Storage Media

You can buy computer storage media from The Retail Factory. Computer storage media, secondary storage or backing storage as it can be known, is a device that can store data or programs permanently even when the computer is switched off. It can also transfer information between the computer and itself, so it can save data from the computer onto the device or the computer can retrieve data from the device.

Backing storage is divided into two main categories: optical media and magnetic media. Magnetic media stores binary data on a disk or tape. This device is coated with a special material that is magnetised differently depending what binary is stored - 1 or 0. Optical media is a similar object but instead of being magnetised, the binary is stored on a surface which reflects laser light differently again depending on which binary is being used. Examples of magnetic media are hard discs and floppy discs. CD-Roms (Compact Disc – Read Only Memory) is an example of optical media.

Floppy discs are an old and outdated form of storage media. They’re 3.5 inches long and hold 1.44MB of data which is a very small amount of data by today’s standards. This amount of data would be enough to store about 350 A4 pages of text but wouldn’t be big enough to hold more than a couple of songs. Another problem with floppy discs is that they have to be formatted before being used, but most stores sold them pre-formatted. The majority of electronic and computer supply stores stopped selling floppy discs last year due to their rapid decline in popularity.

Today’s equivalent of the floppy disc is the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Drive, otherwise known as a USB stick or USB flash drive. Due to the advances in microprocessor technology, these forms of storage media are becoming cheaper, smaller, lighter and bigger capacity-wise. They can have more capacity than a CD and some more than computer DVDs. Files stored on such media can include documents, images, music and even video. They are more scratch resistant and durable than CDs and DVDs but like all forms of storage media, flash drives can only cope with a limited number of write and erase cycles before it fails completely. They are also much easier to lose than other storage media devices.

Storage media devices are essential for all computer users who work with important or sensitive files such as students with assignments or companies that hold sensitive data. The storage media device can store the sensitive or important files and transfer them to another PC to make backup files or to continue work where more resources are available. If the original data is damaged in any way, a backup file on a storage media device or transferred to another PC via the device is a vital function. Similarly, if one PC doesn’t have the resources to complete a project such as missing software or a lack of a printer, the user can simply store the files on the portable storage device, transfer them to another PC with the necessary facilities and continue work.