09. Input, output and storage devices Flashcards
What is an input device?
Any device that allows you to pass information from the outside word into a computer system
What is an output device?
Any device that can take data stored in digital form and convert it into another format that humans can process such as sound, images or vibrations.”
What is a storage device?
Any device used for either temporary or permanent storage of data – can be internal or external.
What are the 3 types of storage media?
Magnetic
Optical
Solid State
How does an optical disk work?
A reflective platter consists of pits and lands. A laser shines into the pits and sets the value to 1. This method stores binary 1’s and 0’s
What are the benefits of optical storage?
Cheap, Lightweight and Portable
What are the negatives of optical media?
Slow access times
Prone to scratching
How does magnetic storage work?
Magnetised regions on a hard disk platter represent 1’s and 0’s. A region with the North Pole facing up represents a 1. A region with the South Pole facing up represents a 0
What are the benefits of magnetic storage?
Cheap, Large capacity
What are the drawbacks of magnetic storage?
Slow access times
Fragile
How does Solid State/Flash storage work?
An oxide layer keeps the floating gas isolated so that any electrons on the floating gate are kept there. This is used to hold an electrical charge
What are the benefits of flash storage?
Durable
Fast Access Times
What are the drawbacks to Solid State Storage
Cost
Limited Read/Writes
What is the ROM?
A Small piece of non-volatile read only memory located on the motherboard.
Contains the bootstrap
What is the bootstrap?
The first instructions for the computer
What is RAM?
Fast, Volatile, Temporary storage of instructions and data
What process does the ROM Bootstrap initiate?
Power-On-Self-Test (POST)
Why is the POST important?
It makes the CPU aware of other attached components such as a Hard Disk or RAM
What is Virtual Storage?
Virtual storage: Often referred to as cloud storage, virtual storage is “the concept of storing and retrieving data over the internet in the cloud instead of a local storage device.
What are the advantages to virtual storage?
Easy Collaboration
Can be accessed from any device
Limitless Storage
What are the disadvantages to virtual storage?
Can be expensive for high volume solutions
Poor connectivity can lead to slow transfer speeds
No Connectivity means no file access
