Back-ups

What is a back-up?

There are many ways to save an extra copy of your work somewhere else. You do this so if your work is lost, you can find it, without having to write this out again. Of course, security is essential. These devices are designed to hold a certain amount of data, and make a copy of a program or a file. 

DICTIONARY DEFINITION:

Computer Science- A copy of a program or file that is stored separately from the original.

Pros and cons of 3 different back-ups

Memory Sticks: Memory Sticks, or USB Flash Drives, are fairly new, and popular. They have many variations, some are good for small jobs and some are good for large jobs. They transfer information very quickly and are very easy to install. Although, some are very expensive and can be lost easily as they are very small. 

CD's: CD burning technology is good for back ups because they are portable, easy to store, and most new computers come with a CD. They come in two different types- re-writable CD's, which can be re-written up to 1000 times, and CD ROM disks, which can be cheaper, but limited to one use. But, both can be easily scratched, and therefore become unusable. Some computers don't come with a built in CD burner too.

Zip Drives: Zip drives are faster than floppy disks, and hold more information. They can be used over and over again. They are good for small back ups and are cheaper than memory sticks. They have a life of up to a decade, and are fairly portable. However, to use the zip disks, you need the zip drive, which is quite expensive. They are not as portable as flash drives and are becoming less common.