Computers & Tablets

[Flakita]

I am researching about computers and I wanted to know if somebody knows how many internal disk drives does a computer have? Also does anyone know what's a zip drive?

[Phil]

Depends on the computer. Some come with CD Drive and DVD Drives, or combo CD/DVD Drives. Other than that, you have the Harddrive, unless you want to add more of those as well. Most computers come with a CD Drive, DVD Drive, and Harddrive. Rarely anymore do you see Floppy Drives, and definitley not ZIP Drives. ZIP drives are old, from 1994. Never used much. Floppy Drives made them look bad, and then CD Drives made them both look bad, then DVD drives made the three look bad, and now we have external harddrives and flash drives that make them all look bad LOL.

[disarray]

Typically a computer will just have 1 internal drive, and a handful may have 2. Usually there is room to expand on this to 2-4 additional drives.  A zip drive was a storage disk made by Iomega back in the day to attempt to replace the floppy disk. Its a dead format now, but if you are looking for removable storage or backup, look into external hard drives, flash drives or online data backup.

[Matthew-GS Retired: Community Advocate]

Welcome, Flakita!

What an exciting time for you - buying a new computer is a wonderful opportunity to open new possibilities and learn.  An easier way to find the right computer for your needs is to use www.bestbuy.com - click on the Computers link and locate "Computer Recommendation Center."  On each product page you can click on "Specifications" or "Product Features" to view the number of and size of each drive. Your storage needs will vary depending on how you use a computer; less storage if you intend to only browse the internet, more if you want to store music, photos, or other media.

Let us consider disk drives in newer computers.  Hard Disk Drives (HDD) are for primary file storage and CD/DVD drives are for removable storage.  Generally, the higher the number of Gigabytes (GB), the more files can be stored on a drive.  I like how Phil explained the differences in drives and that a computer may include multiple CD/DVD drives.  Disarray illustrates that desktop computers are usually sold with one HDD and that you may add drives.  Laptop or notebook computers are also pre-configured with a single HDD but because of their compact design they do not have space for additional drives. Also correct is that the Iomega Zip Drive is not widely used as it was in the mid-1990s.  However, Zip Disk is a format still available and sold by Iomega. I still have my original drive!

Flakita, were you perhaps calling a USB drive a "zip drive?"  This is not uncommon as USB drives have many names including thumb drive, flash drive, stick drive, pen drive, pocket drive, and others. These small USB storage drives vary in size and capacity. These accessories store today's equivalent of 1000 or more floppy disks, but more compact. Iomega Zip Disks are now seen similar to how VHS tapes are compared to DVDs; still around, but less capacity.

I respect that shopping for a new computer can be overwhelming - especially with all the new technology and terms. Please continue asking questions, Flakita - it is a great way to learn. 

[Deloris2]

Would you give me the following information about buying a new compute?

1) The amount of RAM

2) Info about the Hard Drive

3) The type of monitor

4)Info about the CPS

5) Infor about the warranty

6) The cost