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File Storage

Floppy Drive ||| CD ROM ||| Hard Disk ||| Managing

To use your computer, it is very important to understand the storage mechanisms within your system. This module will demonstrate some of the tools to help you understand the storage of your computer.

When you use a PC, you need some place to keep your programs and data files, and that place is your hard disk. How do you get a program on to the hard disk or get a file off the hard disk? With a floppy-drive. This chapter discusses the different types of drives on a PC and explains how to use and take care of them.

What Is a Drive?

Computers need a place to store information both files and programs, and that place is on a disk-drive. When you save a file, the information is recorded magnetically on to the drive's surface. When you want to use that information again, the disk reads the information from the drive. On most new PCs, you can expect to have the following drive types:

  • Floppy Drive. The floppy drive(s) on your PC works with portable floppy disks. Floppy drive portals look like mail slots on the front of your system unit. To get data on to and off your hard drive, you can use a floppy disk and drive.
  • Hard Disk. The hard drive inside your system unit is the computer's main "cabinet" for storing data.
  • CD-rom drive. Newer PCs usually come with a CD-ROM drive as standard equipment; older computers may not have this type of drive. For information on CD-ROM drives see below.

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Using Floppy Disks

A floppy disk-drive provides the medium for moving information both program and document files on to and off your hard drive.

The original floppy disk was 5 1/4 inches across and was flexible--or floppy. Modern disks are smaller (3 1/2 inches) and cased in hard plastic sleeves. These come in two sizes (capacity) 720 MB and 1.4 MB. You should always purchase the preformatted 1.4 MB size which are stamped 'HD' (High Density) on the plastic cover.

If you have a fairly new PC, you probably have a single, 3 1/2-inch floppy disk-drive; in most systems, this is drive A. Older PCs may have a second floppy drive (for 5 1/2-inch disks), named drive B.

To insert a disk into the drive, slide it label up (and with the metal tab forward) into the drive until you hear a click. To eject a disk, press the disk-drive button.

TIP: As technology advances, newer types of floppy disks are emerging. You can, for example, purchase a Zip drive. This type of disk and drive can store even more information than the standard 3 1/2-inch variety.

Formatting a Floppy Disk

Before you can use a floppy disk, you must prepare it for use, and this process is called formatting. Formatting divides the disk into storage units where the data will be saved. You can purchase preformatted floppy disks to save time. If you did not purchase a preformatted disk or you want to format an existing disk, you can do so using Windows 95/98:

CAUTION: Formatting erases all of the information on a disk. If you are formatting an existing disk, be sure the disk does not contain any information that you need.

1. Insert the disk you want to format into the drive.

2. Double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop.

3. Right-click your floppy drive, usually drive A, and select the Format command. You see the Format dialogue box.

4. If necessary, display the Capacity drop-down list and select the correct capacity for your disk.

5. Select the type of format. Quick formats the disk and erases all of the files; this method does not check the disk for bad sectors. Full erases the files, prepares the disk, and checks for bad sectors. Copy System Files Only adds the system files to the disk so that you can use it to start your PC.

6. If you want to label the disk, enter the label into the Label text box.

7. Click the Start button.

8. When you see a message telling you the format is complete, click the OK button.

Copying Files to a Floppy Disk

Floppy disks enable you to store and transport your files and programs. You may want to keep backup copies of important files in a fire-safe location, for example, or carry files between your work and home computers. Whatever the reason, Windows 95/98 makes it easy to copy files from your hard disk to a floppy disk:

1. Insert the floppy disk into the drive.

2. Open the drive and folder that contains the files you want to copy.

3. Select the file(s) you want to copy by clicking its name. If you are copying a single file, you can skip the next part of this step. To select a list of contiguous files (i.e., the  names are next to each other in the list), click the first file then press and hold down the Shift key while you click the last file. The first and last files and all files in between are selected. To select non-contiguous files from a list, hold down the Ctrl key and click each file you want to select.

4. Right-click the file(s).

5. From the shortcut menu, select Send To and then select your floppy drive (usually drive A). The files are copied to the floppy drive.


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Using CD-ROM Drives

CD-ROMs (ROM stands for read-only memory) became standard equipment on PCs when multimedia became popular. Multimedia programs, which combine text, video, graphics, and sound, contain really large files. Because CD-ROMs can store more than 700MB of data, they are the ideal medium for distributing information such as programs, encyclopedias, and other large collections of information. As their name indicates, however, CD-ROMs are read-only disks. You can't edit or add data to a CD-ROM using the standard CD-ROM drives.

If you have a newer PC, you most likely have a CD-ROM drive as part of your system. Usually this drive is housed inside the system unit. If you have just one hard drive, your CD-ROM drive is most likely named Drive D.

CD-ROM drives differ in speed. You often see the speed advertised as 32x or 48x. These speed designations may be particular to a given manufacturer's standard, but in general, the higher a CD-ROM drive's speed, the faster it processes information.

To insert a disc into the drive, you press the Eject button to eject the CD-ROM carriage and then lay the disc inside the drive. Press the Eject button again to insert the disc. Some drives have a removable cartridge, or caddy. Insert the disc into the caddy, and then insert the cartridge into the drive.


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Defining Hard Disks

Most systems have just one hard disk-drive, usually labeled drive C. You can always add another hard drive; either another internal drive housed in the system unit or an external drive that is connected to the PC via a cable.

Hard drives are measured in terms of size and speed. Size--which translates into storage capacity--is the more important distinction (You'll be surprised how quickly your drive fills up with files and programs). Hard drive size is measured in megabytes (M) or gigabytes (G); more megabytes or gigabytes means more storage capacity. Most new computers have between 2 and 5GB of drive space.

Checking Disk Space

When you first purchased your PC, you probably knew the size of the drive, but you may forget the size over time. Windows 95 enables you to quickly review how much drive space you have used and how much is still available. To review this and other hard drive information, follow these steps:

  1. Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop.
  2. Right-click the icon for your hard drive.
  3. From the submenu that appears, select Properties. You can see the capacity of the drive, the space used, and the space free.
  4. Review the information and then click the OK button.

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Managing your Disk Drive

Your drives store all your programs and files. While you can always reinstall programs, your data files are irreplaceable; therefore, you should take good care of your disks. Keep these tips in mind:

  • Keep your floppy disks in a safe place; they can be ruined by extreme temperatures.
  • Never jam a disk into the drive. If the disk won't go in, check to be sure there's not a disk in the drive already. Be sure you are inserting the disk with the right side up.
  • Hard disks and floppy disks store data magnetically. To avoid damaging your disks and drives, always keep magnets away from them.
  • It's a good idea to organize the files and programs on your hard disk to avoid accidentally deleting or copying over valuable information.

Over the years, as programs have gotten larger it has increased the amount of disk space required to run the average program.  This has caused manufactures to increase the amount of storage included with computers.  It has also force the price to decrease.  A rule of thumb is that you can never have enough storage.


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