in CD-ROM drive, make sure you get an external drive so that you can load software. Types of external drives include CD-ROM, CD-RW, combo DVD/CD-RW, DVD-rewritable, floppy, hard drives, Zip drives, and more.