ADVANCE

COMPUTER SYSTEM
FREE ELECTIVE 3
Storage Devices
Alternatively referred to as digital storage, storage, storage media,
or storage medium, a storage device is any hardware capable of holding
information either temporarily or permanently. The picture shows an
example of a Drobo, an external secondary storage device.
There are two types of storage devices used with computers: a primary
storage device, such as RAM, and a secondary storage device, such as
a hard drive. Secondary storage can be removable, internal, or external.

Secondary storage device

A secondary storage device has a larger storage capacity and can store
data permanently. The device can be both external and internal to a
computer and includes; compact disk, USB drive, hard disk, etc.
Primary storage device
A primary storage device is quite smaller in size and it’s designed to
capture or hold data for a temporary period. Most primary storage devices
are found inside the computer, and they have the fastest access to data.
Examples of Primary devices include Cache memory and RAM.

Examples of computer storage

Magnetic storage devices

Today, magnetic storage is one of the most

common types of storage used with
computers. This technology is found mostly
on extremely large HDDs or hybrid hard
drives.

 Floppy diskette

 Hard drive

 Magnetic strip

 SuperDisk

 Tape cassettes

 Zip diskette

A floppy disk drive, also called FDD or FD for

short, is a computer disk drive that enables a
user to save data to removable diskettes.
Although 8" disk drives were first made available
in 1971, the first real disk drives used were the 5
1/4" floppy disk drives, which were later replaced
with the 3 1/2" floppy disk drives.
A 5 1/4" floppy disk was capable of storing
between 360 KB and 1.2 MB of data, and the
3 1/2" floppy disk was capable of storing
between 360 KB and 1.44 MB of data. For
both floppy disk sizes, the data storage limit
was dependent on two factors.

 Single or double sided disk

 Regular or high density disk

Hard drive
A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated
as hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-
volatile data storage device. It is usually installed
internally in a computer, attached directly to the
disk controller of the computer's motherboard. It
contains one or more platters, housed inside of
an air-sealed casing. Data is written to the
platters using a magnetic head, which moves
rapidly over them as they spin.

Internal hard disks reside in a drive bay,

connected to the motherboard using
an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable. They are
powered by a connection to the
computer's PSU (power supply unit).

Magnetic card
A magnetic card is a card that contains either
a magnetic strip or a magnetic object in the
card, encoded with digital data. A magnetic card
may contain information about an individual,
such as available credit on a credit card or pass
codes for entering secure buildings. It's usually
the size of a business card or credit card. The
picture is an example of a magnetic card being
swiped through a magnetic card reader.

SuperDisk
Alternatively referred to as an LS-120 and LS-
240, the SuperDisk is a disk drive and diskette
introduced by 3M, which later became Imation.
The drive was most popular
with OEM computers, such
as Compaq and Packard Bell computers.

The original SuperDisk (shown right) is

capable of holding 120 MB on a single disk
the same size of a traditional 1.44 MB floppy
diskette. Later, SuperDisks were capable of
holding 240 MB. The SuperDisk drive was
also backward compatible with 1.44 MB
disks. Its available interfaces
were IDE/ATAPI, parallel port, SCSI,
and USB.

Tape
A tape is a magnetically thin coated piece of
plastic wrapped around wheels capable of storing
data. Tape is less expensive than other storage
mediums, but it is a much slower solution
because it is sequential access and is often used
for backing up large amounts of data.
Today, tape has mostly been abandoned for
faster and more reliable solutions like disc
drives, hard drives, and flash drives that are
all direct access and cloud storage. The
image is an example of magnetic tape taken
by KENPEI and shared under the creative
commons.

Zip drive
A Zip drive and Zip disk is a hardware
data storage device developed
by Iomega that functions like a standard
1.44" floppy drive and diskette. What
makes the Iomega Zip drive unique is its
capability to hold up to 100 MB of data
or 250 MB of data on the later models.
Iomega Zip drives became very popular
in late 1990s but quickly became less
popular as users needed larger storage
capabilities. The drive was eventually
replaced by CD-R and CD-RW drives and
discs as they became cheaper since they
offered much more storage and
compatibility.

Common Problems encountered with Storage

devices
1. Hardware failure. Hardware failure is one of the most problematic issues
affecting most users. Appropriate handling and regular maintenance can be
used to prolong the durability of storage devices.
2. Data Loss. Intentional and accidental file deletion can make one to lose
precious data. Data recovery programs provide a solution for lost files,
deleted data, corrupt documents and hidden files. In the event of a data
loss scenario, a reliable data recovery software can be used to retrieve
back 70% of the lost data.

Disk Drill Storage device recovery software

Disk Drill offers a reliable solution to data loss scenarios on storage devices.
The program is available for both Mac and Windows PC platforms. A free
version can be used to scan for lost files on a storage device. However, to
save more recoverable files, one must upgrade to the full version that can be
easily downloaded through the internet.

