Hey! Do you want to know the Types of Storage Devices in Computers then should read this article?
It makes no sense to talk about storage in computing systems. Many people have heard that the computer storage device is used to store most of the available software on the machine including photographs or videos. If(type_ed_ad_units!=undefined). This serves as the storage of temporary or permanent information based on users’ preferences.
What is Storage Device in Computer?
Table of Contents
A storage device is used to store a large amount of information like Operating systems, application programs data files on a computer. Some examples of storage devices include mass storage devices like Hard Disk Drive, Solid State Drive, CDs, Magnetic Tapes, Zip disks, etc.
What are the types of storage devices in computers?
1. Floppy Disk Drive
A floppy disk is a removable disk that stores the data in a Magnetic media. Floppy disk is available in various capacities – 360 KB, 720 KB, 1.2 MB, 1.44 MB, and 2.88 MB.
The contribution of the floppy drive in the early days of the computer was commendable, and it was used more in the 1970s. Whenever there was a personal computer, the floppy drive was a key component, but by 2000 it was replaced by other storage devices.
A Four pin Berg connector is used to provide power supply to the floppy disk drive. The floppy disk drive interface has 34 pins and a twist in the cable.
The Main Components of Floppy Disk Drive are:-
1. Heads
The head in a floppy drive is used for data reading and writing; this allows data to be written into a wider “clean slate”, without interfering with an adjacent track of analog data.
2. Stepper Motor
The use of the stepper motor in the floppy drive revolutions the step by step of precise numbers.
3. Drive Motor
In floppy drives, the drive motor is used to help the metal hub rotate in the center.
4. Mechanical Frame
In floppy drives, the mechanical frame is used to touch the read/write heads with the dual-sided diskette media.
5. Circuit Board
The circuit board in floppy drives is used for all electronic communication as well as for reading and writing data.
Types Of Floppy Disk Drive
- 8 Inch Floppy Drive – Capacity 100 KB
- 5.25 Inch Floppy Drive – Capacity Range 360 KB- 2.88 MB
- 3½-inch Floppy – Capacity Range 720 KB- 1.2 MB
2. Hard Disk Drive
The Hard Disk Drive is a magnetic storage device. it is used to store a large amount of data on a PC. The power connector used for connecting the hard drive is 4 pin connector called Molex connector. The hard disk and the power connector used for connecting the hard disk are shown in the following figure-
The Hrad Disk is connected to a 40 Pin Integrated drive electronics controller on the motherboard. Typically in desktop motherboards, there are two Enhanced IDE channels namely, primary and secondary. For each IDE channel, it is possible to connect two IDE devices like HDD, and CDROM Drive.
The Rear side of the hard disk consists of a 4-Pin power connector, master-slave jumper settings, and interface cable connection. Difference types in interfaces IDE and SCSI are available.
The Main Components of a Hard Disk Drive are:-
- Platters
- Spindle
- Head
- Actuator arm
- Actuator Axis
- Actuator
- Power Connector
- Jumper Block
- IDE Connector
3. Optical Devices
In 1983, one of the most successful consumer products of all time was introduced: the compact disk (CD) digital audio system. The CD is a non-erasable disk that can store more than 60 minutes of audio information on one side.
The huge commercial success of CD enables the development of low-cost optical-disk storage technology that has revolutionized computer data storage.
The Main Components of Opticals devices are:-
- Optical filters
- Fiber optics
- Diffraction gratings
- Diffusers
- Light pipes and waveguides
- Beamsplitters
- Mirrors
- Lenses
- Polarizers
Types Of Optical Devices
- CD-ROM
- CD-R
- CD-RW
- DVD
4. Zip Drive
Zip Drive is a high-density removable media that can store a maximum of 100 MB to 250 MB of Data. Zip drive is developed by Iomega Corporation. Zip Drive is comparatively cheaper. durable and can store larger data than the floppy disk hence it is used to transfer a large amount of data.
5. Tape Drive
A tape drive is a device, which is similar to a tape recorder, which can be used to read data and write data into a tape. The capacity of the magnetic tapes can vary from the range of kilobytes to gigabytes.
The tape drive provides sequential access. Hence to read a set of data it is essential to read all the data that is preceding it. This feature makes the tape drive slow and hence it is not preferred for daily operations. But tape drives are the cheapest devices for performing the backup of a large amount of data in an organization.
6. Pen Drive
A Pen Drive is a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB. This device is small, lightweight, removed, and rewritable. Initially, Pen drives are used as a quick portable storage device. Compare to floppy disks, USB pen drivers are fast.
Pen Drive is also known as a flash drive, thumb drive, Jump drive, and USB key. A pen drive consists of a small printed circuit board encased in robust plastic or metal casing, which enables the user to carry the pen drive in his pocket.
On the Pen drive, Only the USB connector can be seen outside the case that is covered by a removable cap. The pen drive is active only when powered by a USB computer connection, and required no other external power source or battery power source. It will run with a USB connection (5 volts and up to 500ma). To access the data stored in a Pen drive, the drive.
7. Memory Stick
A memory stick is a small card-like structure slightly smaller than chewing gum. A memory stick is a removable flash memory card. This can be used as a memory storage device on a laptop.
The Memory stick is also available on digital cameras for storing photos. A memory stick capable reader can be connected to the USB port or serial port to transfer the images from the camera to the computer.
8. Solid State Drive (SSD)
An SSD drive is a storage device. It is used to store a large amount of data on a computer. SSD drive is similar to a computer hard disk drive, in other words, the new technology of HDD is SSD.
SSD is invented to make computers efficient, fast, and low power consumption the special features of SSD are that it is very fast and efficient and consumes less power as compared to HDD. SSD is a form of flash storage like memory or pen drive.
The Main Components of SSD:-
- Interface Connector (Power Data).
- Cache Chip
- Control Chip
- NAND Memory Chips on both sides of Logic Board
- Logic Board
- Top & Bottom Cover
9. Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a type of computer storage in which you can store your data at a remote location and you can access your data from any remote location. Even on cloud storage, your data is stored in the drive itself, but you can easily access it from anywhere.
Cloud storage is mainly used in data centers like banking servers, education, hosting, etc. Moreover, the popularity of cloud desktops is increasing day by day in the market.
If you don’t want to buy computer hardware, you can buy cloud storage online. You have to pay monthly or yearly for cloud storage, in which your data can be accessed from anywhere. Your data is more secure on cloud storage.
Microsoft OneDrive, Box, iCloud, OpenDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and Tresorit are some popular Cloud Storage providers.
Types of Cloud Storage
- Personal Cloud Storage
- Public Cloud Storage
- Private Cloud Storage
- Hybrid Cloud Storage
So, This is all about the “Types of Storage Devices in Computers”. Please comment on this article. if you have any doubts or queries please Comment to us.
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