Secondary Storage Flashcards
What does Volatile mean
Memory that requires power to maintain the stored information - Memory is lost when there is no power
What does Non-Volatile mean?
Data is not lost when there is no power, not accessed directly by the CPU
What is Exam Tip 1?
Always say if it is internal or external when choosing a suitable device
What is storage medium?
Where data is stored and retrieved from
Why is a storage device needed?
To access the storage medium
What are 3 examples of storage devices?
DVD , Blu-ray disk and CD
What is the purpose of secondary storage?
Used to store data, programs and the operating system when the computer is turned off and Can be used to transfer between devices (if storage medium is portable)
What is a Kilobyte represented as?
kB
What are 3 examples of magnetic storage?
Hard Disk Drives, Magnetic Tape and Floppy Disks
Why are hard disk drives easily broken?
Lots of parts are not secure
Why is magnetic tape used?
It can back up and archive data in large volumes
What are solid state drives referred to as?
Flash memory
What are 2 examples of solid state drives
USB Memory Stick
Memory Card
What are 5 reasons why a SSD is better than a HDD?
Read-write speeds are faster No moving parts (less likely to suffer damage) Less power needed Faster access speeds Smaller (easier to move)
What are 2 reasons why a HDD could be better than a SSD?
Cheaper
More storage
What is the difference between a blu-ray disk and a Digital Versatile Disk?
Blu-ray has better quality as there is more capacity
What are 3 examples of optical storage?
Compact Disks (CD)
Digital Versatile Disks (DVD)
Blu-ray Disks (BD)
What are pits and lands?
They represent the binary information of the data stored on a disk
What are pits?
The bumps burned by lasers
What are lands?
Areas not burned by lasers
What does a change from a pit to a land represent in binary?
1
What does a change to a land to a pit represent in binary?
1
What does no change represent in binary (pits and lands)
0
What is CD ROM used for?
Generally music as it is read-only
How much storage does a CD ROM, CD R and CD RW have?
700MB
What is CD R (Recordable)?
A CD that can only be written once
What is CD RW (Rewritable)?
A CD that can be re-written and erased many times
What is DVD ROM used for?
Usually HD videos and is Read-only
What is DVD R?
A DVD that can only be written to once
What is DVD RW?
A DVD that can be erased and re-written many times
How much storage do DVD ROM, DVD R and DVD RW have?
4.7 GB Single Layer and 9 GB double layer
What is BD ROM?
A blu-ray disk that can only read-only, generally used for Ultra-High-Definition Videos
What is BD R?
A blu-ray disk that can only be written to once
What is BD RW?
A blu-ray disk that can be erased and re-written many times
How much storage do BD ROM, BD R and BD RW have?
25GB Single, 50GB Double, 100GB Triple, 128GB Quadruple
What are 2 facts about Magnetic Secondary Storage?
Mechanical drive, uses magnetic state
What are 2 facts about Solid State Secondary Storage
Millions of transistors, uses electrical circuits
What are 2 facts about Optical Secondary Storage
Uses a laser beam, uses pits and lands
What has the greatest capacity? Optical Secondary Storage, Solid State Secondary Storage or Magnetic Secondary Storage?
Magnetic
What is Virtual RAM?
A storage space on secondary storage
What is VRAM also known as?
A swap file
When is VRAM used?
When there is no space on the RAM
What does VRAM do?
Extends the amount of RAM available
What is 1 problem with swapping?
It slows down the computer as secondary storage access times are slower than RAM
What is an embedded system?
Computer system embedded into other electrical equipment that performs a specific function
What are 3 examples of an embedded system?
Washing machine, microwave and a RC car
What kinds of firmware does an embedded system have?
ROM, Processor, Circuit Board
Where is the firmware stored in in an embedded system?
The ROM
What does a general purpose system do?
Performs wide range of functions
What is an example of a general purpose system?
A PC
