Computer storage technology has developed incredibly quickly and current storage media is almost incomparable to early data storage methods although almost all of them share a common root in being known as magnetic storage media. This type of storage encompasses any form of floppy disk, fixed disk or removable tape storage that utilises a magnetised surface and a set of magnetic heads to record information. One other main type of storage device exists, these are devices such as CD, DVD and laser disk; these are optical devices and use a high definition laser to burn a pattern onto a surface to store data. Originally these were single write only devices, although now they can be re-recorded a fixed number of times.
Although storage devices often form part of the system box, there is a growing market for external storage accessories; it is now a simple procedure to plug in an extra external hard drive of DVD-ROM drive via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. This is of great benefit for moving data between two computer systems or storing data in one place, the device can be plugged into the computer you are currently using and then moved across to a different computer, at any time. Laptop users will often use an external hard drive to easily extend the storage capacity of their often limited and non-upgradeable machines; they also make it easy to move data between their laptop and desktop PCs.
Although storage devices often form part of the system box, there is a growing market for external storage accessories; it is now a simple procedure to plug in an extra external hard drive of DVD-ROM drive via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. This is of great benefit for moving data between two computer systems or storing data in one place, the device can be plugged into the computer you are currently using and then moved across to a different computer, at any time. Laptop users will often use an external hard drive to easily extend the storage capacity of their often limited and non-upgradeable machines; they also make it easy to move data between their laptop and desktop PCs.