Floppy Disks
The write protect switch allows you to make the disk writable or non-writable. When the hole is closed the disk is open. When the hole is open the disk is closed.
the Physical Computer
a Training Module of the
Assistive Technology Division
Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services
Storage Media
Floppy Disks |
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| The term floppy comes from the fact that the original 8" and 5 1/4" disks acutally were flexible and "floppy". These disks are now considered obsolete. Some think that the 3 1/2 diskettes are headed to the same fate. | ||
| 3½-inch: Floppy is something of a misnomer
for these disks, as they are encased in a rigid envelope. The most common
size is 1.44MB (high-density). The write protect switch allows you to make the disk writable or non-writable. When the hole is closed the disk is open. When the hole is open the disk is closed. |
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| CD-ROM,
CD-R, CD-RW |
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For a good reference see: http://www.cdrom-guide.com/ |
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The typical CD-ROM or CD-R is an internal device. It is installed into a drive cage, has access via the front panel. A CD-ROM is a read only device. It will have a rated speed at which it will read and transfer data. eg. 48X. The first CD speed was given the rate of X. |
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A CD-R (writable) or CD-RW (re-writable) will have a rating that tells you at what speeds it will perform. It is given in three numbers: eg. 12/10/32. The first number is the CD-R write speed, the seconde is the CD-RW rewrite speed, and the third is the CD-ROM read speed. To "burn" a CD you must have a "burner" device, proper software, and burnable media. CD-R and CD-RW media will have a speed rating that identifies how fast you would be able to burn data onto the disk. |
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| External CD-ROMs and CD-RWs are available. They usually connect via Firewire (IEEE 1394) or USB connectors. | |
| DVD-ROM,
DVD±R, DVD±RW |
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DVD-ROM devices can read CDs. DVD burners typically are also capable
of burning CDs. |
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| DVDs hold considerably more data than CDs. | Until recently there were competing protocols that
made it difficult to choose which type of DVD burner to select. Look for
a burner that is DVD±R and DVD±RW. These devices will burn
a disk that is compatible with virtually all types of DVD readers. |
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| Zip
Disks |
 External Zip drives normally connect via USB or FireWire ports. |
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| A Zip Drive are a storage device that can either be installed internally or externally. Zip Drives are made by Iomega. The Zip drive comes in versions that have capacities of 100 MB, 250 MB and . The Jaz series of devices have greater capacity. | ||
Internal Zip Drives are mounted in the drive cage and connect to the motherboard via the IDE connectors. Typically the Zip would be the slave device on the secondary IDE controller. Zip Devices show up in My Computer as Removable Drives. You can write and rewrite to the media in the same way you would to a diskette or hard drive. |
Zip and Jaz Media |
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| Flash
Drives |
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| Tape
Backups |
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