UGEC5147: Application of Information and
Communication Technologies
INSTRUCTOR: AZKA MIR
Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Define storage devices of parts of a computer.
2. Differentiate between RAM and ROM.
3. Enlist the storage devices of a computer.
4. State ONE function of the storage devices of a computer.
Introduction
Storage Devices are devices that can store data or information.
There are various type of storage devices. Different devices are suitable for different tasks.
Data can be stored either in the ‘Internal Memory’ or on a ‘Storage Devices’.
Types of Storage Devices
Magnetic Tape
Optical Disc
Flash Memory Drive
Cloud Storage
Which generation of Computers used
magnetic tape first as a storage device?
Storage Capacity
The amount of data and instructions that can be stored is measured in 'byte’.
This is the way the computer communicates and stores information.
With each keystroke or character a byte of memory is used.
IMPORTANCE OF MEMORY
Memory is an Important part of Computer
Without Memory there would be no computer
It is used for storing both Instructions executed and Data
The CPU accesses each location in the memory by using a technique number called as Memory
Address
Memory helps to save Data.
ROM
INTERNAL MEMORY
Read Only Memory (ROM)
It is permanent, long-term memory which cannot be erased or changed in any way
It is also known as “Non-Volatile Memory” because it doesn’t disappear after the computer is
switched off.
ROM chips instruct the computer how to load the operating system from the hard drive into the
computer’s memory.
INTERNAL MEMORY
ROM is a special kind of memory which stores the instructions which the
computer uses when it 'boots up' - the BIOS (Basic Input Output System).
It allows it to check the type of hard disk installed, the amount of RAM installed
(see next page), the type of CPU being used etc.
Because the data is 'read only', it can be read but not changed by the user.
The ROM chip (although there may be more than one) is attached to the
motherboard.
The key thing to remember about ROM is that the data is not erased when the
computer is switched off - the data is stored permanently. This type of memory is
called 'non volatile memory'
RAM
INTERNAL MEMORY
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Temporary, short-term working memory
Only works when the computer is turned on
It is also known as “Volatile Memory” because data disappears if the power is switched off.
Each time you start a program e.g. MS Word, it is loaded into RAM.
The amount of RAM influences processing power, speed and how many programs can run at the
same time.
INTERNAL MEMORY
As well as storing the data you are working on, RAM also stores the modules that are needed to
make your applications work. For example, when you open up Microsoft Word, you may notice a
short delay while the modules are loaded into RAM.
RAM is also needed so that you can have multiple windows open and so that you can switch
between them.
However, if you have a lot of windows, documents and different applications running, you might
find that your system starts to slow down. This is because your RAM is full up and it is having to
decide what it needs to keep stored in memory at any given time and what it can release. If this
happens to you a lot, you can improve the performance of your computer by installing extra
RAM.
INTERNAL MEMORY
Answer
The second generation (1959-1965) was the era of the transistor computers.
These computers used transistors which were cheap, compact and consuming less power; it made
transistor computers faster than the first generation computers.
In this generation, magnetic cores were used as the primary memory and magnetic disc and tapes
were used as the secondary storage.
Assembly language and programming languages like COBOL and FORTRAN, and Batch
processing and multiprogramming operating systems were used in these computers.
STORAGE DEVICES
Magnetic Tape
Useful for large organisations who need to back up their systems daily to store their data.
It works in much the same way as a video tape.
To find a specific piece of data, you have to start at the beginning of the tape and continue fast
forwarding until you get to the piece of data that you need.
Therefore it is fairly slow to find and retrieve data.
INTERNAL MEMORY
Hard Disk
Hard Disks are the main internal backing store usually found inside computers.
It is a non-volatile storage device. Data is stored on a spinning disk with a magnetic surface
known as magnetic media.
It can store a large amount of data.
There is also an external hard disk which connected to the computer system by a USB cable or
other means.
It provides additional storage space for the computer system.
