text: what are the pros and cons of buying and internal vs. an external dvd/cd rom drive.?   i personally would not get an external drive because i know how much the junk around my computer gets knocked around and a drive would probably meet a disasterous fate. they are slower because of the interface. the only advantage i see is that they could be taken quickly in case of emergency such as an evacuation. in that case i think a 5.25 server bay cartridge that could be pulled out quickly would serve the same purpose.