The storage media of a computer is the part which actually holds the data required to load the operating system and other software. The storage media holds data after the computer has been turned off, or after it has been removed from the computer itself. The main type of storage media is the hard drive, which houses the files of the operating system, software and user saved data.
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| An example of an IDE Hard Drive |
Traditionally, hard drives are connected using 40-pin 80-conductor ribbon data cables, which run between the hard drive itself and the motherboard. Using an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronic) connection, the hard drive connects to the motherboards data paths (Buses) which allows for data to be saved to the device. Each of the IDE ribbons can hold two devices (known as a master and a slave). The master drive handles all of the connections, and sends only the requested ones to the slave drive. The slave only sees what the master has sent it.
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| A IDE Connector |
Other storage devices can be removable such as USB drives, CD/DVDs, SD Cards and even legacy floppy drives. The computer reads these drives as external, and they are normally only used to carry user created data from one device to another. For example, the SD Cards normally hold all the images taken on a digital camera and allow the computer to access the photos. Other drives can be static such as external hard drives, but yet again these are traditionally only used for user file storage and rarely hold the operating system or software.
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An SD Memory Card
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| A USB Memory Card |
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