| A data storage device is used for recording | | | | readers also offer write capability and along with the |
| information and storing digital data. Recording can be | | | | card it can also function as a pen drive. |
| done in a variety of ways using virtually any form of | | | | A floppy disk is a data storage medium that is |
| energy ranging from manual muscle power in | | | | composed of a disk of thin, flexible (floppy) magnetic |
| handwriting to even more hi-tech forms like | | | | storage, which is encased in a square or rectangular |
| electromagnetic energy modulating magnetic tapes | | | | plastic shell. Floppy disks are read as well as written |
| and optical discs. | | | | by a 'floppy disk drive' or FDD. This should not be |
| There are different types of data storage devices. | | | | confused with 'fixed disk drive', as that is another |
| However, the most commonly used and popular ones | | | | term for a non-removable type of hard disk drive. |
| today are hard drives, memory card readers, floppy | | | | Generally, floppy disk drives have some limited use |
| disks, zip drives and USB flash drives. | | | | especially with legacy industrial computer equipment |
| A hard drive is a non-volatile storage device which | | | | but now they have been largely shed by USB flash |
| stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating rigid | | | | drives, external hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs and |
| platters with magnetic surfaces. In layman terms, it is | | | | memory cards. |
| what any computer runs on to store data. An | | | | A zip disk is entirely different. The act of packaging a |
| external hard drive can also be added to a system to | | | | set of files into a single file or archive is called a zip |
| increase storage space. | | | | file. Normally the files in a zip file are compressed. This |
| A memory card is a device typically having a USB | | | | enables the files to take up less space in storage or |
| interface. It is used for accessing data using different | | | | less time to send files to someone by e-mail. There |
| methods such as Compact Flash (CF), Secure Digital | | | | are several popular tools which can be used for |
| (SD) and multimedia cards. Most memory card | | | | zipping files. |