CDs, or compact disks, are a reliable alternative to magnetic tapes.
Magnetic tapes, a type of secondary storage media, were used extensively in the mid-1980s for storing large quantities of data. They had numerous advantages: they were the first mass storage devices, were cost-effective compared to other types of storage media, and had the capacity to hold and retain large volumes of data. They are also associated with some disadvantages, including deterioration over time, slow data access rate and processing speeds. As of August 2010, magnetic tapes have been largely replaced by faster, more reliable alternatives.
USB Flash Drives
USB flash drives, also called thumb drives, memory sticks, USB flash memory drives or jump drives, are self-contained storage units that connect to laptops and desktop computers via USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports. They typically do not contain batteries and are only powered/active once connected to a USB port.
USB flash drives are small and designed to fit in a pocket or on a keychain. They are primarily used as portable storage media--to store and carry data on the move. Their memory capacity ranges from 512 Megabytes to 16 Gigabytes.
Specialized USB flash drives, such as those with a feature called Ready Boost, connect to computers and provide additional memory, therefore improving their performance and speed.
CDs
CDs, or compact disks, are storage media typically used to store digital data. They are available in three major types: CD-ROM (CD read-only disks), CD-R (CD recordable disks) and CD-RW (CD rewritable disks).
CD-ROM is a reliable, inexpensive, fast, indelible and compact write-only-once storage media. It has a life-span of 30 years under normal conditions and is ideal for the permanent storage of large quantities of raw data and software. CD-ROMs are universally compatible and can be accessed by virtually all CD drives and computer types---a distinct advantage over magnetic tapes, which can only be accessed by magnetic drives.
CD-Rs are blank CDs that can record and store large quantities of data only once. Its contents, once burned, are permanent and cannot be altered.
CD-RWs are CD-Rs that can be reused multiple times. Stored data can be erased and replaced by additional data on CD-RWs.
DVDs
DVDs, or digital versatile disks, are a type of portable, mass-storage, removable media that can store digital, audio, video and software files.
Blu-ray (BD) DVDs and high-definition/high-density (HD) DVDs, two types of DVD disks, offer greater storage capacity and higher quality than regular DVDs. A typical blu-ray disk is capable of holding 100 Gigabytes (GB) or more of data and is backward compatible with CD and DVD formats.
HD DVDs can store 60 GB of data and are available in many specifications, including HD DVD ROMS, HD DVD-R (recordable), HD DVD-RW (rewritable), HD DVD-R DL (recordable, dual layer), HD DVD-Video and HD DVD-VR (video recording).
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