US2780 Element 5- Show a understanding of computer data storage.
On a computer, data is stored in the drives and discs. .
Data that is stored on a computer is stored in either 3 drives which are "A drive" (floppy disk) "C drive" (hard disk) or "S drive." (server).
All of the information and instructions for the computer are stored in files. These files can be on the hard drive, a floppy disk or a CD. .
Points to remember: - All data is stored in a file in a particular file format.
-Each document is a separate file.
-All applications read at least one file format.
-Many applications read multiple file formats.
-Your data files are separate from the application.
Nearly every desktop computer and server in use today contains one or more hard-disk drives.
Data is stored in files so that it is kept safe and you know where to go next time you want to open that work. All data is stored in files, a file is a named collection of bytes.
Hard drive-Data is stored onto the disk in the form of files. When a program running on the computer requests a file, the hard drive retrieves its bytes and sends them to the CPU one at a time. In the "c" drive data is stored on the surface of a platter in sectors and tracks. The "c" drive is connected directly to the motherboard. The process of low-level formatting a drive establishes the tracks and sectors on the platter. The starting and ending points of each sector are written onto the platter. This process prepares the drive to hold blocks of bytes. High-level formatting then writes the file-storage structures, like the file-allocation table, into the sectors. This process prepares the drive to hold files. Floppy disk-The floppy disk drive is used to imput data to your computer and also store and save data which can be later used. The "a" drive also enables you to copy files from a floppy disc to your hard disc, because this data is stored on a disk it is taking up no space on your computer.