Reference Guide
Table Of Contents
- Me and My Dell For Inspiron, G-Series, XPS, and Alienware computers
- Setting up your computer
- About your computer
- Using your computer
- Ports and connectors
- Software and Applications
- Restoring your operating system
- Troubleshooting
- BIOS
- Getting help and contacting Dell
- References
Storage device
Storage devices allow you to store data for later use. Storage devices can be internal or external. Most storage devices store
data until you manually delete the data. Examples of storage devices are hard‑disk drives (HDD), solid‑state drives (SSD),
optical-disc drives, flash drives, and so on.
Internal storage devices
Internal storage devices are installed on your computer and generally cannot be removed while the computer is turned on.
The most common internal storage devices are hard-disk drives—HDDs and solid-state drives—SSDs. HDDs and SSDs use
SATA interface to transfer information. SSDs are also physically similar to HDDs, which makes them compatible with existing
computers. HDDs contain disk platters. SSDs use flash memory which makes SSDs faster, quieter, energy-efficient, and shock
resistant.
Removable storage devices
Storage devices that can be removed from your computer without turning off your computer are called removable storage
devices. Commonly used removable storage devices include:
● Optical discs
● Memory cards
● Flash drives
● External hard drives
Optical drives and discs
Your computer may support a DVD RW or a DVD RW and Blu-ray combo drive. Optical discs can be read-only, write-once, or
re-writeable. Some of the common types of drives are:
● Blu-ray writer—Reads and writes to Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and CDs.
● Blu-ray reader + DVD RW combo—Reads Blu-ray Discs. Reads and writes to DVDs and CDs.
● DVD RW—Reads and writes to DVDs and CDs.
Memory cards
Memory cards, also referred to as media or flash cards, use flash memory to store data. They are re-writable, fast, and retain
data even when power supply is cut off. They are commonly used in devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, media
players, gaming consoles, and so on. Your computer may have a media-card reader to read and write to these cards.
Some common types of memory cards are:
Table 1. Examples of common types of memory cards
Secure Digital (SD)/Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)
About your computer 19