Computer Hardware Tip

Computer Memory Defined.

1. When a technician refers to computer memory, it is more commonly understood as Random Access Memory or RAM for short. RAM is volatile,
   which means that data is lost when the computer power is turned off. When you first power up your computer, the operating system and other programs are loaded into RAM. Running programs are those being executed from RAM. You can determine how much RAM you have by right-clicking on My Computer and then click on properties. The bottom right side of that popup window will indicate how much RAM you have.
   
   
2. Users commonly confuse hard drive storage as memory. That's easy to
   understand, since human memory is data that we recall when we need it and the same applies with the data we store on our hard drive. Hard drives have precision moveable parts and are more susceptible to problems versus solid state devices which have no moving parts. It is more fitting to refer to this "memory" as Hard Drive Storage.
   
   
3. Lastly, there is a newer form of memory refered to as Flash Memory. Flash memory retains data even when the power is off. Because of this,
   it is called non-volatile memory. USB Flash Drives are in the removeable storage category and are the replacements for floppy drives. They are small enough to fit on a keychain and are sometimes referred to as USB Keychain Memory Drives. USB Flash Drives are now in the gigabyte storage capacity range.