Portable Memory
There are several reasons why removable storage is useful:
- Commercial software
- Making back-up copies of important information
- Transporting data between two computers
- Storing software and information that you don't need to access constantly
- Copying information to give to someone else
- Securing information that you don't want anyone else to access
Modern removable storage devices offer an incredible number of options, with storage capacities ranging from the 1.44 megabytes (MB) of a standard floppy to the upwards of 20-gigabyte (GB) capacity of some portable drives. All of these devices fall into one of three categories:
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- Magnetic storage
- Optical storage
- Solid-state storage
In the following sections, we will take an in-depth look at each of these technologies.