Presentation by Mrs.

Anusha Ahuja
1
Storage Devices
and Media
 What is Data Storage?

When we talk about ‘storing’ data, we

mean putting the data in a known place.
We can later come back to that place and

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

get our data back again.

‘Writing’ data or ‘saving’ data are other

ways of saying ‘storing’ data.

‘Reading’ data, ‘retrieving’ data or

‘opening’ a file are ways of saying that we
are getting our data back from its storage
location.

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 ROM & RAM
 The main memory of a computer is
made up of a set of memory chips

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

called

ROM and RAM

~*~

ROM = Read Only Memory

RAM = Random Access Memory
 3


 ROM RAM
The instructions to
 Programs and data


start the computer stored on RAM are

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

are stored on this lost when a computer
 is switched off-



This sort of memory is

 This memory is


non-volatile memory volatile memory

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The two main types
Mainstore ( memory
storage in the

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

computer)

Backing storage
( storage on disks
tape CD etc)
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 Backing Storage vs Main Memory
Main Memory Backing Storage
Main memory (sometimes known as
internal memory or primary storage) is Backing storage
another name for RAM (and ROM). (sometimes known as
secondary storage) is the

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

Main memory is usually used to store data name for all other data
temporarily. In the case of RAM, it is storage devices in a
volatile (this means that when power is computer: hard-drive, etc.
switched off all of the data in the memory
disappears). Backing storage is usually
non-volatile, so it is
Main memory is used to store data whilst it generally used to store data
is being processed by the CPU. Data can for a long time.
be put into memory, and read back from it, er to .
very quickly. sl ow ntly..
e s are rmane
d evic ata pe
e
t orag hold d
i ng s t can
k
Bac ess, bu 6
Memory is fast to access, but only acc
holds data temporarily...
 Storage Media & Devices

The device that actually holds the data is known as

the storage medium (‘media’ is the plural).

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

The device that saves data onto the storage medium,
or reads data from it, is known as the storage
device.

Sometimes the storage medium is a fixed

(permanent) part of the storage device, e.g. the
magnetic coated discs built into a hard drive

Sometimes the storage medium is removable from

the device, e.g. a CD-ROM can be taken out of a CD
drive.

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 Accessing Stored Data
Serial / Sequential Access
A serial (or sequential) access storage
device is one that stores files one-by-one
in a sequence.

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

A non-computer serial access device that
will be familiar to you is a VHS videotape.
Because video is stored on a long piece of
tape, when TV shows are recorded onto
the tape, they go on one-by-one, in
order...
Systems that store things
on tape (video, music,
computer data, etc.) are
always serial access

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Serial / Sequential Access conti….

If you want to watch a show that you

recorded earlier, you have to rewind / fast-
forward through all other shows until you
find it.

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

The shows are only accessible in the same
order that you recorded them. This type of
one-by-one storage and access is called
serial access.

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Direct / Random Access

A direct (or ‘random’) access storage

device is one that stores files so that they
can be instantly accessed - there is no
need to search through other files to get to

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

the one you want.

An example of a direct access device

would be a DVD movie. Unlike the VHS
videotape movie, you can jump to any
scene on a DVD.

All parts of the DVD are directly

accessible. This type of file storage is
called direct access.

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 Data Storage Capacity
Some storage media can only store a very limited amount of data, whilst others
can store vast amounts...

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

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Storage Devices
 Computer memory is measured in Bytes


Units

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A million million bytes is called a terabyte
Bit = either 0 or 1 (TB)

1,000,000,000,000B = 1TB

Byte = 8 bits Gigabyte = 1000 Megabytes

Megabyte = 1000 kilobytes

Kilobyte = 1000 bytes 12

 Data Storage Capacity conti….
Even a very basic storage devices like a floppy disc can storage over
a megabyte of data - that's over 1 million letters or numbers!

And modern hard drives can store a terabyte of data or more - that's
more words than you could type even if you started now, and typed

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

until your old age!

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 Data Access Speeds
Some storage devices can access data very quickly, whilst others are
extremely slow...

