T4 Secondary Storage Flashcards
What is secondary storage?
Secondary storage is non-volatile storage that retains data even when power is lost. It is not directly accessible by the CPU and can be internal or external.
What are the three types of secondary storage?
Magnetic storage, optical storage, and solid-state storage.
Give examples of magnetic storage devices.
Hard disk drives (HDD), floppy disks, magnetic tape.
How does magnetic storage work?
Mechanical parts move over a disk surface to read and write data magnetically, or a drive head reads a magnetic tape.
What are the advantages magnetic storage?
Advantages: Cheap, large storage capacities, relatively fast write speed.
Disadvantages of magnetic Storage?
Disadvantages: Has mechanical parts, less durable, not very portable.
What are examples of optical storage devices?
CD, DVD, Blu-ray.
How does optical storage work?
Data is stored as pits and lands on a spiral track. A laser beam reads these pits and lands, determining 0s and 1s.
What are the advantages of optical storage?
Advantages: Cheap, portable, takes up little space.
What are the disadvantages of optical storage?
Disadvantages: Less storage capacity, easily damaged, slow write speeds.
What are examples of solid-state storage devices?
Solid State Drives (SSD), USB flash drives, SD cards.
How does solid-state storage work?
Uses non-volatile flash memory, where electrons are trapped in memory cells to represent 0s and 1s.
What are the disadvantages of SSDs?
More expensive than HDDs, similar storage capacity as HDDs.
What factors should be considered when choosing a storage device?
Capacity, speed, portability, durability, reliability, cost.
What are the advantages of SSDs?
Advantages: Durable, no moving parts, fast read/write speeds, quiet operation.
What is the typical storage capacity of a hard disk drive?
500GB – 12TB or more.
What is the typical storage capacity of a DVD?
Up to 8.4GB (dual-layered disc).
What is the typical storage capacity of a Blu-ray disc?
Up to 50GB (dual-layered disc).
