Meanwhile, back at the OP: The only known-working CD player in our house doubles up as the DVD player attached to the TV. Herself won't let me do cable runs to wire it up to the (limping) stereo kit, so I have to put up with the total lack of bass from the telly. *Sigh*.

--- A*ha*: I've just checked, and found that the CD/DVD player on the obsolete computer has a headphone socket on the front, which suggests that it can do audio playback. (More recent drives don't, and can't.) I feel a retirement project coming on. Wish me luck :-) .