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

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 Magnetic Storage Devices / Media
Why Magnetic?
Magnetic storage media and devices store
data in the form of tiny magnetised dots.
These dots are created, read and erased

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

using magnetic fields created by very tiny
electromagnets.

In the case of magnetic tape the dots are

arranged along the length of a long plastic
strip which has been coated with a
magnetisable layer (audio and video tapes
use a similar technology).

In the case of magnetic discs (e.g. floppy

disc or hard-drive), the dots are arranged in
circles on the surface of a plastic, metal
or glass disc that has a magnetisable
coating.
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 Magnetic Storage Devices / Media conti….
Hard Drives

Hard-drives have a very large storage

capacity (up to 1TB). They can be used to

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

store vast amounts of data. Hard-drives are
random access devices and can be used
to store all types of films, including huge
files such as movies. Data access speeds
are very fast.

Data is stored inside a hard-drive on

rotating metal or glass discs (called
‘platters’).

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 Magnetic Storage Devices / Media conti….
Fixed Hard Drive

A hard-drive built into the case of a

computer is known as ‘fixed’. Almost every

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

computer has a fixed hard-drive.

Fixed hard-drives act as the main backing

storage device for almost all computers
since they provide almost instant access to
files (random access and high access
speeds).

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 Magnetic Storage Devices / Media conti….
Portable Hard Drive
A portable hard-drive is one that is placed
into a small case along with some
electronics that allow the hard-drive to be

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

accessed using a USB or similar
connection.

Portable hard-drives allow very large

amounts of data to be transported from
computer to computer.

Many portable music players (such as the iPod classic) contain tiny
hard-drives. These miniature devices are just not much bigger than
a stamp, but can still store over 100MB of data!

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 Magnetic Storage Devices / Media conti….
Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape is a large capacity, serial
access medium. Because it is a serial
access medium, accessing individual files

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

on a tape is slow.

Tapes are used where large amounts of

data need to be stored, but where quick
access to individual files is not required. A
typical use is for data back-up (lots of
data, but rarely only accessed in an
emergency)

Tapes are also used and in some batch-

processing applications (e.g. to hold the
list of data that will be processed).

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 Magnetic Storage Devices / Media conti….
Removeable Media Magnetic Discs

Floppy Disc

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

A removable, portable, cheap, low-
capacity (1.44MB) storage medium.
Floppy discs are random access devices
used for transfer small amounts of data
between computers, or to back-up small
files, etc. Access times are slow.

Almost every PC used to have a floppy

disc drive. These are obsolete now, having
been replaced by higher capacity
technology such as CD-ROMs, DVDs and
USB memory sticks.

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 Optical Storage Devices / Media
Why 'Optical'?
Optical storage devices save data as
patterns of dots that can be read using
light. A laser beam is the usual light

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

source.

The data on the storage medium is read by

bouncing the laser beam off the surface of
the medium. If the beam hits a dot it is
reflected back differently to how it would
be if there were no dot. This difference can
be detected, so the data can be read.
This is a magnified view of
Dots can be created using the laser beam the dots on the surface of
(for media that is writable such as CD-Rs). a CD.
The beam is used in a high-power mode to
actually mark the surface of the medium, The different patterns of
making a dot. This process is known as dots correspond to the
‘burning’ data onto a disc. data stored on the disc. 21
 Optical Storage Devices / Media
Read-Only Optical Discs
Read-only optical discs have data
written onto them when they are
manufactured. This data cannot be

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

changed.

CD-ROM
Compact Disc - Read-Only Memory (CD-
ROM) discs can hold around 800MB of
data. The data cannot be altered (non-
volatile), so cannot be accidently deleted.
CD-ROMs are random-access devices.

CD-ROMs are used to distribute all sorts

of data: software (e.g. office applications
or games), music, electronic books (e.g.
an encyclopaedia with sound and video.) 22
 Optical Storage Devices / Media conti….
Read-Only Optical Discs conti….
DVD-ROM
Digital Versatile Disc - Read-Only Memory
(DVD-ROM) discs can hold around 4.7GB

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of data (a dual-layer DVD can hold twice
that). DVD-ROMs are random-access
devices.

