13/10/2020
BASIC STORAGE DEVICES OF A COMPUTER
Data storage is a very important component of the information processing cycle. The part of the computer responsible for this is the memory (storage device).
Storage device is any type of hardware component used to save, keep or record data or information for either immediate or future or permanent use.
There are 2 main categories of storage devices. They are:
Primary Storage Devices
Secondary Storage Devices
The main difference between the primary and secondary storage devices is that, primary storage devices are volatile and are the fastest type of memory in the system unit or computer. The secondary storage device on the other hand can also hold data even if there is no power connected. Secondary storage also holds data for a longer period of time.
PRIMARY STORAGE DEVICES
They are the basic of prime storage devices which save data, information and programs temporarily. They are mostly located within a system unit, without them, the computer cannot function at all.
EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY STORAGE DEVICES
ROM (Read Only Memory)
RAM (Random Access Memory)
The Cache Memory
Registers
SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES
It is a storage media that holds information until it is deleted or overwritten by the computer user.
EXAMPLES OF SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES
Hard disk
Floppy disk
CD-ROM
DVD-ROM
Flash disk/Pen disk /Pen drive
Zip disk
Memory Card/Flat card/SD card
RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)
The RAM is the main storage device. It is also called virtual or simple memory. The RAM holds data for a short period and releases it when there is a new instruction.
TYPES OF RAM
Dynamic RAM(D-RAM)
SRAM(Static RAM)
EDORAM(Extended Data Out RAM)
ROM (Read Only Memory)
ROM is a built-in computer memory containing data that can only be read but cannot be written.
TYPES OF ROM
PROM (Programmable ROM)
EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM)
USES AND IMPORTANCE OF BASIC STORAGE DEVICES
For saving data or information
For making data backup
For transferring data from one source to another
For sharing data
For securing data
For installing system programs and applications
STORING DATA
Information created by computer can be lost when the electrical supply to the computer goes off. Storage devices save data or information permanently to avoid loss of data or information in the absence of electricity.
They are also durable and prevent loss of data as a result of passage of time. With proper care, data or information on storage device can be used several times and for a long time.
MAKING DATA BACKUP
Computer users can make multiple copies of data and information on many storage devices for safe keeping. Data Backup is essential because the original data can be corrupted, stolen or modified. To avoid this, computer users can make backup which they can turn to when need arises.
EXAMPLES OF DATA BACKUP DEVICES
CD’s
DVD’s
External Drives
TRANSFERRING DATA AND INFORMATION
Data and information always need a medium to travel. To transfer data from one computer to another, computers are usually connected through a network cable or wireless or Bluetooth technology. In the absence of these technologies, the storage device is used for transferring data from one computer to another. The common storage devices used for transferring data and information are pen drives and external drives.
NB:
Bit
Byte
Kilobyte(Kb)
Megabyte(Mb)
Gigabyte(Gb)
Terabyte(Tb)
Petabyte(Pb)
Exabyte(Eb)
Zettabyte(Zb)
Yottabyte(Yb)
Unit Of Storage Capacities.
A character = 1 Bit
8 Bits = 1 Byte
1024 bytes = 1 Kilobyte
1024 kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
1024 megabytes = 1 Gigabyte
1024 gigabytes = 1 Terabyte
1024 terabytes = 1 Petabyte
1024 petabytes = 1 Exabyte
1024 exabytes = 1 Zettabyte
1024 zettabytes = 1 Yottabyte
The common floppy diskettes are 5 ¼ and 3 ½ inches.
The 3.5 inches can hold data up to 1.44MB.
Types of CD-ROM include: CD-R (Compact disc Recordable), CD-RW (Compact Disc Re-Writable). The amount of data it holds is 700MB (80minutes). Likewise the DVD-ROM comes in DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disc Recordable) and DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disc Re-Writable) and the amount of data it holds is 4.7GB (120minutes). Blu-ray disc on the other hands hold data from 10GB to 120GB
11/11/2020
CREATING FOLDERS
A folder is an electronic container or cabinet in which you store your documents. A computer folder can therefore be defined as a place where files or sub-folders are kept.
