You can also create audio CDs and play them on a CD-ROM drive or CD player. CD-RW stands for Compact Disc ReWritable. This is similar to CD-R, but allows you to change data on the CD several times. A DVD can store a full-length movie with better quality than a VHS tape. A tape drive copies files from your desktop computer onto tape cartridges, which are similar to the cassette tapes you buy at music stores.
Most people use tape drives to make backup copies of files on their hard drive.
If natural disaster, fire, or hard drive failure should occur, the entire system and files can be fully and easily restored. Where other media will take multiple floppies, CDs, or zip disks to store this information, tape drives enable you to back up your whole system on a single piece of media. A zip drive is a removable drive that allows you to store up to 250 MB of data on a single disk or cartridge. This device works best if you want to move large files off your computer. To see how much space is available, follow these steps.