DVD-ROMs are used in the same way as

CD-ROMs (see above) but, since they can
hold more data, they are also used to store
high-quality video.

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 Optical Storage Devices / Media conti….
High Capacity Optical Discs
Blu-Ray
Blu-Ray disks are a recent replacement for
DVDs. A Blu-Ray disc can hold 25 - 50GB

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

of data (a dual-layer Blu-Ray disc can hold
twice that). Blu-Ray discs are random-
access devices.

Blu-Ray discs are used in the same way as

DVD-ROMs (see above) but, since they
can hold more data, they are also used to
store very high-quality, high-definition
(HD) video.

The 'Blu' part of Blu-Ray refers to the fact that the laser used to read the disc uses
blue light instead of red light. Blue light has a shorter wave-length than red light
(used with CDs and DVDs).
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Using a blue laser allows more data to be placed closer together on a Blu-Ray
disc, than on a DVD or CD, so Blu-Ray has a much higher storage capacity than
these older discs.
 Optical Storage Devices / Media conti….
Recordable Optical Discs
Recordable optical discs can have data
written onto them (‘burnt’) by a computer When CD-Rs and DVD-Rs are
user using a special disc drive (a disc burnt, the laser makes
‘burner’).

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

permanent marks on the
silver-coloured metal layer.
This is why these discs
CD-R and DVD-R cannot be erased.
CD-Recordable (CD-R) and DVD-
recordable (DVD-R) discs can have data When CD-RWs and DVD-RWs
burnt onto them, but not erased. You can are burnt the laser makes
keep adding data until the disc is full, but marks on the metal layer, but
you cannot remove any data or re-use a in a way that can be undone.
full disc. So these discs can be erased.
CD-RW and DVD-RW
CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) and DVD-
ReWritable (DVD-RW) discs, unlike CD-Rs
and DVD-Rs, can have data burnt 25
 Optical Storage Devices / Media conti….
DVD-RAM
DVD-Random Access Memory (DVD-RAM)
discs are a type of re-writable DVD. They
often come in a floppy-disc style case (to

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

protect the disc).

DVD-RAM discs have a similar capacity to

a normal DVD, holding 4.7GB of data.
DVD-RAM discs are random-access
devices.

DVD-RAM discs are used in many

camcorders (video recording cameras).

The discs are much higher quality than

normal DVD-RWs and can reliably store
data for up to 30 years. This means that
they are often used for video and data 26
back-up and archiving.
 Solid-State Storage Devices
'Solid-State'?

The term ‘solid-state’ essentially means ‘no moving parts’.

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

Solid-state storage devices are based on electronic circuits with no
moving parts (no reels of tape, no spinning discs, no laser beams, etc.)

Solid-state storage devices store data using a special type of memory

called flash memory...
Flash Memory
Flash memory is a type of Electronically-Erasable Programmable Read-
Only Memory (EEPROM). Flash memory is non-volatile (like ROM) but
the data stored in it can also be erased or changed (like RAM).

Flash memory can be found in many data storage devices...

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 Solid-State Storage Devices conti….

You might wonder why, since flash memory is non-volatile,

normal computers don’t use it instead of RAM. If they did

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

we would have computers that you could turn off, turn
back on again and no data would be lost – it would be
great!

The reason is speed – saving data to flash memory is very

slow compared to saving it to RAM. If a computer were to
use flash memory as a replacement for RAM it would run
very slowly.

However some portable computers are starting to use flash

memory (in the form of solid-state ‘discs’ as a replacement
for hard-drives. No moving parts mean less to go wrong
and longer battery life.
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 Solid-State Storage Devices conti….
USB Memory Sticks
Memory sticks (or ‘thumb-drives’) have made many
other forms of portable storage almost obsolete
(why burn a CD or DVD when you can more easily
copy your files onto a memory stick?).

