Back up Plans & Ram

 Part 1: Backup File Plans:

Using the file system, computers organize and store files on a hard drive (HDD or SSD) and other removable drives. "A file is a collection of information stored somewhere on a drive, such as a music, movie, word processing, or application. A user may wish to organize files using folders. A folder is a grouping of files or other folders that helps users organize items." (Section 4.1 - TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy | ZyBooks, n.d.)  Backup drives play a critical role in computers, as most people who use a computer will eventually find themselves in a situation where they adjacently deleted a file, the file got corrupted, or the hard drive failed (really common for HDD drives), or even the computer got dammed or stolen. In the case of data loss, the back drive saves the day as it will keep everything from the previous backup. Some people may back up files to an external drive or even use a cloud service provider in conjunction. For my backup plan, I use Windows backup. It is built into my computer and backs up my storage every day. I do not have many important files on my computer, as many applications I use have cloud services.

Part 2: Determine RAM

Ram is similar to hard drives as they are both storage; however, they are very different as they are used for different purposes. Ram is high-speed, allowing the processor to access data as needed quickly. Ram stores memory for a short period of time; it will hold memory. However, when the computer loses power when powering down, it will ultimately lose all data that was being stored.  In contrast, once data is successfully saved on a hard drive, it can still recall the data even after restarting.  

Currently, I am using my 2019 M1 Macbook Air laptop; after looking at my active monitor, I see that I have 8 GB of RAM installed and am currently using 6.99 GB of that 8GB. I am shocked about the usage; however, I am not surprised after looking at how many tabs and applications I have open if I had more RAM available to run programs faster and store files more quickly. However, I do not see an effect on my computer performance currently.

Works Cited:

Section 4.1 - TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy | ZyBooks. (n.d.). https://learn.zybooks.com/zybook/TEC101:_Fundamentals_of_Information_Technology_&_Literacy_(TED2507A)/chapter/4/section/1