Fundamentals of

Computing

STORAGE – LESSON 6
 Storage
STORAGE is the process
by which data is retained
on a computer
temporarily or
permanently.
Types of Storage
Primary Storage

Secondary Storage
 Primary Storage
PRIMARY STORAGE also
called Immediate Access
Storage is the memory within
the central processor. It is also
referred to as main memory
or main storage. This type
storage retain data or
information temporarily.
 Secondary Storage
 The term SECONDARY STORAGE refers to
memory external to the central processing
unit used for storage of large quantities of
data or large programs permanently.
SECONDARY STARAGE is also known as a
BACKING STORAGE, AUXILIARY STORE
or EXTERNAL STORE.
 Examples of backing storage include hard
disks, compact disks and flash drives.
 Secondary Storage Device & Secondary
Storage Medium

 The terms STORAGE DEVICE and STORAGE

MEDIUM do not mean the same thing.
 The STORAGE DEVICE is the
equipment that is used for recording data,
for example a CD DRIVE or a FLOPPY-
DISK DRIVE.
 The STORAGE MEDIUM is the material
on which the data is recorded, such as a CD
or a DISKETTE.
 Types of Disk
 MAGNETIC
and OPTICAL
disks
 Disks (also
spelled discs)
are either
magnetic or
optical
 MAGNETIC DISK
A MAGNETIC DISK is a
circular plate on which
electronic data can be stored
magnetically.
 MAGNETIC DISKS include FLOPPY
DISKS and HARD DISKS.
 OPTICAL DISK
 An OPTICAL DISK stores data
as microscopic light-and-dark
spots on the disk surface. The
optical disk drive uses a laser
light to read this data.
 OPTICAL DISKS include COMPACT
DISKS (CDs) and DIGITAL VIDEO
DISKS (DVDs).
How data is Measured
Bits, Bytes, KB, MB, GB & TB
Examples of SECONDARY DEVICES

1. Floppy Disk/Diskette
2. Hard-drive disk/Hard drive/
Hard disk
3. Compact disk (CD)
4. Digital Video Disk (DVD)
5. Flash drives
6. Memory card
 Floppy Disk/Diskette
 A FLOPPY DISK
or diskette is a
flexible magnetic
coated disk, housed
in rigid plastic
casing. It has a
sliding shutter which
automatically closes
when the disk is
received from the
disk drive.
 Hard disk
 A HARD-DISK DRIVE is
a metallic case that contains
a set of inflexible disks that
are stacked one above the
other on a spindle. There is a
read-write head for each
disk. This is a device that
senses (reads) and records
(writes) data on the disk.
Although hard drives
are usually stored inside
the computer case,
EXTERNAL HARD
DRIVES are also available.
 Hard disks are the most commonly used
storage media.

This is because:
 Hard disks can store large amounts of
data
 The information on a hard disk can be
easily viewed, modified and deleted
 Data stored on a hard disk can be
accessed very quickly
 They are relatively cheap.
 Compact disk (CD)
 A COMPACT DISK
(CD) is made of
aluminum-coated
plastic. CDs can store
large amounts of
information. Most
CDs store about 700
MB of data.
 However, depending on the
on the disk quality and
technology used, a CD can
often store up to 870 MB.
 A compact disk may be CD-
ROM, CD-R or CD-RW.
 Types of Compact Disk (CD)

TYPE OF CD STANDS FEATURES

FOR
CD-ROM Compact Disk read- Your computer can
only memory ONLY read data on a
CD-ROM. You
CANNOT write
additional information
to it.
CD-RW Compact Disk - read/ Your computer CAN
write erase and write over
existing data.
CD-R Compact Disk - Your can ONLY write
recordable data to a CD-R ONCE.
 Digital Video Disk (DVD)
 A DIGITAL VIDEO
DISK (DVD) can store
over 4 GB of data,
allowing you to record
large files, such as
movies, on a single disk.
 DVD-RW disks may be
reused several times. Blu-
ray disks can store up to
128GB of data, and larger
capacity disks are being
developed.
 Flash drives
 A FLASH
DRIVE is a
small, relatively
inexpensive,
portable storage
device that
connects to the
computer via a
USB port.
 Flash drives(cont’d)
 It is also known as a MEMORY STICK,
THUMB DRIVE, USB DRIVE, KEY
DRIVE, FINGER STICK, PEN DRIVE,
JUMP DRIVE, DISK-ON-KEY and
MEMORY KEY.
 Some flash drives have up to 1 TB of
storage, and the capacity continues to
increase.
 Memory Cards
 A MEMORY CARD is a
small plastic-coated
rectangle that can be used
to store data, on
computers, digital
cameras, music players,
cell phones and game
consoles. A memory card
is actually a flat version of
a flash drive.
 Memory cards are popular
because of their small size,
large capacity and
versatility.
 SUMMARY QUESTIONS
1. Explain the difference between each pair of
terms:
A. Optical disk and magnetic disk

B. Immediate access storage and backing storage

C. Storage device and storage medium

2. Define each of the following types of storage and

state two reasons why each is used:
A. Hard disk

B. Memory card

C. Flash drive
THE
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