With more memory it is possible to run multiple programs at the same time. Programs are constantly being enlarged and require increasing amounts of RAM to run satisfactorily. RAM is volatile memory. When the computer is turned off, the information in RAM is no longer available, and must be restored from a more permanent storage source such as the hard drive. We suggest a hard drive of at least 4 GB or more.
Higher capacities are desirable.
Most Windows computers will have a standard 3.5 inch floppy disk drive built in. The most recent models of Apple Computer's Macintosh desktop systems require the purchase of a separate, external, floppy disk drive. We recommend that any computer have a floppy disk drive. Both Windows and Macintosh can be configured with ZIP disk drives also. Zip disks of 100 MB capacity are widely used and have almost become an industry standard.