The need for secondary storage devices questions and answers
Q1. Explain what is meant by the terms ‘volatile’ and ‘non-volatile’, using examples to illustrate your answer.
A1. Volatile = contents lost when power removed e.g. RAM. Non-volatile = contents remain when power is removed e.g. ROM, hard disk, pen drives, CDs, DVDs, SD cards.
Q2. What is the purpose of a hard drive in a computer?
A2. A hard drive is a non-volatile storage device so it is used to store your operating system, all your programs and applications, and any files you create. If you didn’t have one, you would have to load up these things each time you switched your computer on!
Q3. Explain what the terms ‘primary memory’ and ‘secondary storage’ mean with examples.
A3. Primary memory = RAM and ROM. This type of memory can be accessed directly by the CPU. Secondary storage = hard disk, CDs, DVDs, flash memory, magnetic tape etc. Cannot be accessed directly by the CPU. They are only used to store applications and data, like a suitcase.
Q4. What other names are commonly used for RAM (Random Access Memory)?
A4. Primary memory, Immediate Access Storage (IAS), memory unit or just memory.
Q5. Does the CPU work directly with RAM or the hard drive to fetch, decode and execute instructions?
A5. It works with the RAM.
Q6. How can you compare the 'cost per byte' of a hard drive to RAM?
A6. Divide the total storage of a device in bytes by the cost of the device. Do this for the hard drive and the RAM and then compare the two answers.
Q7. Why do most computers still use magnetic hard drives rather than solid state ones?
A7. Magnetic hard drives are able to store huge amounts of data for very little cost compared to solid state ones. Even though they are not as fast as SS hard drives, they still generally provide acceptable speeds of data access.
Q8. What is meant by 'portable' storage?
A8. This is storage that you can carry around with you.
Q9. What is meant by 'cloud' storage?
A9. Cloud storage is when you upload your files using the Internet to a third party company, who store them on their computers. You don't store the files on your own computer.
Q10. Use the Internet. Name three companies that you can get free cloud storage with. Compare their free accounts. What criteria might you use to make comparisons?
A10. E.g. SkyDrive, Google Drive, DropBox. A quick search for free cloud storage companies will reveal many! Criteria for comparison might include how much free storage you get, how well you can sync your files between different devices running different operating systems, how good their customer support is, other reviews and so on.