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UNIT 1

COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND

FUNDAMENTALS

LESSON 5:

Secondary Storage Devices

What is a secondary storage device?

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A secondary storage device is a piece of hardware

used to store computer files permanently.

That is files are not lost even when the computer is

shut down.

Secondary storage device

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External storage device

Backing storage device

Auxiliary storage device

Secondary

storage

device

Secondary storage devices are also known as:

Examples of secondary storage devices

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Hard Disk Drives Solid-State Drives Pen drives

Memory cards Optical discs

Features of secondary storage devices

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Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

• It has several moving

parts.

• It provides very fast

read/write access.

Features of secondary storage devices

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Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

• It is found inside desktop and

laptop computers.

• It has a very large storage

capacity. (measured in GB or

TB)

Features of secondary storage devices

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Solid-State Drive (SSD)

• A mass storage device.

• It has no moving parts.

• It can also be purchased in a

portable format. (external

hard drive)

Features of secondary storage devices

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Solid-State Drive (SSD)

• provides faster access than HDD

• does not make noise

• uses less electricity than HDD

• is more expensive than HDD

Features of secondary storage devices

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Pen drive (USB flash drive)

• A small storage device which connects to

the computer through a USB port.

• It uses solid-state technology.

• It is suitable for transferring files between

computers.

Features of secondary storage devices

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Pen drive (USB flash drive)

• It can also be used as a backup device.

• Its price varies according to its storage capacity.

(16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 265GB … 1TB, 2TB)

Features of secondary storage devices

Memory card

•A small flat flash drive.

• It is commonly used

with digital cameras,

mobile phones and

music players.

Features of secondary storage devices

Memory card

• It has a very high

storage capacity.

• Its price varies

according to its storage capacity.

• Since it is very small,

it can be misplaced or lost easily.

Features of secondary storage devices

Optical disc

A flat and circular storage

device which can be

written to and read from

using a laser beam.

Examples of optical discs

Compact Disc (CD)

• Storage capacity of 700 MB.

• Can be used to store

multimedia files.

Examples of optical discs

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)

• Storage capacity of 4.7 GB.

• Can be used to store very

large multimedia files.

Examples of optical discs

Blu-ray Disc (BD)

• Storage capacity of > 50 GB.

• Can be used to store several

hours of very high quality

video.

Features of optical discs

Optical discs can be classified as

1. Read Only Memory (ROM)

2. Recordable (R)

3. Re-Writable (RW)

Features of optical discs

Read Only Memory (ROM) Discs

• Data on ROM discs is pre-recorded and new

data cannot be added.

• Example: Buying a computer game on disc.

▪ CD-ROM

▪ DVD-ROM

▪ BD-ROM

Features of optical discs

Recordable Discs

• Data can be written onto recordable discs but

cannot be changed/modified or erased.

▪ CD-R

▪ DVD-R

▪ BD-R

Features of optical discs

Re-Writable Discs

• Data on re-writable discs can be written, erased

and rewritten several times.

▪ CD-RW

▪ DVD-RW

▪ BD-RW

Quick Test

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TRUE FALSE

measured in Gigabytes or Terabytes.

1.A hard disk has a very large storage capacity.

Quick Test

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TRUE

The storage size of a hard disk is

measured in Gigabytes or Terabytes.

1.A hard disk has a very large storage capacity.

Quick Test

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TRUE FALSE

ROM.

2. New files can be stored on a CD-ROM.

Quick Test

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FALSE

CD-ROM is Read Only, that is new data

cannot be added to it.

2. New files can be stored on a CD-ROM.

Quick Test

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TRUE FALSE

3. A DVD has a smaller storage capacity

compared to a CD.

Quick Test

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A CD can store only 700 MB.

A DVD has a storage capacity of 4.7 GB

which is much higher than that of a CD

3. A CD has a smaller storage capacity

compared to a DVD.

TRUE

Quick Test

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TRUE FALSE

A memory card is used as a storage

4. A memory card is used to store

photographs taken with a mobile phone.

Quick Test

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TRUE

A memory card is small and flat, suitable to

be used as a storage medium in mobile

phones.

4. A memory card is used to store

photographs taken with a mobile phone.

Quick Test

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TRUE FALSE

5. A Blu-ray disc is suitable for storing high

quality video files.

Quick Test

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TRUE

A Blu-ray disc has a very high storage

capacity and is suitable for storing very large

multimedia files.

5. A Blu-ray disc is suitable for storing high

quality video files.

Recap

• A secondary storage device is a piece of

hardware used to store computer files for later

use.

• Examples of secondary storage devices

include hard disk drives, solid-state drives, pen

drives, memory cards and optical discs.

Recap

• Each type of storage device uses a different

technology for reading and writing data.

• Choosing a suitable storage device depends on

the type of file to be saved.

• The price of storage devices varies according to

their storage size.

End of Lesson