Types Of Computer Disks
Disk can be defined as a small round plate on which various data can be converted. There are two main types of computer disks known as magnetic disks and optical disks. The data is converted in the form of microscopic magnetized needles on the surface of the disk in case of magnetic disks. In this type of disk, data can be easily erased as well as recorded as many number of times as in a cassette tape. Generally, the magnetic disks are available in various forms such as floppy disk, hard disk, and removable cartridge. On the other hands, the optical disk is the type of computer disks that record various kinds of data’s by combusting microscopic holes in the disk surface.
The optical disks are also further classified as CD-ROM, WROM, and EO or erasable optical. Hard drives are the computer disks that are also named as ‘’fixed disks” and they consist of one or more than one platters of metal. Normally, a hard drive has the capacity to store various data from 20MB to almost 200GB. In addition, they are considered to be 10 to 100 times faster than that of floppy disks. Floppy disks or drives are the disks that can be easily pulled out and which would ‘flop’ when conveyed. This type of computer disk is very helpful in storing various data on the disk, and then can be removed as well as carried anywhere. A floppy disk of 5 ¼ inch is able to hold 360k or 1.2 MB while the floppy disk of 3 ½ inch can normally store 720k 0r 1.44MB of data.
The removable cartridges are the type of computer disks that are encased in a metal or plastic cartridge and can be removed like that of a floppy disk. As compared to other disks, removable cartridges are considered to be very efficient, but not as fast as that of fixed hard disks. Compact disk or CD-ROMs are the type of computer disks that are very common and are shiny circular pieces of plastic having a big hole in the middle. These disks are normally read by the usage of powerful red LED, which is also named as laser. This type of disk is capable of storing almost 640 MB of data and is also known as laser disk. However, the data present in it can’t be deleted and modified.
WORM or write once read once is the type of computer disk that can be written once but, read for many times. On the other hand EO or erasable optics is the computer disks that can be read to, written to, and erased like that of magnetic disks. Computers disks are very cheap and can hold different information even when the computer is turned off. In addition, different types of computer disks are considered to be an excellent storage medium for most types of data. In addition, there are single sided, double sided, and micro floppy types of computer disks.