INTERNAL MEMORY
Hard Disk is a primary Storage device in a computer to store the programs and data
permanently.
It is also known as hard disk drives(HDD) or hard drive(HD).
It is a type of magnetic Disk.
STORAGE DEVICES
Floppy Disks
One of the oldest types of portable storage devices still in use.
Have been around since the 1980s.
Store up to 1.44 Mb of data which equivalent to around 300 pages of A4 text.
Graphics and WordArt cannot be stored because there have larger size than the size of floppy
disk.
STORAGE DEVICES
Floppy disk is also called diskette.
It consists of a thin plastic disk coated with magnetic material.
The disk is enclosed in a plastic jacket.
Floppy disk can only store a small amount of data.
It is inexpensive storage media.
STORAGE DEVICES
Zip Disks
Very popular as a backup medium before CD- RWs were developed and became cheap enough
for everyone to use.
Look similar to a floppy disk but are a little bit thicker.
They can store around 100Mb of data – 70 times more than floppy disk.
STORAGE DEVICES
Compact Disks (CD)
Also known as Optical Storage Devices.
Data is burned onto the surface of the disk using a laser beam in the CD drive.
A Laser beam is also used to read the data stored on the disk.
A typical CD can store around 650 Mb of data – equivalent to 450 Floppy disks.
Optical disc is a form of removeable storage. It includes CDs, DVDs and Blue-ray discs. Optical
Drives use a laser to read and write data on optical disc.
Categories of Optical Discs
CD: CD stands for Compact Disc. It is mainly used to store photos, audio and computer software.
The contents of CD can be read by CD drive. There are three types of CDs which are as follow :
1. CD-ROM
2. CD-WORM
3. CD-RW
TYPES OF COMPACT
STORAGE DEVICES
DVD: DVD stands for Digital Video Disc. It is similar to CD except that it uses a laser beam with
shorter wavelength. The storage of DVD is much greater than CD. It Can be up to 17 GB of data.
Different types of DVDs are as follow:
1. DVD-ROM
2. DVD-R
3. DVD-RW
Blu-Ray Disc: Blu-Ray disc is a new and more expensive DVD format. It has higher capacity and
better quality than DVDs especially for high –definition video. It can store up to 100GB data.
STORAGE DEVICES
Digital Versatile Disk (DVD)
The most common methods of copying and backing up data at home.
Similar to a CD in that it is an optical device and that a laser is used to store the data and read the
data.
A single sided DVD can store about 4.7 Gb of data.
DVDs which store data on both sides can hold over 9 Gb of data.
STORAGE DEVICES
Flash Memory
Typically small, lightweight, removable and rewritable.
They consist of a small printed circuit board which is encased in a plastic or metal casing.
They usually have a removable cap which covers and protects the part of the stick which is
inserted into a USB port.
Are available from 1 Gb up to 6 Gb.
Types Of Flash Memory Storage
The solid-state drives(SSD) are storage devices that typically use
flash memory to store data and programs.
The term solid-state means that they have no moving parts.
The storage capacity of SSDs can be up to 1TB or more.
External SSDs are also available.
Types Of Flash Memory Storage
USB Flash Drives USB flash drive is a flash memory storage device that is connected to a USB
port in computer or mobile device. It is also called thumb drive, key drives, or jump drives. USB
flash is very easy to use because of its light weight and small size. The storage capacity of USB
drive can be up to 256 GB or more.
Memory Cards A memory card is a removable flash memory to store data. Most of these cards are
very small and can retain data without power. A memory card can b inserted in to a slot on
computer or mobile device. However, a card reader can be attached to computer if it does not
have a slot.
Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is defined as "the storage of data online in the cloud“. Cloud storage can provide
the benefits of greater accessibility and reliability; rapid deployment; strong protection for data
backup. Types Of Cloud Storage There are four main types of cloud storage.
Personal Cloud Storage
Public Cloud Storage
Private Cloud Storage
Hybrid Cloud Storage