A hard drive is a media storage device that contains programs and applications.
Various media storage devices can present challenges to users and system administrators. Physical care of these devices will eliminate data errors. Storage media has evolved in the last few years to include new devices, such as USB flash drives and external memory cards, that can store temporary data.
USB Media Storage
A USB drive is designated to store large amounts of data --- up to 16 gigabytes. Many USB drives are recognized by the Windows operating system's plug-and-play feature, which has a built-in interface to communicate with the drive. However, there is a problem with USB drives: newer drives use 2.0 USB technology, which would not work in a USB 1.0 port. USB flash drives are small and if mishandled, they can easily break. Extreme care must be taken when using a USB as an external storage device.
Tape Media Storage
Some mainframe computers use tape media as a source of backup and secondary storage for programs. Tape media can back up an entire information system network. Most tapes are archives and can be used several times to backup data. The problem with tape media is that the tape may be worn or defective, which causes a read error. Tapes can also become defective if they are not stored in a temperature-controlled climate.
Hard Disk Storage
Hard disks are internal storage media devices that contain system programs and utilities. Internal hard drives are used by system administrators as an audit trail and backup program. Hard disk storage problems can start with the boot record, which is read before the disk is accessed. If the boot record is damaged, the hard disk drive can become defective. Another media storage problem for hard drives are defragmented files that collect from a lack of disk maintenance. System hard disk utilities should be launched once a week to check the integrity of the hard disk.
CD-ROM Media
CD-ROM media disks can store up to 700 megabytes of files and programs. The problem with most CD-ROM media is that they are easy to break or scratch. This causes a program error when trying to download files. There are various "red book" classifications for CD-ROM media and a person must know which kind of media can be used as a rewritable disk (usually CD-RW media).
Tags: Media Storage, problem with, become defective, boot record, CD-ROM media