MEMORY

Main Memory is located directly on the computer’s main circuit board, so that data can travel
quickly to and from the CPU. Data is stored at a specific location, called an address. The
contents of an address can be accessed to be read from, written to or processed.

TYPES OF MEMORY

1. Random Access Memory (RAM) – Inside a computer, you will find one or more memory
chips called RAM. These hold temporary operating instructions for the computer, its programs
and the data. This is the place where the CPU receives instructions and data to do its job.

Advantage: the computer can access data held in RAM almost immediately.
Disadvantage: RAM is volatile, i.e. data held in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off or
malfunctions.
Capacity: As computer programs and operating systems become more complex, the size of
RAM must be increased. Older computers come with 128 Mb, 256 Mb or 512 Mb. More
recently, the size of RAM can be as much as 4 Gb.

2. Read Only Memory (ROM) – ROM chips hold data and instructions necessary for starting up
the computer. The information is fixed at the time of manufacture and is sometimes described
as hard wired.

Advantage: ROM is non-volatile, i.e. the instructions are available every time the computer is
switched on. These instructions can only be read and cannot be changed.
3. Programmable ROM (PROM) – This is one step up from ROM. Once PROM has been
programmed with data its contents cannot be changed. They usually do not have any data
locked into it upon manufacture. However, a company using those PROMs to make a computer
can put its own information. If the code or data stored in PROM must be changed, the device
must be discarded. PROMs are ‘one-time programmable’ devices.

4. Erasable and Programmable ROM (EPROM) – EPROM is programmed in exactly the same
manner as PROM. However, EPROMs can be erased and re-programmed repeatedly. An
EPROM is erased by exposing the device to strong Ultraviolet (UV) light and this resets the chip
to its initial, un-

Storage
SECONDARY STORAGE

Storage refers to the media used to keep programs, data and information for later use.

Secondary storage saves programs and data permanently, whereas primary storage uses
main memory (RAM) which is temporary.

Media are the actual object on which the computer keeps data, instructions and information for
future use.

Storage devices record and retrieve data, instructions and information to and from the storage
media.

Media can be divided into 3 types:

1. Magnetic media – e.g. floppy disks, hard disks and magnetic tape
2. Optical disks – e.g. CD-ROM, CD-R/CD-RW, DVD etc.
3. Flash memory – e.g. memory cards and flash drives
MAGNETIC MEDIA

1. Floppy Disks (diskettes) – provides an easy way to transfer information from one computer
to another. Data is recorded on a thin circular plastic disk, coated with a magnetic material. Like
other magnetic disks, the diskette must be formatted or divided into areas before data can be
read from or written to it. Typical floppy disks can store up to 1.44Mb of data.

2. Hard Disks – these are rigid, inflexible disks made of highly polished metal. They can
contain a single disk or two or more disks stacked on a single spindle. There may be one
read/write head per disk or, on more expensive disks, more than one read/write head per disk,
thereby reducing the time taken to access information on the disk. Hard disks have very high
storage capacity compared to floppy disks. Typical capacity can range from 40 Gb to 160 Gb.

3. Magnetic tape – magnetic tape is a narrow strip of plastic coated with ferrous oxide. The
data is recorded along the length of the tape, with each symbol being encoded in binary form
across the width of the tape.

Magnetic tape is mainly used to back-up data on computer networks. This is a slow process
and is often done at night or at the end of a working day.

OPTICAL DISKS
Optical disks can store much more data than most magnetic media. It uses a laser beam
technique to write a magnetic pattern on the surface of the disk. This magnetic pattern is then
read using a second laser beam.

1. Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)

ü Stores large amounts of data – up to 800 Mb
ü Very cheap to produce, particularly on a large scale
ü Good way of distributing software
ü CD-ROMs that contain software and programs are of the Write Once Read Many (WORM)
variety

2. Compact Disk Recordable (CD-R)

ü Stores large amounts of data
ü Possible to add data (write) to the CD-R in more than one session
ü Good for backing up files

3. Compact Disk Rewritable (CD-RW)

ü Stores large amounts of data
ü The CD-RW can be erased and reused as many times as required
ü Good for backing up files

4. Digital Versatile Disk (DVD)

ü Stores massive amounts of data – up to 17 Gb
ü Excellent for showing video

FLASH MEMORY
Flash memory is non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased and
reprogrammed. It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives
for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products.

A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic flash memory data storage
device used with digital cameras, handheld and mobile computers, telephones, music players,
video game consoles, and other electronics.

Flash Drives or Memory sticks are handy devices that can be used to copy and store data
from computer hard drives. They were developed as an alternative data storage method to
diskettes. One end of the flash drive is inserted into the USB port on the computer. Once
attached to the computer, they operate in much the same way as floppy drives, but have
capacities that currently range from 1 Gb to 16 Gb.

Reference: http://csecinfotech.pbworks.com/w/page/32874168/Lesson%201-6%3A
%20Memory