Memory Cards

Another type of a flash solid state storage device is a memory card. These are also cheap,
portable and compact. Mostly used cameras, phones, and mp3 player. They come in different
capacities and sizes. The most common type of memory card is an SD card vwhich contains
pictures taken from a camera or music for an mp3 player. A subscriber identity module (SIM)
card is a type of memory card because it stores phone numbers and text messages.
Memory Cards: memory card is They offer direct access to data,
like a portable hard disk that fits are portable, can fit even on tablet
into personal computer card slot. computers like cell phones, have
Memory cards large storage capacity of up to 8
GB.
They can get lost easily. Virus
spread quickly through them.

DVDs
The digital versatile disc Read only memory (dvd-rom) can hold over 2gb of data. They are
available in dual layer which hold twice the data. They are also used to store high quality videos
because of their high capacity. Data-rich systems are now produced on DVD than CD because
DVDs provide greater storage capacity. They use random access file organization methods. DVD
(Digital Versatile Disc): Are spherical in shape that can store data on 2 sides. Stores data on
tracks in a random way. Data retrieval is in random order. Storage capacity is about 4 GB.
Writing of data on DVD is done by a device called DVD writer/burner.
Uses of DVDs: Transferring larges volumes of data from one computer to another. Creating
backup storage for programs and data. Booting the computer when loading the operating
system or restoring damaged system files (system repair)
Advantages of DVDs: Provide fast and direct access to data. Has large storage capacity of
about 4 GB. Produces high quality sound and pictures. It is a multi-media device.
Disadvantages of DVDs: Can be affected by direct sunlight. Less durable. They can easily get
scratched.
Caring for DVDs, VCDs and CDs: Do not expose them to direct sunlight. Do not touch the
recording surface. Use soft marker for labelling and not ball point. Keep the free form dust
conditions.
Serial files
A serial file contains records which have no defined order. A typical use of a serial file would be
for a bank to record transactions involving customer accounts. A program would be
running. Each time there was a withdrawa l or a deposit the program would receive the
details as data input and would record these in a transaction file. The records would enter
the file in chronological order but otherwise the file would have no ordering of the records.
A text file can be considered to be a type of serial file but it is different because the file has
repeating lines which are defined by an end-of-line character or characters. There is no endof-
record character. A record in a serial file must have a defined format to allow data to be
input and output correctly.
Serial access
Data are stored in the file in the order in which it
arrives. This is the simplest form of storage, but the
data are effectively unstructured, so finding an item again may be very difficult. This sort of data
storage
is only used when it is unlikely that the data will
be needed again or when the order of the data
should be determined by when it is input. A good
example of a serial file is the book that you are reading
now. The words were all typed in, in order, and
that is how they should be read. Reading this book
would be impossible if all the words were in alphabetic
order. Another example of the use of a serial file is
discussed in the section “Backup and archiving data”

Diskette (Floppy Disk): A 3.5 inch and plastic magnetic disk enclosed in a stiff envelope with a
radial slit; used to store data or programs. They have a storage capacity of 1.44 MB. They are
used as backing storage for small volumes of data. Data is stored on tracks in a random way.
Direct access to data is provided. Its features are shown below:
Diagram of a Diskette: Notes on Diagram
Rigid plastic case: - protects the disk inside from
damage.
Write protect Window: When it is open, data
cannot be written on disk, unless it is closed. It is a
method of preventing data on disk from being
modified.
Disk Label: this is where the user writes some
information, for example his/her name, disk
contents, etc.
High Density Window: - indicates that a disk can
store data on two sides, thus allowing more data to
be stored on them. 1.44 MB disks are double
density disks.