If you have already read the memory section, then you will have already been introduced to storage devices. Storage devices are places where your computer can store all of the information and data that it gathers. For example, you can save your word document onto a hard disk, which is an example of a storage device, so that you can access it later! The only major difference between these storage devices and your computer's memory is that the memory is found within the circuitry of the computer itself, while the storage devices are not. The types of storage devices that we will touch upon are:
Hard disks, or hard drives, are your primary storage devices. It is built right into your computer, and most of your files will be saved here.
Floppy disks are a portable storage device. They are plastic disks that can store a small amount of information. These disks can be used on different computers, making them portable!
CD-ROMs look just like regular CDs... but they can be used to store things like applications or programs. They are portable, like floppy disks, but they can store a lot of information!
DVDs are extremely popular. They are primarily used to store movies or music, and can be played back on your computer as well as on your television screen!
MP3 files are files that can hold music! As you know, you can download music off the Internet. MP3s compress the music so that it will take up less space and so that it will only take a few minutes to download.
ZIP Drives look just like floppy disks- they are both small rectangular plastic disks. The major difference between the two is that while floppy disks can only store a small amount of information, ZIP drives can store a LOT of data!
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