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Removable Data Storage |
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| Removable Data Storage Subcategories |
Removeable Computer StorageWith computers, removable media refers to removable 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 removable 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 disk drives,
floppy disk drives, or
tape drives), but are sometimes dispensed with to reduce media costs (as
with compact discs and later generations of DVD-RAM media). Of course to use
removable writable
CD or
DVD media, you require a
CD Burner or a
DVD Burner.
Removable Data Storage can be based upon removable media, or based upon a
complete removable storage device, such as a removable hard drive contained in a
removable or portable
enclosure. It can also be a USB Removable Storage device, such as a flash
drive.
USB flash drives are NAND-type flash memory data storage devices integrated
with a USB (universal serial bus) connector. They are typically small,
lightweight, removable and rewritable. (USB Memory card readers are also
available, whereby rather than being built-in, the memory is a removable flash
memory card housed in what is otherwise a regular USB flash drive, as described
below.) USB removable storage flash drives offer potential advantages over
other
portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They are more
compact, faster, hold more data, are more reliable due to their lack of moving
parts, and have a more durable design. Additionally, it has become increasingly
common for computers to ship without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other
hand, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptop. These types of
drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating
systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems.
With nothing being mechanically driven in a
flash thumb drive, the name is somewhat of a misnomer. It is called a
"drive" because it appears to the computer operating system (and the user) in a
manner identical to a mechanical disk drive, and is accessed in the same way.
A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board typically in a plastic
or metal casing and more recently in rubber casings to increase their
robustness. This makes the drive sturdy enough to be carried about in a pocket,
for example as a key fob, or on a lanyard. Only the USB connector protrudes, and
it is typically protected either by a removable cap or by retracting into the
body of the drive. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection
allowing them to be connected directly to a port on a personal computer. To
access the data stored in a flash drive, the drive must be connected to a
computer, either by plugging it into a USB host controller built into the
computer, or into a USB hub. Flash drives are active only when plugged into a
USB connection and draw all necessary power from the supply provided by that
connection. However, some flash drives, especially high-speed drives, may
require more power than the limited amount provided by a bus-powered USB hub,
such as those built into some computer keyboards or monitors. These drives will
not work unless plugged directly into a host controller (i.e., the ports found
on the computer itself) or a self-powered hub.
There are many makers of removable storage devices, readers, and accessories,
including:
Ultra,
Sabrent,
Kingwin,
iStarUSA,
IOMEGA,
Imation,
HP, and others.
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