Removable media
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In computer storage, removable media refers to storage media which can be removed from its reader device, conferring portability on the data it carries. A removable drive is a reader device for such media. These are not to be confused with removable disks, which are self-contained storage devices detachable whole from their hosts.
Some types of removable media are encased in cartridges to protect sensitive data-carrying surfaces from dust, moisture and mechanical wear. Cartridge enclosures are necessary where the medium itself is too fragile to be handled directly (as with Zip disks and floppy disks), but are sometimes dispensed with to reduce media costs (as with compact discs and later generations of DVD-RAM media).
Removable media remain the most common means of distributing retail software for personal computers,[1],with the compact disc displacing the floppy disk in the mid-1990s.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Orlowski, Andrew (28 April 2004), “Why shrink wrap software won't die”, The Register, <http://theregister.co.uk/2004/04/28/avanquest_shrink_wrap>
 |
This computer hardware-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
