Storage Devices

Devices for storing information

Hard Drive

• Sometimes referred to as a "fixed" drive
• Stores information when the computer is turned off
• Storage capacity is measured in "gigabytes" (gb)
• Higher speed drives will access data more quickly

Diskette Drive

• Also known as a "floppy" drive
• The standard diskette contains 1.44 megabytes (mb) of storage
• Diskettes are a convenient means of transferring small files between computers
• They are a potential source of "computer viruses"

CD-ROM Drives

• Read-only CD-ROM disks (650 megabyte capacity)

CD-RW Drives

• These drives can read and write information onto CD-ROM disks 
• CD-R disks can be written but not erased
• CD-RW disks can be erased and reused
• They may be useful as back-up devices

DVD Drives

• Uses disks similar to a standard CD-ROM drive
• But the disks have much higher capacity

DVD-RW Drives

• Drives which can write to DVD disks
• There are competing standards for these drives

Zip Drives (Iomega)

• Store information on a removable disk (100 mb or 250 mb)
• Higher capacity than diskette drives, but less than CD-ROM or DVD

Tape Drives

• Store information on magnetic tape
• May be used for backup in some medical applications
• Dell does not currently offer a tape drive option

Dell Computers

Optiplex Desktops

• A diskette, fixed drive and CD-ROM drive are standard
• CD-RW and Zip drive options are available
  

Latitude Laptops

• A diskette, fixed drive and CD-ROM drive are standard
• CD-RW and Zip drive options are available