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Floppy disks

Used for storage on microcomputers.

Usually 3.5 inches in diameter. High density floppy disks can store 1.44Mb of data.

Access to data is slower than from a hard disk.

The data can be protected by opening a small write-protect tab which prevents the contents of the disk being changed.

Floppy disks are portable and can be used for

  • transferring data or programs from one microcomputer to another.
  • backing up data from a hard disk.

Floppy disks (and hard disks) have to be formatted before they can be used.

DO NOT...

  • leave floppy disks in heat (eg the sun) or damp
  • open the sliding metal thingy..it lets the dust in!
  • touch the brown disk inside

 

 

The discs are protected by a stiff plastic cover. This has a hole for the read/write heads which is protected by a sprung metal cover.
Exercise : Floppy discs.
Floppy disks usually store of data. There is a write-protect tab which prevents the disk being accidentally written onto.

do not hold as much data as .

Access to data is slower on .

are portable - they can be used on different computers.

 
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