Select appropriate media to

backup and restore data

Computer Fundamentals and Careers in ICT 2.10
Importance Of Secondary Storage
Why does a computer need secondary storage?

It is possible for a computer not to have or use secondary

storage (e.g. dumb terminal).

However, for most computers and users, secondary

storage is required because of the need to permanently
store some data to a computer.
Importance Of Secondary Storage

Without Secondary storage, if you were working on a

document and the power turned off, everything would
be lost because primary storage is temporary.

However, a computer with secondary storage that saved

the file before the power turned off would be able to
recover the last saved version of the file.
Importance Of Secondary Storage
How much secondary storage is required for a
computer?

The computer only needs enough secondary storage

for the operating system and hardware drivers.

However, we always recommend getting as much

secondary storage as you can afford since any installed
programs, pictures, music, or other data requires
secondary storage.
What is Backup?
Backup is the most important computer term you
should know.

A backup is a copy of one or more files created as an

alternate in case the original data is lost or becomes
unusable.
What is Backup?
For example, you may save several copies of a research
paper on your hard drive as backup files in case you
decide to use a previous revision. Better yet, you could
save the backups to a USB flash disk, which would also
protect the files if the hard drive failed.
Reasons for Backup
Hard drives are meant to run for many years without
crashing. But just like all electronic devices, they are
not immune to problems. Because they are not solid
state devices, hard drives rely on moving parts to
access data, which can malfunction and cause your
data to become unrecoverable.
Reasons for Backup

But it's not just hardware malfunctions you have to

worry about. Software corruption can also damage
your files. Directory structures can become damaged
and cause entire folders to disappear. Files can be
mistakenly deleted or corrupted by viruses or other
software attacks. Program installation conflicts can
make applications or files unusable. There are
unfortunately many ways for your data to become
damaged or disappear.
Reasons for Backup
Most people don't realize the importance of having a
backup until it is too late. Of course, when you have
lost years of photos, school papers, business
documents, e-mail archives, music, movies, or any
other data that you cannot recover, the importance of
having a backup becomes all too real.
So how do you backup your data?
The best way is to use an external storage device, such as
a/an

 External hard drive

 Flash memory device, such as a Flash Drive or Flash
Memory Card
 Optical media, such as CD, DVD and Blu-Ray disks.
Floppy Disk
Cloud Storage
Even another computer.
External hard drive
An external hard drive is a portable storage device that
can be attached to a computer through a USB or
FireWire connection, or wirelessly.

 External hard drives typically have high storage

capacities and are often used to back up computers . 
 Flash memory device, such as a Flash Drive or Flash
Memory Card

A USB flash drive, also variously known as a, thumb drive,

pen drive, jump drive, disk key, disk on key, flash-drive,
memory stick or USB memory, is a data storage device that
includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface.

Most weigh less than 30 grams (1.1 oz).[Since first appearing on

the market in late 2000, as with virtually all computer memory
devices, storage capacities have risen while prices have
dropped. As of March 2016 flash drives with anywhere from 8
to 256 GB are frequently sold, and less frequently 512 GB and 1
TB units. Storage capacities as large as 2 TB are planned, with
steady improvements in size and price per capacity expected.
 Flash memory device, such as a Flash Drive or Flash
Memory Card

Most flash drives have a storage capacity from 8 GB to

64 GB. Smaller and larger flash drives are also available
but they're harder to find.

One of the first flash drives was just 8 MB in size. The

largest one I'm aware of is a USB 3.0 flash drive with a 1
TB (1024 GB) capacity.
 Flash memory device, such as a Flash Drive or Flash
Memory Card

Flash drives can be written and rewritten to an almost

unlimited number of times, similar to hard drives.

Flash drives have completely replaced floppy disk for

portable storage and, considering how large and
inexpensive flash drives have become, they've even
nearly replaced Compact Disk (CD),Digital Versatile
Disk (DVD), and Blu-ray (BD) disc for data storage
purposes.
Optical Disk
A storage medium from which data is read and to
which it is written by lasers. Optical disks can store
much more data -- up to 6 gigabytes (6 billion bytes) --
than most portable magnetic media, such as floppies.
Optical Disk
There are three basic variations of optical disks:
ROM : Like audio CDs, CD-ROMs come with data already
encoded onto them. The data is permanent and can be
read any number of times, but CD-ROMs cannot be
modified.
WORM : Stands for write-once, read -many. With a WORM
disk drive, you can write data onto a WORM disk, but only
once. After that, the WORM disk behaves just like a ROM.
Erasable: Optical disks that can be erased and loaded with
new data, just like magnetic disks. These are often
referred to as EO (erasable optical) disks.
Floppy Disk
A floppy disk, also called a floppy, diskette, or just
disk, is a type of disk storage composed of a disk of
thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a
rectangular plastic enclosure lined with fabric that
removes dust particles. Floppy disks are read and
written by a floppy disk drive (FDD).
Floppy Disk
For more than two decades, the floppy disk was the primary
external writable storage device used.

The rigid shell houses a single flexible, magnetisable platter. Both

sides are usable when formatted.

There are 80 tracks per side.

Each of these tracks is further divided into 18 sector, each having a

capacity of 512 bytes (0.5 kilobytes).

The capacity of a diskette is 1.44 megabytes (MB)

Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a term that refers to online space that
you can use to store your data.

Cloud storage provides a secure way to remotely store

your important data.
How Cloud Storage Works
The simplest type of cloud storage occurs when users
upload files and folders on their computers or mobile
devices to an internet server. The uploaded files serve
as a backup in case the original files are damaged or
lost. Using a cloud server permits the user to
download files to other devices when needed. The files
are typically protected by encryption and are accessed
by the user with login credentials and password. The
files are always available to the user, as long as the user
has an internet connection to view or retrieve them.
So how do you backup your data?

If you want to backup your entire system or would like to

have regular backups automatically performed, you
can use backup software that will backup your data for
you.
Many programs are available for both Mac and Windows
that provide automatic backups and system restore
capabilities.
THE END