File System
Early computers did not have a way to save information when the computer was off; to retain data, the computer had to remain on. Recording data on media was the step that allowed computers to be shut off without the loss of data.
As mentioned previously, computers store information in three types of memory: RAM, ROM, and storage memory. ROM is fast like RAM, but typically the user can't write to it; instead, ROM stores critical but relatively static information, such as some parts of the startup sequence discussed earlier in this lesson. Data—what customers think of as files, documents, and applications—are saved to storage memory, including hard disks, CDs, and DVDs.
A file system catalogs files on a computer so that the operating ...
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