Storage Devices and Media
Storage Devices and Media
Rating:
A storage medium is an important part of a computer. Storage media contains data that are being accessed by users and is used to save data. It also saves files that a computer needs to operate. Storage devices and media come in different technologies, sizes, capacities, etc.
Following are the types of storage devices and media:
Hard disk drive is used to store users' data as well as operating system files. Data stored on it can be accessed quickly. Hard disk drive is generally installed inside the computer case. It can store large amount of data. It provides fast read/write performance. HDD can be connected to a computer by the Integrated Device Electronics (IDE), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), and SATA interface. It consists of inflexible platters coated with material in which data is recorded magnetically with read/write heads.
Integrated Digital Electronics (IDE) is an interface primarily used to connect hard disk and CD Drives in a computer. The IDE-ATA specification provides support for four drives, using two connectors on the motherboard. IDE/ATA interface is best suited for personal computers where only one or two devices would be attached (one hard disk, and one CD Drive). It is reliable and cost effective. In large or medium size organizations where multiple devices are required to support a multi user environment, SCSI is a better alternative.
Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) is a fast interface, primarily used for high performance workstations and servers. The devices attached to it communicate with each other independently, i.e., without CPU intervention. It can also connect external devices. It is commonly used to connect hard disk drives and CD drives. It is more expensive than IDE, but supports a multi-user environment.
Floppy disk drive is used to read/write data on a floppy disk. It is installed inside the computer case and connected to the computer motherboard using a floppy drive controller.
A floppy disk is a magnetic storage device. It has a thin magnetic film as a storage media, which is protected by a plastic cover. Earlier, floppy disks used to be of 5.25 inches square, but now most computers use floppy disks that are 3.5 inches square. The 5.25 inch floppy disk is obsolete now. It is a removable media. Therefore, users can transfer data from one computer to another using a floppy disk. The limitation with the floppy drive is that it cannot store large amount of data. A 5.25 inch floppy disk can store 1.2 MB of data, whereas a 3.5 inch floppy disk can store up to 2 MB of data.
CD drive is used for read/write operations on CDs. The CD drives that are capable of performing write operations on CDs are also known as CD burners. However, most of CD drives on computers have read only capability. CD drives with read-only capability is also known as CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) drives. A CD drive is installed inside the computer case and can be connected to IDE, SCSI, SATA, or firewire interface. CD drives come with different data transfer speeds. The first CD drive was introduced with a data transfer rate 150 Kbps. After 150 Kbps speed drive, the 2X speed CD drive with 300 Kbps of data transfer speed was introduced. Currently CD drives with up to 52X data transfer speed are available.
CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) is a type of removable optical media. It can store up to 1GB of data, although most common CD-ROMs store 700MB of data. It comes in standard size and format, so users can load any type of CD-ROM into any CD drive or CD-ROM player. Once data is written on CD-ROM, it cannot be erased or changed. It is a popular media among hardware and software vendors to distribute software and applications.
CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) is a removable optical recordable disc. On this type of disk, data can be written only once, and cannot be deleted.
CD-RW (CD-ReWritable) is a removable optical recordable disc. In CD-RW, written information can be erased and new data can be recorded. CD-RW disk can be written only in a CD-RW recorder, not in a normal CD recorder drive However, a CD-RW recorder can also record standard CD-R disks.
DVD drive is used for read/write operations on DVDs. The drives that are capable of performing write operations on DVDs are also known as DVD burners. There are many DVD burning technologies such as DVD+R, DVD+RW, etc.
DVD-ROM is a removable optical disc storage media. It is used for data storage, including movies with high quality audio and video. DVD-ROMs look same as CDs, their physical dimensions being the same, but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density. A DVD-ROM can store up to 4.3GB of data.
Tape backup device is used for taking backup of very large amount of data. It can be installed inside or outside a computer. It uses digital or analog magnetic tape medium to store data. It has slow read/write performance and is used for archival purposes. This technology is being obsolete, as optical disc media is used for this purpose.
The MultiMediaCard (MMC) is a flash memory memory card standard. MMC has the size of 24 mm x 32 mm x 1.5 mm. MMC originally used a 1-bit serial interface, but new version cards allow transfers up to 8 bits at a time. MMC cards are used in mobiles and digital cameras. Now MMC cards are superseded by Secure Digital (SD) cards. However, MMC cards can be used in any device that supports SD cards. Modern computers, both laptops and desktops, have SD slots that can read MMC cards.
Pen drive is also known as USB flash drive. It is a small device used to transfer data from one computer to another using USB ports. Pen drives of various capacities, ranging from 32 MB to 1 GB, are available. When a pen drive is plugged into the USB port, Windows Explorer shows it as a removable drive. This interface allows users to copy data easily on the pen drive.
High Density DVD (HD DVD) is an optical disc format designed for the storage of large amount of data and high-definition video. This standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC companies, led by Toshiba. The HD DVD disc is an enhanced version of the DVD format so that it can accommodate high-definition video. It uses blue-violet laser that enables it to store more information in the same amount of physical space. It has a single-layer capacity of 15 GB and a dual-layer capacity of 30 GB. HD DVD discs can be played on standard DVD players.
Rating:
Other articles
- Networking Devices
- What is SSL?
- What is a digitizing tablet?
- What is POP3?
- Skills required for CompTIA's test C220-601.