Storage Media
A Macintosh computer can read data from, or write data to, a wide range of storage media, including:
Hard diskshigh capacity magnetic media.
CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, and DVD-R discshigh capacity, removable optical media.
Zip, Jaz, or other disks or cartridgeshigh capacity, removable magnetic media.
Floppy disks or disketteslow capacity, removable magnetic media.
To use storage media, it must be:
Mountedinserted, attached, or other-wise accessible to your computer.
Formatted or initializedspecially prepared for use with your computer.
All of these things are covered in this section.
Tips
Don't confuse storage media with memory. The term memory usually refers to the amount of RAM in your computer, not disk space. RAM is discussed in Chapter 5.
At a minimum, all new Macintosh computers include a hard disk and CD-ROM drives.
Storage devices can be internal (in side your computer) or external (attached to your computer by a cable).
Some external storage devices must be properly connected and turned on before you start your computer or your computer may not recognize the de vice.
Disk storage media capacity is specified in terms of bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes (Table 1).
Table 1 Terminology for Storage Media Capacity
Term
Abbreviation
Size
byte
byte
1 character
kilobyte
KB
1,024 bytes
megabyte
MB
1,024 KB
gigabyte
GB
1,024 MB
If a disk is write-protected or or locked, files can not be saved or copied to it. A pencil with a line through it appears in the status bar of write-protected or locked disks (Figure 50). I tell you more about the status bar in Chapter 4.
Figure 50 A write-protected icon appears in the status bar of CD-ROM discs and other write-protected media.
You cannot write data to a CD-ROM. But if your Mac has a CD-Recordable (CD-R) drive or SuperDrive, you can use special software to create or burn your own CDs.
Mac OS X may not recognize a built-in floppy drive on an older Mac model. It does, however, recognize most thirdparty USB floppy drives.