noun
drive, disk drive
B1
Laufwerk (das): a drive, typically a disk or optical drive in computers; meanings: disk drive; storage drive. Neutral noun with plural Laufwerke. Regular declension. Compound formation: 'Laufwerk' literally running device. No special preposition. In computing contexts often specified (CD-Laufwerk, Festplattenlaufwerk). Used in hardware vocabulary.
Examples
Ich habe das externe Laufwerk an meinen Laptop angeschlossen.
I connected the external disk drive to my laptop.
Das CD-Laufwerk meines Computers ist kaputt.
My computer's CD drive is broken.
Der Techniker öffnete den Computer, weil das Laufwerk seltsame Geräusche machte.
The technician opened the computer because the drive was making strange noises.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a small box with a spinning disc inside labeled 'Laufwerk'.
Think 'lauf' (run) + 'werk' (work) — imagine a running mechanism: a drive.
das (neuter) — imagine a neutral metal box; 'das' for objects/machines.
Notes
Commonly used for both internal and external drives. In everyday speech you might also hear 'Festplattenlaufwerk' or just 'Festplatte' for disk drives.