INFO1 – Practical problem solving in the digital world

 Basic setup information and operating

systems are required for the computer to
function.
 Application software needs to be available for
the user to carry out tasks.
 Files created by the user need to be stored so
that they can be used again.
 Data may need to be transferred from one
device to another.
 Backup copies needs to be taken in case the
original files are lost or corrupted.
 Magnetic Storage Optical Storage

Storing data
on a computer

Online Storage Flash Memory

 When a PC boots up it uses data stored in the
ROM to load the BIOS to make the computer
work.
 It loads the operating system from the hard

drive.
 Application software and data files are called

up from the hard drive as the user requests

them.
 Hard drive and ROM are internal storage

devices.
 In addition to immediate storage of ROM and
RAM, a computer needs a backing store for
mass storage of data and programs.
 Most PC’s also make use of removable media.
 External hard drives connected by USB are

used.
 DAT tapes are used in back up severs.
 Portable flash drives are used for various file

storage.
 What’s the difference?

 The storage medium is the surface on which

the data is stored.
 The storage device is the hardware that reads

the data.

 E.g. a DVD re-writer is the device that reads

and writes data to DVD media.
These devices work by storing data
on magnetised surfaces.
 Most of the storage on a PC system is carried
out by the hard disk.
 They are made from rotating plastic/metal

disks covered by a magnetic coating where

data is stored.
 Read/Write heads move between the disks as

they spin to read/write the data.

 Available with very large storage capacities.
 Very fast, reliable and robust.
 External hard disks are portable.
 RAID drives are a set of disks that work
together.
 Each disk can be used to store a part of the
data.
 If one drive fails then the others take over to
ensure data is not lost, this can prevent
network failure.
 Mirrored drives can be set up so more than
one copy of the data exists, in case of drive
failure.
 In servers these can be hot swapped.
 Were once a very popular method of storage,
but only hold 1.44mb of data.
 Now obsolete as they are impractical for

today's vast amounts of data.

 Most pc’s do not even come with a floppy

drive any more.

 They store data on a circular pieces of

magnetic film.
 Very easily damaged, not very reliable.
 Small tapes that can hold a lot of data.
 Often used in backup servers as they are Easy

to take away and store in a different place to

the server.
 Slow to write to and slow to retrieve data

from.
 Less reliable than hard drives.
 But useful as a backup medium.
Use devices such as CD’s and DVD’s and
use optical technology to etch data onto a
plastic coated metal disc. Laser beams are
then passed over the surface to read the
data.

CD’s have up to 700Mb capacity

DVD’s have 4.7Gb capacity
Blue ray offers even more capacity.
 CD-ROM/ CD-R/ CD-RW/
DVD-ROM DVD-R DVD-RW
ROM – Read Have data RW – Re-write.
Only Memory. written to them Data can be
Often used to once. written to them
supply software. No more data many times.
No further data can be written to Good for

can be written to them. transferring data

them. Good for between
backup storage computers.
of data.
They are all good portable devices, but have limited storage capacity and
can be scratched easily making data unreadable.
 Small in size so are used for cameras, MP3
players, mobile phones, sat-nav’s etc.
 It uses solid state technology to store data on

tiny cards of various sizes.

 Flash based pen drives (USB) are very popular

for transferring data between computers.

 Most operating systems recognise them, so

there is no need for installation.

 Solid state memory is now being used for

laptops and other portable computers.

 Increased upload and download speeds have
enabled broadband internet connections.
 This has made it feasible for people to store
their data away from their computers.
 Many websites offer a storage service with a
high capacity for a small price or even for
free.
 This is convenient as you do not need to
carry a portable device.
 However an internet connection must be
available.
 If a question asks you to choose a medium to save
data to, make sure you choose CD-R or CD-RW
rather than a CD-ROM, because CD-ROMs are read
only. The same applies to DVD.
 Never choose floppy disc as an answer to a
question asking you to recommend a backup
medium. They hold too little data and there are
much more reliable methods available.
Terabyte (TB) 1,000 gigabytes (1,024 Gb)