Dell Inspiron 17 (7737, Mid 2013) - Manual (Page 30)

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Storage Device
Storage Device
Storage devices allow you to store data for later use. Storage devices can
be internal or external. Most storage devices store data till 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 within your computer and generally
cannot be removed while the computer is turned on. The most common
internal storage devices are HDDs and 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 have disk platters, whereas SSDs have flash memory. This makes
SSDs faster, quieter, energy efficient, and shock resistant.
Removable Storage Devices
Storage devices that you can remove from your computer without turning
the computer off 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 DVDs and CDs.