Data Storage in a Computer

The area within a computer system where data can be left on a longer term basis while it is not needed for processing is called “Data storage” . The mass storage devices include the diskettes, Hard Drives, Optical Disks and Magnetic Tapes. Diskette is a small, removable, flexible plastic disk covered with a thin layer of a magnetisable substance, onto which digital data can be recorded and stored. They are called Floppy Disks and now they are outdated. The Hard Drive is the storage area within the computer itself, where gigabytes of space are available to store bits of information. Then, we have the Optical Disks, which is a storage device that uses reflecting surfaces and laser technology to read and write data on a disk, so also known as Laser Disk. CD-ROM’s are the most popular type of optical storage. CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc Read Only Memory. A computer CD-ROM disk, like its audio counterpart, contains data that has been stamped on the disk surface as a series of pits. To read the data on a CD-ROM an optical read head distinguishes the patterns of pits that represent bytes. CD-ROM disks provide tremendous storage capacity. CD-ROMs usually come with data already written onto them. These days most applications software is provided on CD-ROM.