Optical storage devices

Another common type of storage is optical

storage, which uses lasers and lights as its
method of reading and writing data.

 Blu-ray disc

 CD-ROM disc

BD may refer to any of the following:

1. Short for Blu-ray disc, BD or BD-ROM, is an optical

disc format developed by thirteen consumer electronics
and PC companies. These companies
include Dell, Hitachi, Hewlett
Packard, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Sony, and TDK. Blu-
ray was first introduced at the CES on January 4, 2006,
stores up to 25 GB single-layer disc (50 GB on a dual-
layer disc), and are the same size as a standard CD. The
picture shows a blue laser in a Blu-ray disc player.
CD-ROM
Short for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory,
a CD-ROM is an optical disc that contains audio or
software data whose memory is read-only. A CD-
ROM Drive or optical drive is the device used to
read them. CD-ROM drives have speeds ranging from
1x to 72x, meaning it reads the CD roughly 72 times
faster than the 1x version. As you would imagine,
these drives are capable of playing audio CDs and
reading data CDs, including CD-R and CD-RW discs.

Flash memory devices

Flash memory has replaced most magnetic and optical
media as it becomes cheaper because it is the more
efficient and reliable solution.
Flash drive
Alternatively referred to as a USB flash drive, data
stick, pen drive, memory unit, keychain
drive and thumb drive, a jump drive is a
portable storage device. It is often the size of a
human thumb (hence the name), and connects to a
computer via a USB port. Flash drives are an easy
way to store and transfer information between
computers and range in sizes from 2 GB to 1 TB.

SD card
Short for Secure Digital card, the SD card is one
of the more common types of memory cards used
with electronics. The SD technology is used by over
400 brands of electronic equipment and over 8000
different models, including digital cameras and cell
phones. It is considered the industry standard due to
the wide use.
Types of SD cards
The three versions of the SD card, along with
their physical dimensions, are shown below.

 SD - 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm.

 MiniSD - 21.5mm x 20mm x 1.4mm.

 MicroSD - 15mm x 11mm x 1.0mm.

Online and cloud

Storing data online and in cloud storage is becoming
popular as people need to access their data from more
than one device.

 Cloud storage

 Network media

Cloud computing
Cloud computing is a term used to describe
services provided over a network by a collection of
remote servers. This abstract "cloud" of computers
provides massive, distributed storage and processing
 power, which can be accessed by any Internet-
connected device running a web browser.

Network Media
Network media is any audio, video, images or text,
used on a computer network, like the Internet.
Paper storage

Early computers had no method of using any

of the technologies above for storing
information and had to rely on paper. Today,
these forms of storage are rarely used or
found. In the picture is an example of a
woman entering data to a punch card using a
punch card machine.

 OMR

 Punch card

OMR
Short for optical mark reading or optical
mark recognition, OMR is the process of
gathering information from human beings by
recognizing marks on a document. OMR is
accomplished by using a hardware device
(scanner) that detects a reflection or limited light
transmittance on or through a piece of paper.
OMR allows for the processing of hundreds or
thousands of documents per hour. For
example, students may recall taking tests or
surveys where they filled in bubbles on paper
(shown right) with a pencil. Once the form
had been completed, a teacher or teacher's
assistant would feed the cards into a system
that grades or gathers information from
them.

Punch card
Punch cards (or "punched cards"), also known
as Hollerith cards or IBM cards, are paper cards in
 which holes may be punched by hand or machine to
represent computer data and instructions. They were
a widely-used means of inputting data into early
computers. The cards were fed into a card reader
connected to a computer, which converted the
sequence of holes to digital information.

POWER SUPpLY

A power supply is a component that supplies power to at least one electric

load. Typically, it converts one type of electrical power to another, but it
may also convert a a different form of energy – such as solar, mechanical,
or chemical - into electrical energy.
A power supply provides components with electric power. The term usually
pertains to devices integrated within the component being powered. For
example, computer power supplies convert AC current to DC current and
are generally located at the rear of the computer case, along with at least
one fan.

A power supply is also known as a power supply unit, power brick or power
adapter.
 PERIPHERAL/POWER CABLE
A peripheral power cable is used to connect the older IDE
hard drives and cd/dvd drives to the power supply. There are
four cables (1 yellow, 2 black and 1 red). ...
These peripheral power connectors were the original
power cables in a computer and were used most commonly for
hard drives or cd drives.

A power cable is an electrical cable, an assembly of one or more

electrical conductors, usually held together with an overall sheath.
The assembly is used for transmission of electrical power. Power
cables may be installed as permanent wiring within buildings,
buried in the ground, run overhead, or exposed.
Flexible power cables are used for portable devices, mobile tools,
and machinery.