Secondary Storage

• What is secondary storage?

  Storage for data not in use
• What is primary storage?

  Memory areas accessed quickly by the CPU
• What is the characteristic of primary storage regarding speed?

  It has the fastest read/write speeds
• What is the nature of secondary storage?

  It is non-volatile storage
• What types of data are stored in secondary storage?

  Operating systems, applications, and user files
• How do read/write speeds of secondary storage compare to primary storage?

  They are much slower than primary storage
• What are hard disk drives (HDDs)?

  Traditional internal storage in PCs and laptops
• What is the structure of a hard disk drive?

  Stack of magnetized metal disks that spin
• How is data stored on a hard disk drive?

  Magnetically in small areas on circular tracks
• What is the function of the movable arm in a hard disk drive?

  To access areas and read/write data
• What is tertiary storage used for?

  Long-term data storage and backups
• What are portable HDDs used for?

  Backing up and transporting large amounts of data
• How reliable are HDDs despite their moving parts?

  Generally very long-lasting and reliable
• What are solid state drives (SSDs)?

  Storage devices with no moving parts
• What type of memory do most SSDs use?

  A type of flash memory
• How do SSDs compare to HDDs in terms of read/write times?

  SSDs have significantly faster read/write times
• What is the benefit of using an SSD over an HDD?

  Quicker booting and opening programs
• What are hybrid drives?

  Drives using SSD for OS and HDD for data
• What are portable SSDs used for?

  Backing up and transporting data
• What are USB pen drives and memory cards?

  Flash-based, solid-state storage devices
• How do USB pen drives and memory cards compare to SSDs?

  They are slower and have shorter life
• What are the uses of USB pen drives and memory cards?

  To expand storage capacity of small devices
• What are the advantages of HDDs?

  They are cheaper and have higher capacity
• What is a disadvantage of SSDs?

  They can only be written a limited number of times
• What is an advantage of SSDs over HDDs?

  They don't need defragmenting
• How do HDDs and SSDs differ in terms of noise?

  HDDs make noise, SSDs are silent
• What are optical discs?

  CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs
• How much data can CDs hold?

  Around 700 MB
• How much data can DVDs hold?

  Around 4.7 GB
• How much data can Blu-ray discs hold?

  Around 25 GB
• What are the three forms of optical discs?

  Read-only, writeable, and rewritable
• Why is the use of optical discs declining?

  Increased internet speeds and streaming services
• What are the advantages of optical discs?

  Cheap, portable, and water/shock resistant
• What is a disadvantage of optical discs?

  They are easily scratched
• What is magnetic tape used for?

  Archiving large amounts of data
• What is the storage capacity of magnetic tape compared to HDDs?

  It has much greater storage capacity
• What is the cost per GB of magnetic tape?

  It has an extremely low cost per GB
• How is magnetic tape stored?

  In plastic cassettes containing reels of tape
• How is data read/written on magnetic tape?

  Sequentially from beginning to end
• What is a disadvantage of magnetic tape?

  Very slow when finding specific data