In computer storage, removable media refers to storage media which are designed to be removed from the computer without powering the computer off.
Some types of removable media are designed to be read by removable readers and drives. Examples include:
- Optical discs (Blu-ray discs, DVDs, CDs)
- Memory cards (CompactFlash card, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick)
- Floppy disks / Zip disks
- Disk packs
- Magnetic tapes
- Paper data storage (punched cards, punched tapes)
Some removable media readers and drives are integrated into computers, others are themselves removable.
Removable media may also refer to some removable storage devices, when they are used to transport or store data. Examples include:
- USB flash drives
- External hard disk drives
Famous quotes containing the word media:
“One can describe a landscape in many different words and sentences, but one would not normally cut up a picture of a landscape and rearrange it in different patterns in order to describe it in different ways. Because a photograph is not composed of discrete units strung out in a linear row of meaningful pieces, we do not understand it by looking at one element after another in a set sequence. The photograph is understood in one act of seeing; it is perceived in a gestalt.”
—Joshua Meyrowitz, U.S. educator, media critic. “The Blurring of Public and Private Behaviors,” No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior, Oxford University Press (1985)