Storage Devices

Question 1

What is a HDD?

Answer 1

HDD means Hard Disk Drive.

Question 2

Advantages of a HDD (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 2

1. Has a large storage capacity.
2. Is faster than optical disk (a recording technology).
3. Has a persistent storage (retains data even if turned off).
4. Can be easily replaced or upgraded.

Question 3

Disadvantages of a HDD (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 3

1. Relies heavily on moving parts that can be broken.
2. Disk surface can be damaged easily.
3. Constantly uses a lot of power.
4. Very noisy and has a slower read and write time than RAM.

Question 4

What is a SSD?

Answer 4

An SSD means Solid State Drive.

Question 5

Advantages of an SSD (Give 3 reasons)?

Answer 5

1. Much faster than a HDD.
2. Doesn’t consume much power.
3. More durable than HDD’s
4. Makes no noise whilst operating.
5. Smaller than a HDD.

Question 6

Disadvantages of an SSD (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 6

1. More expensive than a HDD.
2. Very limited storage capacity.
3. Not sold very frequently.
4. Shorter lifespans than HDD’s.

Question 7

Advantages of a Memory Stick (Give 3 reasons)?

Answer 7

1. Very portable due to its small size.
2. Reads and writes faster than traditional HDD’s.
3. Has been manufactured to be durable.
4. Much cheaper than the traditional HDD.
5. Doesn’t use much power, and has security features.

Question 8

Disadvantages of a Memory Stick (Give 3 reasons)?

Answer 8

1. Can be lost easily due to its size.
2. Flash drive files can be corrupted.
3. Does not have a write protection system (most of the time).
4. May require a special program to stop wearing the drive.
5. Has a limited number of write and erase cycles before failing

Question 9

What is a CD?

Answer 9

A CD is a Compact Disk.

Question 10

Advantages of a CD (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 10

1. Small, so is easily portable.
2. Very cheap to produce.
3. Decently fast to access data.

Question 11

Disadvantages of a CD (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 11

1. Quite fragile.
2. Smaller storage capacity than a hard drive or DVD.
3. Slower to access than the hard drive.

Question 12

Advantages of a Cloud (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 12

1. Can save costs.
2. Has ransomware and malware protection.
3. Regulatory compliance.

Question 13

Disadvantages of a Cloud (Give 2 reasons)?

Answer 13

1. Backups may be slower.
2. Restoring will be slower.
3. Depends more on internet utilisation.