Data storage devices are used to record and retrieve information. They can be internal or external, permanent or temporary. Solid state drives are popular due to their portability and lack of moving parts, but they wear out over time.
A data storage device is any mechanism used to record data so it can be retrieved and used later. The term is most often used in the context of computers or other electronic technologies for which information must be copied to a portable storage device or saved to a medium for long-term archiving. Internal non-removable devices such as computer hard drives, compact disk (CD) drives, or digital video disc (DVD) drives that can read and write information to a disc may also be referred to as data storage devices. Less commonly, data storage can refer to a mass storage unit designed to encode and maintain a very large amount of information, such as all information within a corporate network, on some type of medium such as a reel of magnetic tape or an optical disc drive.
There are two types of data storage devices, one that keeps information permanently and one that keeps information only as long as power is supplied to the mechanism. Inside a computer, random access memory (RAM) microchips or embedded circuit-based memory are examples of temporary forms of data storage, also called volatile memory. The primary purpose of volatile data storage is to provide an area where a device can quickly access information, such as code for an application, that doesn’t necessarily need to be saved after the device is shut down or reset. This volatile information is often copied or compiled from data stored on a permanent data storage device.
A permanent data storage device is designed to retain information for the life of the medium, whether or not the drive is actively powered. Computer hard drives that write to spinning magnetic disks are one of the most common forms of non-removable devices. A CD or DVD drive is another example, and while they are sometimes non-removable, they do write to discs that can be removed and read by another computer or other device.
One of the most used types of data storage devices is known as solid state drives or more commonly, flash drives. This type of device is often a portable, self-contained unit that can hold a certain amount of information and can be used on almost any computer or device with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive. The popularity of solid state drives comes from the fact that they have no moving parts, making them more resistant to damage, especially in mobile devices. One downside to using a solid-state drive is that while the technology is very fast, small, and efficient, it also wears out over time, which means that a drive will eventually become error-prone and ultimately unusable.
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