Chapter 3

Storage
ENG. SAMAA AWAD

IGCSE
Information and Communication Technology
Chapter 3 Topics

1. Magnetic Storage

2. Optical Storage

3. Solid-State Storage
STORAGE DEVICES AND
MEDIA
Storage Devices and Media
• Storage devices are a very important component in any computer system.

• Computers store data in a digital form.

• Storage media are non-volatile, which means that the stored data are always

there, whether the computer is on or off.

• There are three main types of storage media:

• Magnetic

• Optical
• Solid-State
MAGNETIC STORAGE
Magnetic Storage
• Magnetic storage holds the data magnetically.

• The surface of the media is made of magnetic material and the data is stored in

the form of tiny magnetized dots.

• Data is written to the media by changing the magnetic polarity, to represent

either a 0 or a 1.

• Magnetic storage devices include:

• Hard Disk Drive
• Magnetic Tape
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• A hard disk is made up of concentric platters that spin on a central spine.

• A read/write head moves on an arm across tracks and sectors on the platters.

• It is the main storage device in many personal computers, but it’s rapidly being
replaced by solid-state drives.

• When a file gets stored, it may be split up

and saved on different sectors on the disk.

• The OS creates a file allocation table (FAT)

where it records where each part of a file

is located.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• Advantages:

• It can store a very large amount of data

• It provides random access, which means that files can be accessed directly and fast

• It is a cheap type of storage device

• Disadvantages:

• It can be noisy

• It is prone to damage since it has moving parts

• It is slower than solid-state

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• There is a fixed hard disk drive, that is built-in into a computer and is always
connected.

• There is also a portable hard disk drive that can connect externally to a computer.
It’s mainly used for backing up data.

• Advantages of portable HDD:

• Small and light weight
• Easy to use
• Quick method to backup or archive data

• Disadvantages of portable HDD:

• Insecure because it might be lost
• Could be damaged as it’s being moved
Magnetic Tape
• A magnetic tape stores data in a similar way to a magnetic disk.

• The only difference is that data is stored on a long

tape rather than being scattered on a disk.

• When data is read/written on the tape, a read/write head

stays still and the tape moves past it.

• This means that data at the far end of the tape will take a longer time to be
accessed.

• This is called serial storage. This means that data is stored one piece after the
other.
Magnetic Tape
• If the data is stored in some sort of order, this would speed up locating data,

because the tape would fast forward to the desired location.

• This is called sequential storage. It is faster than serial storage, but still slower than

direct access to data on hard disks.

• Magnetic tapes are used when there’s a need to store a large amount of data

and the speed of access is not important.

• It is low cost and has long durability.

OPTICAL STORAGE
Optical Storage
• Optical storage uses light from laser to read / write data.

• Optical media include:

• Compact Disks (CDs) → can store up to 700 MB

• Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs) → can store up to 4.7 GB

• Blu-Ray Disks → can store up to 128 GB

• They could be:

• ROM → read only (e.g. CR-ROM)

• R → recordable, where data can be written once on the disk (e.g. CD-R)

• RW → rewritable, where data can be written multiple times (e.g. CD-RW)

Optical Storage
• An optical disk has a single spiral track running from the inside to the

outside.

• Digital data is stored on the track by etching pits onto the surface of the disk

using laser. The space between the pits is called a land.

• The laser of the DVD drive is more precise, this is why DVDs can have

more data that is closer together on the surface.

Optical Storage
• CD-ROM / DVD-ROM → can not be written to, but only read from / used for

selling music or movies or software programs.

• CD-R / DVD-R → can be written to only once / the disk surface is covered in a

dye that gets burnt when the laser hits it, creating black spots / the reflective

areas are 1s and the black spots are 0s / used for saving personal files for backup

• CD-RW / DVD-RW → can be written to multiple times / has a surface of metallic

alloy whose state shifts between reflective and non reflective

Optical Storage
• Blu-Ray → a blue/violet laser light is used to read from the disk / allows data to be

stored in larger density / performs high speed transfers / has higher cost than other

types

• Advantages of optical disks:

• Cheap
• Portable

• Disadvantages:
• Store less data than HDD
• Slow access speed
• Stored data degrades over time
SOLID-STATE STORAGE
Solid-State Storage
• A solid-state storage uses flash memory, which is non-volatile memory chips

containing transistors called floating gate transistors, which keep their charge

even when the power is turned off.

• Initially, all transistors are charged (1s), and when a file needs to be saved,

current is blocked to certain transistors which changes their charge to (0s).

• It is called solid-state as it does not have any moving parts.

• Devices include: solid-state drives, memory cards, and flash memory sticks.
Solid-State Storage
• A solid-state drive (SSD) is a new generation of storage devices.

• It is quickly replacing HDD as the main storage device

in desktops and laptops.

• Advantages of SSD:

• Very fast access speeds

• Small, light and portable

• Quiet
• Have no moving parts so there’s a less chance of data getting damaged
Solid-State Storage
• Disadvantages of SSD:

• More expensive than HDD

• Storage capacity is usually less than HDD

• Limited number or read / write cycles, so it can’t be used indefinitely.

• A pen drive (or memory stick or flash drive) is a small pen shaped device that
can be plugged into a USB port. It’s ideal for transferring data from one device to
another.
Solid-State Storage
• Flash memory cards, or secure digital (SD) cards, are similar to memory sticks.

• The main difference between then is the shape and the way they connect.

• They are used in small electronic devices that need large storage space, like

digital cameras and smartphones.

• SD card → 4 - 32 GB

• Micro SD card → 4 – 32 GB, but smaller in size

• SDXC → extended capacity, up to 2 TB

Solid-State Storage
• Advantages of flash drives and memory cards:
• Non-volatile, so there’s no risk in losing data if the power is off
• No moving parts so less prone to damage
• Small, light and portable
• Need little power
• Available in many sizes
• Used in many devices

• Disadvantages:
• Can break easily
• Can be lost easily
HOMEWORK
1. Explain why a laptop needs a storage device 5. Identify two disadvantages of using magnetic instead of solid-
state.
2. State if the below statements are true or false

a) Blu-Ray media allows high capacity storage using 6. Explain the difference between direct access and serial
blue/violet laser light access to data.
b) Data is written to a DVD by laser
7. State which of the following storage types would access the
c) SSD is non-volatile
data the fastest:
d) Unlike internal HDDs, external HDDs are volatile
a) Magnetic
e) Magnetic tapes have slow data access speed
b) Solid-State
3. State which is the storage medium for a blu-ray disk:
c) Optical
a) Flash
d) All of them
b) Magnetic

c) Optical

d) SSD

4. Describe how data is stored on an optical disk like a CD-ROM

THANK YOU