What is the Difference between Memory and Data Storage?
The terms memory and data storage are often confused. Both memory and data storage are means by which a computer keeps data used to perform tasks. As such, both are measured in bytes. However, memory and data storage are two separate entities, and the terms should not be interchanged. Memory is commonly referred to as Random Access Memory (RAM), but also includes Read-Only Memory (ROM). Data storage is also called hard disk space. The main difference between memory and data storage is their function. Storage is used to hold all the computer’s information. Data stored in the hard disk is permanent and is not lost when the computer is turned off. When a file is deleted, only the access to that file is removed, not the information itself. This is why computer experts are able to restore information onto a computer even though such information has been deleted. To permanently delete a file, the hard disk must be formatted or overwritten. It is even possible that even though a disk has been