Types of Computer Storage

A storage device is a word that refers to anything that can store goods or information. It’s also a fairly wide phrase. A storage device in your house can be a closet, pantry, or cabinet; if you have a garage, it’s also a storage device. A hard drive is a type of primary storage in a computer used to store data and information. A piece of computer hardware that stores data. It can be internal or external to a computer, server, or another computing device, and it can contain and store information both momentarily and permanently.

What exactly are a storage device and primary storage?

It is a device used for storing data. Storage devices can be internal or external to a computer, server, or another computing device and can temporarily and permanently retain and save information. Secondary and primary storage devices are the two categories of storage devices.

Primary storage device

The primary storage of a computer system is its main memory. Temporary memory, often known as cache memory, is the primary store. Primary memory has a relatively limited capacity, and it is always smaller than secondary memory.

Primary Storage Examples-

• Unlike RAM, read-Only Memory (ROM) is a nonvolatile and permanent kind of main storage.
• RAM (Random Access Memory) (Random Access Memory)

The main memory of a computer system is known as random access memory or RAM. It’s also known as cache memory or temporary memory. When the power to the PC or laptop is turned off, the information saved in this type of memory is gone.

Read-Only memory is referred to as ROM. We can only read from this memory; we cannot write on it. ROM is a nonvolatile form of memory. During the manufacturing process, the data is permanently saved in such memory. The instructions needed to start a computer are stored in a ROM.

Secondary storage device

After primary storage comes, A backup storage device.

A secondary storage device has more storage capacity and can save data for a longer period. Compact discs (CDs), USB drives, hard discs, and other devices can be external or inside a computer.

The primary goal of tertiary storage is to provide massive storage capacity at a reasonable cost. In Hierarchical Storage Systems, the tertiary storage level (HSS) may employ several storage devices. They are as follows: 

• Magnetic cassette cassettes 
• Disks (optical) 
• Optical tapes are a type of optical tape. 

Fixed storage drives and detachable media units make up these storage devices. The hard discs are permanently attached to the computer system. The detachable media unit may be removed from the drives, allowing new media units to be added to the storage capacity. The media unit is accessible from its regular position when data on a medium is accessed.

The tertiary storage system

• Reliable, long-term storage can offer data recovery at any moment in the future.
• The longest storage period in human history has been roughly 5,000 years – for baked clay tablets.
• Everything else has a shorter lifespan, with acid-free paper being the exception if kept in a secure area. One of the drawbacks is the type of ink used; some will deteriorate and disappear when exposed to air. So, while the paper itself may endure a long time, the information written on it may not.
• For the past 5 to 10 years, cassettes have been quite excellent, but the capacity to READ the recordings is fading rapidly.

CDs can live up to 15 years if properly stored and secured. They (along with DVDs and Blu-Ray) are prone to minor mildew concerns, rendering them unreadable in as little as a few years. On the other hand, Floods tend to render them illegible almost instantly by dissolving or removing the silvered backing. M-Disc media, for example, claims to last 1000 years. They haven’t been around long enough to prove it, though. Then there’s the possibility that the equipment needed to READ; the M-Disc won’t be accessible.

Importance of storage devices

Storage devices are necessary for storing all of your important data. You won’t be able to keep your data safe without storage devices, and you won’t be able to process data without them. Data storage and processing, which boost efficiency and performance, are the most important functions of such devices.

Conclusion

You have got to store your belongings somewhere. That is a ‘storage device’ in a computer. Primary storage is where documents, images, and other files are stored, whether on a hard drive or an external drive. It differs from memory because the data is retained even when the power is turned off. When you turn off the computer, all of your data is lost. Storage devices are necessary for storing all of your important data. You won’t be able to keep your data safe without storage devices, and you won’t be able to process data without them.