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secondary storage
it is non volatile, meaning it will keep data if there is no power. this may be external or internal
storage methods
magentic, optical and solid state
magnetic storage
makes use of a magnetisable coating. Magnetised dots are made on the surface of the material.
magnetic storage advantages
cheap, large storage capacities and fast write speed
magnetic storage disadvantages
lots of mechanical parts and not very durable
optical storage
makes use of a laser to shine and reflect light to read the data stored eg, CD and DVDs used to store songs and videos
optical storage advantages
cheap, portable and takes up little space
optical storage disadvantages
less storage, easily damaged and slow write speeds
solid state drives SSD
solid state disks use non volatile flash memory to store information used in higher end computers and laptops
solid state drives advantages
highly durable , no moving parts and very fat read/write speeds
solid state drives disadvantages
more expensive similar storage to magnetic disks
how a flash memory works
Large electric current used to force electrons through a barrier and trap them on the other side .They remain on the other side until ‘flashed’ with a new current, eg usb sticks and cameras
flash memory advantages
low cost, portable and no moving parts
What is RAM ( random access memory)
the part of the computer that temporarily stores the instructions that the computer is running, and the data it is processing. RAM is a volatile storage device as it loses data if the power is turned off
What is ROM ( read only memory)
ROM contains the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) . ROM stores data permanently held in the primary storage it is non volatile as the data is not lost when the power is off. eg stores BIOS and initial program the computer runs
processors
A processor is made up of one or more central processing units (CPUs), they carry out software instructions . Each CPU is referred to as a core.
clock speed
describes the time per second the processor can carry out one or more instructions
mainframe computer
are high performing computers with large amount of memory, storage and hundreds of processors that run billions of instructions simultaneously
microprocessor
the of job of the microprocessor is to run the instructions of your computer program eg mobile phones, and washing machines
server
is a computer program or device that manages and provides a service to another computer program and its user
desktop computers
a general purpose computer that is designed to carry out many different tasks eg video editing,gaming and web browsing
mobile computers
are easy to move around and are portable eg smartphone,iPad and laptop
digital cameras and camcorders
use light sensors to capture images formed by light passing through the device lens. The quality depends on the lens eg capturing memories and advertising
navigation aids
calculate the best route between two locations, they work using the internet. smartphones are replacing in car navigation eg waze and google maps
multifuntional device
used to perform multiple different tasks. eg smartphone can used to text,calls,photos etc. eg printer , smart phone and gaming consoles
convergence
blurs the distinction between different types of devices eg smartphone and tablet
system software
is used manage hardware and running application includes operating system and utility software,.
application software
used to carry out a specific task such as word processing and spreadsheet.
managing memory
the os that decides which program and data are moved from secondary to RAM
multi tasking
processors appear to be running in parallel but they are just being swapped in and out of RAM very quickly
security
stops unauthorized people from accessing data and protects memory from other processes.
print spooling
temporally storing print jobs inside the memory until the printer is ready to handle them
utility software
is a type of system that helps run and manage the computer run its everyday tasks
backup
creates a copy of files and programs
compression
reduces the size of files
software updates
updates are done to fix bugs and add to new features etc
software licenses
the set of rules that tell you how can use a specific piece of software eg open source and closed source
