Storage Devices

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Storage Device

You may hear the word storage device, so what is a storage device?

Basically, a storage device is any hardware that can hold or store the data either temporarily or permanently. It can be internal or external. 

Types of Storage Device

There are two types of storage devices -

• Primary 
• Secondary

	Primary Storage Device	Secondary Storage Device
Size	Smaller	Larger
Data Retention	Temporary	Permanent
Location	Internal	Internal / External
Example	RAM	Hard disk

Example of Storage Devices

• Magnetic Storage Devices 

This is one of the most popular types of storage used. It uses a magnetized medium to store data.

    - Floppy Diskette - A small sized medium used in earlier computer. It can store only some MBs of data. Almost 1.44 MB

     - Hard Drive - It is the main storage device in the computer. It can store up to TB of data.

    - Super Disk - A disk drive and diskette that can hold 120 MB and 240 MB of data.

    - Zip Diskette - It functions like a Floppy but it has more storage capacity. (100-250MB)

• Optical Storage Devices

It uses laser and light as its mode of saving and retrieving data.

    - Blue Ray Disk - Digital optical storage that intended to replace DVD format.

 

    - CD ROM Disk - An optical storage whose memory is a read-only memory.

    - CD-R and CD-RW disc – CD-R is a recordable disc that can be written to once, while CD-RW is a rewritable disc that can be written to multiple times. 

    - DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW disc – DVD-R and DVD+R are recordable discs that can be written to once, while DVD-RW and DVD+RW are rewritable discs that can be written to multiple times. The difference between the + and – is in the formatting and compatibility.

• Flash Memory Devices

Flash memory has replaced most magnetic and optical media as it becomes cheaper because it is a more efficient and reliable solution.

    - Memory card – An electronic flash memory device used to store digital information and commonly used in mobile electronic devices. 

    - Memory stick – A memory card that is removable. 

    - SSD – Solid State Drive – A flash memory device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to save data steadily. 

    - USB flash drive, jump drive, or thumb drive – A small, portable storage device connected through the USB port.