Removable Storage and Its Uses

In this day and age where internet connection bandwidths and download speeds are seemingly infinite in comparison to those of days gone by, we are able to download more files than ever with practically no limit on how big they can be. Not only this, computer programs have increased manyfold in complexity and hence size.

Keeping up with this can be problematic; there are so many things to download, but only so much space available. Someday you might reach the point where your hard drive becomes full with files. At this point you have two choices:

1. Delete some of the files stored on your hard drive.
2. Acquire some additional storage device(s) to keep the files that won't fit.

In some cases choice 1 might work fine, but it's inevitable that as time goes by choice 2 will become necessary. This is just one instance where removable storage comes in handy. In this article I will hopefully convince you of the importance of removable storage devices and when you might need them.

• USB pen drives
• External/portable hard drives
• CDs
• DVDs
• (Micro) SD cards

All of these are removable storage devices. They are either inserted into the appropriate drive or connected to the computer via a USB or firewire port, sometimes requiring a cable and are easily removed, i.e. they are not firmly attached to the motherboard of the computer, hence the name removable storage.

Once plugged in, your computer will automatically recognise that the device has been attached and begin the appropriate steps to make it work. In some instances, however, you might have to install drivers or software to get your device to function properly.

In most circumstances, after your device has been installed, you may access it from the appropriate menu or folder. This will depend on your operating system, which could be Linux, Windows, Mac OS, etc. Once you have accessed the storage device you will now be able to copy files to it.

Below are some instances when you might need a removable storage device.

• Your hard drive is full.
• You want to give large files to someone which are impractical to send over the internet.
• You want to make a CD of your favourite music.
• You want to back up your files in case you lose them.
• You want to transfer a file from one computer to another without an internet connection.

Your primary concern should be how much space you need to do what you want to do. If you want to back up a lot of files (say 200 GB), a portable or external hard drive would be a good affordable solution. On the other hand, if you just want to send a permanent copy of some photographs of a recent holiday to a friend in the post, a CD or cheap USB stick would be more appropriate.

Following this, you must also consider what computer you have and whether it is compatible with the storage device you have in mind. If you're on a Mac you will most likely have USB and firewire ports, so any storage devices requiring either port types will work for you. Conversely, if you're running a PC, you might only have USB ports, which might limit your choices a bit, unless you decide to buy a firewire PCI card to add this functionality to your computer.

If you intend to copy your files to a CD or DVD you will need a drive that can write to these storage media. They are available as internal or external devices, meaning that you can either open up your computer and install them (in the former case) or plug them into the appropriate port (in the latter case).

• Removable storage devices are hardware devices that easily connect and disconnect to and from a computer. They are used to store data.
• There are many kinds of removable storage devices.
• Removable devices allow you to get past many difficulties that might arise when you rely on just one method of storing data.

Make sure you do plenty of research about various storage devices you think might be appropriate to you before you commit to buying anything.

• Check whether the storage space will be adequate;
• Make sure the price is reasonable;
• Ensure that it will be compatible with your computer;
• Read reviews online so that you know you're buying something that won't fail you.