How is it possible that a laptop can read a CD flawlessly, but every other device I've tried the CD on skips at certain parts? - eviltoast

I’ve had this CD for ages. Decades. It would always skip at a certain parts on two of its tracks. I’ve never in my life heard the full CD because of this reason, always having to skip forward to the next track.

I’ve listened to it on at least four different devices, among them a very large Sony home stereo system. I’ve always thought the CD was faulty.

But today, I ripped the CD on a cheap old laptop and guess what. For the first time in my life I heard the whole uninterrupted tracks. What is this sorcery? Can someone explain?