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

Memory sticks are non-volatile, random-access
storage devices.

Each of these small devices has some flash

memory connected to a USB interface. Plug it into
your computer and it appears as a drive. You can
then add files, erase files, etc. You can use it to
move any type of file between computers.

Flash memory used to be very expensive, but in

recent years it has become much cheaper and you
can now buy a 16GB memory stick for just a few
dollars. 29
 Solid-State Storage Devices conti….
Memory Cards
Many of our digital devices (cameras,
mobile phones, MP3 players, etc.)
require compact, non-volatile data
storage. Flash memory cards provide this

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

One of the most common formats used by

digital cameras is the SD Card. The cards
store the digital images taken by the
camera.

Mobile phones contain a Subscriber

Identity Module (SIM) card that contains
the phone’s number, the phonebook
numbers, text messages, etc.

Many phones also have extra memory

cards to store music, video, photos, etc. 30
(e.g Tiny Micro-SD cards).
 Solid-State Storage Devices conti….
Smart Cards

Many credit cards (e.g. ‘chip-and-pin’

cards), door entry cards, satellite TV cards,

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

etc. have replaced the very limited storage
of the magnetic strip (the dark strip on the
back of older cards) with flash memory.
This is more reliable and has a much
larger storage capacity.

Cards with flash memory are called smart

cards.

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 Backing Up Data
What is a Backup?
Note: If you move the
A backup simply means making one or more photos from the hard-
copies of your data. drive to a CD-R, you
do not have a back-
For example, if you have a folder of photos stored up – you still only

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

on the hard-drive of your laptop, you might back have one copy of the
them up by copying them to a CD-R. photos, but now they
are on a CD instead
of the hard-drive.

You only have a

backup if you have a
second copy of your
data.

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Why Backup Your Data?

If you delete a file by accident, your computer breaks,

your laptop is stolen, or your business burns to the
ground, having a backup copy means that you have not
lost your precious data. You can recover your lost files
and continue working.

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

Most businesses use computers to store very important
data (customer records, financial information, designs for
products, etc.) If this data is lost, the business could
possibly have to close. Backing-up business data is
essential. 33
How Are Backups Created?

Personal backups of the data on your

hard-drive can be made by…
Burning files to a CD-R
Copying files to an external hard-drive

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

Copying the files to another computer on
a network

Businesses backup essential data by…

Making copies of data very regularly
Using large-capacity media such as
magnetic tape
Keeping old copies of backups, just in
case
Automating the system so that nobody
forgets to do it!
Keeping backup media off-site (in case of
fire or theft)
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Formatting.

When you buy a disk it has usually been formatted.

Formatting a disk is the process of laying out on the surface of the disk,

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

the areas that data can be written into. This forms a precise pattern.

A ‘blank’ disk A ‘formatted’ disk

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Each of the areas or parts of the disk have special names:

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

CK
TRA
BLOCK

TOR
C
SE

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Data is stored in blocks

Data is read in blocks

The unit of transfer between the disk drive and the CPU is
in blocks

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

Question.

Why is it that a disk you have used on an IBM will not

work with an Apple?

Answer.

The way the CPU is expecting to read or write data with the
disk is different, because the disks are FORMATTED
differently.
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 Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja
For Quiz
http://www.teach-ict.com/gcse/hardware/storage/miniweb/quiz.htm

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 Revision

Q1 Describe common backing storage media and their associated devices:

magnetic tapes,
CDs (all types),
DVDs (all types),
DVD-RAM discs,

Presentation by Mrs. Anusha Ahuja

HD DVD discs,
Blu-Ray discs,
hard discs,
memory sticks,
flash memory
Q2 Identify typical usesof the storage media, including types of access (e.g.

serial/sequential, direct/random) and access speeds;

Q3 Describe the comparative advantages and disadvantagesof using
different backing storage media;
Q4 Define the term backup and describe the need for taking backups;
Q5 Describe the difference between main/internal memory and backing
storage, stating the relative benefits of each in terms of speed and
permanence. 39