The “Compact Disc” symbol consists only of words spelled out in a stylized font, while the DVD symbol is accompanied by a simplified image of a disc. You should find a media symbol on all but the cheapest discs. Even blank CDs and DVDs are plainly stamped with identifying details.

The 3 main CD formats are CD-DA (short for “digital audio”—in other words, ordinary, commercially-produced music CDs), CD-R, and CD-RW. The last 2 types are commonly used for burning music from other devices. A DVD might be a DVD-ROM (movies and video games), DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, or DVD+RW. [3] X Research source

If you don’t see any text around the spindle hole, or if it doesn’t clearly state what type of media the disc contains, you’ll have no choice but to try out another method.

A key difference in the way CDs and DVDs are encoded can provide a helpful clue. Whereas the information on a CD is etched into tiny grooves on the bottom surface, on a DVD it is nestled in-between two separate layers of polycarbonate plastic, which can result in a “sandwiched” appearance. [5] X Research source The presence or absence of this feature is as close to a sure bet as you can get if you don’t have any other markings to go by.

If for some reason you can’t get your disc drive open, insert the end of a paperclip into the emergency eject hole located to one side of the drive tray. [8] X Research source With self-loading slotted disc drives, all you have to do is slide the disc about halfway in and let the motorized rollers take it the rest of the way. You may have to wait a few moments for the drive to read the data stored on the disc.

For example, if after you put in your disc PowerDVD pops up and shows you the main menu for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you’ll know that it’s a DVD-ROM.

Sometimes, disc-related functions may be assigned to drive “F:” or even “G:”, depending on the total number of drives your computer has. It’s also possible to view what’s in your disc drive by loading the disc manually through any media player. [12] X Research source