Your CD-ROM disk is a fairly rugged animal. However you should take precautions to prevent unnecessary damage. Several tips are listed below:

1. Be careful not to scratch the bottom surface of the CD-ROM disk. This surface contains the information. A scratch could prevent the CD-ROM drive from reading data from the disk.
2. Always store your CD-ROM disk in its protective case when not in use. This will protect the disk from dust, dirt, and scratching.
3. Never touch the CD data surface. Your finger prints could prevent the CD-ROM drive from reading data from the disk.
4. Never spill coffee or other liquids on the disk.

A CD-ROM drive will work fine if you treat it right:

1. Keep your CD-ROM drive clean! Ocassionally, you should clean the lens in the drive. You can do this with a CD-ROM cleaning kit. Go to your local computer store and ask for this kit. Follow the instructions that come with the kit.
2. Never smoke around your PC. The smoke could settle on in you CD-ROM drive and prevent it from working properly.