The need for secondary storage

1.2.2 Secondary Storage

Secondary Storage — Note 1 of 4

What you need to know

Secondary storage is needed because RAM is volatile — data is lost when the computer is turned off. Secondary storage provides non-volatile, long-term storage for files, programs, and the operating system.

What to know

Data and files are retained when the computer is switched off because secondary storage is non-volatile.
Secondary storage is needed to store the operating system, applications, and user files permanently.
It is slower than primary storage (RAM) but has much larger capacity.

Key terms

Secondary Storage

Non-volatile storage not directly accessible by the CPU, used for long-term data retention.

Long-term, non-volatile storage of data/files. Also called external or auxiliary storage.

Exam technique

Tip:The key reason for secondary storage is that RAM is VOLATILE — without secondary storage, all data would be lost every time the computer is turned off.
Mistake:Saying secondary storage is 'used when primary storage is full' — that describes virtual memory. Secondary storage is for PERMANENT/LONG-TERM data retention.
Tip:When asked for a secondary storage DEVICE, give a specific device (e.g. 'hard disk drive', 'SSD', 'USB flash drive') — NOT a type (e.g. 'magnetic' or 'solid state').

Ready to test yourself?

Practise 1.2.2 questions

← Previous topicCache memory1.2.1 Primary Storage (memory)Next note →Optical, Magnetic, Solid State1.2.2 Secondary Storage

Back to Secondary Storage

Revise another OCR GCSE topic: Primary Storage (memory)