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Is there any chance I can damage a DVD drive by inserting a Blu-Ray disc into it? Can I damage a CD drive by inserting a DVD or Blu-Ray disc into it?

Also, can a disc drive damage a disc it can't handle?

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  • Yes. If you put in a disk that is not supported and the disk is operated at a speed its not designed for you can damage your hardware or the disk yourself. Since nbody in their right mind would place an unsupported disk in a optical disk player this question does not make a great deal of sense.
    – Ramhound
    Apr 22, 2014 at 10:59
  • I'm also interested in what will happen when insertig a slice of salami.
    – Ray
    Apr 22, 2014 at 12:03

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The simple answer is that yes - it can cause damage, but this is very unlikely.

The difference in power between the lasers in DVD/BluRay/CD readers and writers is negligable, but in some lower quality hardware, the power of the laser diodes can cause damage to the lens and pickup assembly when badly reflected or refracted.

In all honestly, I wouldn't worry about it.

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  • Do you have any recorded case(s) where this has actually happened?
    – James P
    Apr 22, 2014 at 13:45
  • Hi James - No I don't... its just a theoretical risk with no documented occurances of which I am aware - however, the marginal differences in power can theoretically make this happen in extremely poorly built assemblies... which is why i noted that this is very unlikely.
    – Fazer87
    Apr 22, 2014 at 13:48

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