What is memory / RAM?
The word ‘memory’ usually refers to ‘Random Access Memory’ (RAM) RAM is a type of memory that carries information to and from the processor as and when it is required. Think of RAM as a container. The operating system (for example Windows XP) is loaded in to this container when you switch on your PC and therefore takes up a certain amount of space within this container. When you start up another program such as Microsoft Word, it too gets loaded into this container and so on for every program that you have open. Data held in RAM is only stored there temporarily and will be lost when you turn off your computer. Permanent files are always saved to your hard drive.
