Awhile back, we covered the different types of hardware used with computers. You know, basic hardware and the extra hardware you can buy separately, etc. (You can read here for that article).
So, I thought it would be nice to cover the different kinds of computer storage devices that are available as well. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do today!
Knowing what kinds of storage devices are available can keep you from using up too much space on your computer’s hard drive. They can also help keep your computer’s hard drive from crashing, along with keeping it running at top speed.
The most common storage devices are:
- Floppy Disks
- Zip Disks
- CD + RW
- CD + R
- DVD + RW
- DVD + R
Zip Disk – They look like a floppy disk, but they are a little thicker. This disk also comes in a variety of colors and holds about 200 MB of data.
CD + RW Disc (Compact Disc Rewriteable) – This disc looks like a regular CD. The only difference is that you can write on this disc and erase it as many times as you want. It works just like a floppy disk or a zip disk. A CD + RW disc holds about 650 MB.
CD + R Disc (Compact Disc Recordable) – This one is a CD that you can record on. It’s mostly used to record audio and once it’s been written on, you cannot rewrite or erase anything off of it. This compact disc comes in different sizes, but they are usually silver in color. (Some CDs are black in color and they actually don’t get as many scratches on them as the silver ones do. They are also a lot less fragile).
A DVD – R Disc (Digital Video Recordable) – These discs hold the space of about 4.7 GB and are used to record movies on.
- Removable Hard Drive
- Internet Hard Drive
- Flash
- PC Cards
- Smart Cards
- Storage Tapes
- Memory Sticks
- Smart Media
Internet Hard Drive – This one is a service on the Internet that provides storage space to computer users. This service offers about 25 MB of space, but it could be more, depending on the service type.
Flash Drive – This a storage device that comes in many colors and has a stick shape to it. They are very small in size, but they can hold anywhere between 256 MB and 3 GB of material on them.
PC Card – This is a thin credit card size device that fits into a PC card slot, usually on a notebook computer. This card simply adds storage to most notebooks.
Smart Cards – These are the size of an ATM card. When inserted into a smart card reader, they can read and update data for you.
Storage Tape – This one is a magnetically coated ribbon of plastic, capable of storing large amounts of data at a very low cost. Usually, storage tapes are a little bigger than audio tapes. Older computers used tape and tape drives, but even today, some people still back their systems up with storage tape. These tapes hold between 20 GB to about 110 GB of data. An external tape drive can be purchased separately as well, but those are even harder to find.
Miniature Mobile Storage Media – This is used mostly with handheld computers and digital cameras.
Memory Stick – This is a rectangular shaped disk that is used mostly with digital cameras and notebook computers. They hold approximately 128 MB as well.
Micro Drive – This is a square disk that has 1 GB of space and is used with digital cameras and handheld computers.
Smart Media Disc – This is a square disk that has 2 MB to about 128 MB of space on it. It’s used with digital cameras, handheld computers and photo printers.
