The permanent holding place for digital data, until purposely erased. Storage implies a repository that retains its content without power. Storage mostly means magnetic disks, solid state disks and USB drives. The term may also refer to magnetic tapes and optical discs (CDs, DVDs, etc.). Storage specifically does not mean the computer's main memory. Main memory, which comprises DRAM and SRAM chips, is a temporary workspace for executing instructions and processing data, and these chips do not hold their content when the power is turned off.
Storage Vs. Memory - More Confusing All the Time
Over the years, some vendors have referred to disks and tapes as "memory" products, which blurs the distinction between storage and memory. To further confuse things, "memory" cards in digital cameras and the flash "memory" in USB drives are storage devices that do, in fact, hold their content without power. See memory, dynamic RAM and static RAM. For summaries of all storage technologies, see magnetic disk, magnetic tape and optical disc.
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