Half the hardware I got came with installation CDs As well as the OS itself
OS
Motherboard Drivers
Video card Drivers.
Would have been kinda hard to install those things without a drive
Not to mention I like keeping options open and we also have quite a view movies on DVD she and I like to watch from time to time.
Some older software too.
The method these days is to download the Windows ISO from Microsoft itself, you don't need an install disk, you put it on USB and boot from that. All you need is the CD-Key for activation. If for some reason your network drivers arent working from plug and play, you download them from another machine and put them on the USB as well. Once you have access to the internet you just download any drivers you need. Drivers included on CD are usually out of date from their current releases. Of the 4 gaming laptops, and 3 desktops in my household, only one has a DVD drive, its pretty old though.