is there a difference between your hard drive and your memory?

Question

in your computer.

Answer 1

yes hard drive is where windows runs and documents are stored memory (knoiwn as RAM) is how your pc uses the information

Answer 2

Yes, but they are getting closer in function.

DIsk is a mechanical device, much like a stack of vinyl records, except with magnetic coating. The storage is a signal stored on the magnetic media which is retained when the power is off. The reason for disk is that it is relatively cheap and stores much info compard to memory.

Memory traditionally is volitile, meaning that the power is off, the signal stored in the electronics is gone. The reason for memory is that access is hundreds of times faster. The function of memory in a computer serves the processing of the computer central processor unit (CPU). It is connected by a high speed bus and the millions of operations per second is due to the availablity of memory. The same speed cannot be attained with disk drives.

As memory needs increase, the memory is swapped or "faults" to disk to temporarily hold the info untl it is needed again. These Swap fles and paging files are internal to the operating system and actually slows the processing a bit, so more memory is better if needed.

Bubble memory, such as that which is on a memory stick, is used like a hard drive, but it is memory. I suspect that we'll see more of that in the future as the price of bubble memory comes down. It is faster but more expensive than hard drives and it retains info when power it off.To your point, there is still a difference between bubble memory (Thumb drive or memory stick) and disk drives, but the function is the same in this case

Answer 3

Yeah the hard drive is a permenent disk space that u can use. U use the hard disk to save ur data. Saves large amounts of data for long term whether the computer is on or off.
But the memory is (RAM Random access memory) temperory. When the computer loads a file from the hard disk , that stored temperory in the memory until u close the program. It makes the program run faster.

Answer 4

Yes, memory(usually referred to as RAM) is where your computer stores information temporarily. Memory access is faster than Hard Drive access, but that data only exists as long as your memory has power, so it's lost when your computer is turned off.

Hard Drives have much slower access times and are primarily used for permanent storage of data since it doesn't require any electricity to maintain the data.

There is a crossover. If your computer runs out of RAM and needs a place to store temporary data, it will create a place on the hard drive called a page file for the temporary data.

Answer 5

well, some times people use the term memory interchangably with hard drive and sometimes they use it to mean the RAM of your computer.

Your computer's hard drive is like long term memory. It stores things that it needs to remember for later there. The RAM is short term memory, it only remembers things in short term memory for a brief period. It can access things stored in the RAM much faster than on the hard drive.

Answer 6

Usually yes , but sometimes no ....
The memory is the RAM and ROM memories which you can NOT save files into but your computer can , but the hard drive is where your files are saved in ...
And sometimes people say MEMORY for the both ...

Answer 7

In general memory refers to RAM, not hard drive.

While some operating systems can use "virtual memory", i.e. some space on your hard drive as temporary space, it's never referred to as just "memory".

So yes, very big difference.

Answer 8

Yes. The memory (RAM) is a static device that plugs into the memory slots. Switching off the computer erases this memory.


The hard disk is an electromechanical device that stores data and programs. It remains unchanged from the time you switch off your computer until you switch it on again.

Answer 9

yes the hard drive is for storage and memory is for temporary storage

Answer 10

Sometimes they are the same..