A computer hard disk is a place where all folders on the computer are stored. Some folders are known as system folders, others program folders. The program folders contain all the information that regulates the functions of the programs installed on the computer.
There are other folders like ‘My document’, ‘My music’ and ‘My picture’. These folders are labeled according to their functions or files they contain. These folders are all sub-folders of ‘My document’.
Folders are created to organize files. Sorting files into folders makes it easy to find files, create backups and delete old files and folders.
STEPS IN CREATING A FOLDER ON A DESKTOP
Right-click any space on the desktop.
Choose ‘New’ from the pop-up menu.
Select ‘Folder’ from the pop-up menu list.
Type in the name of the new folder.
Press ‘Enter’ to confirm the given name.
NOTE: Folder cannot contain the following characters when naming or renaming
| / \ : * < > ? “
MOVING FOLDERS
Files unlike folders are created using application software installed on the computer system. A file is a saved document on the computer system. Files can be a music file, a picture file, word file or video file.
STEPS TO MOVE A FILE OR A FOLDER
Right-click on the icon of the target file or folder.
Select ‘cut’ from the pop-up menu list and click on it.
Right-click on the destination folder or file.
Select ‘paste’ from the pop-up menu and click on it.
RENAMING A FOLDER
STEPS TO RENAME A FOLDER
Right-click on the target icon.
Select ‘rename’ from the pop-up menu and click on it.
Type the new name of the folder.
Press ‘enter’ on the keyboard to save the name.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FILES AND FOLDERS
We identify a folder as a place where files and other folders are kept. By this simple definition, we explain that a folder is simply a container and we do not need any application program to create a folder. A file is a document that has been saved.
18/11/2020
TYPING OF KEYBOARD SYMBOLS
A symbol is a mark, character, image that is used to represent a concept.
THE QUESTION MARK (?)
A question mark is a punctuation mark used at the end of a direct question.
DOUBLE INVERTED COMMAS (“)
Double inverted commas, also known as quotation marks are used to draw attention to a word that is unusual for the context. In addition to all of the above, quotation marks can also be used for book titles, poems and plays.
AT SIGN @
The @ sign is commonly used in e-mails and the internet addresses.
PERCENTAGE SIGN %
The % sign is used to represent a percentage. The sign is used to indicate that the value is out of a hundred.
THE & SIGN
The & sign is known as the ampersand. It is the symbol used to represent the word ‘and’.
OPEN AND CLOSE BRACKETS
The open and close brackets also known as parenthesis are used to separate extra information or a comment from the rest of a sentence. Open and close brackets are also used to enclose cross references and around numbers or letter in text.
THE ASTERISK (*) SIGN
The * sign is also known as the asterisk used to mark words for footnotes and references.
To make a question mark input, double inverted commas input, the at sign, the percentage input/sign, the ampersand input, the open and close brackets and the asterisks input, press and hold down the shift key and any of the keys mentioned above.
COMMA
It is used to represent a slight pause in a sentence or it is used to separate words and figures in a list.
SLASH
It is used to separate optional items in a list or to express fractions or divisions and that has various uses in computer programming.
FULL STOP
It is used to complete or bring a sentence to a halt.
SEMI-COLON
It is used to separate two parts of a sentence that have a relationship to each other in terms of meaning, when each part could stand alone as a sentence in its own right.
EXCLAMATION MARK ( !)
It is used to indicate excitement in a sentence
HASH SIGN (# )
It is also known as pound. It is used to represent a number
DOLLAR SIGN ($ )
It is used to represent the currency dollar
CARET SIGN( ^ )
It is used to fixed an omitted word. It is also used to indicate exponential components.
UNDERSCORE SIGN( _)
It is mostly used in social media handles. It can also be used to underline text or emphasize points.
HYPHEN SIGN OR DASH (– )
It is used in mathematics as a minus sign.
PIPE SIGN (| )
It is used in mathematics to indicate the length of a line.
DWINDLE (~ )
It is used in mathematics to indicate an approximate number.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your comment down here