What is a Diskette?

Diskettes were first created as a way to store data onto a storage unit that could be moved from computer to computer. The first diskettes were large floppy disks that measured 8 inches diagonally. As personal computers became more popular and new technology emerged, diskettes, or disks, became smaller with larger storage spaces. Zip disks by Iomega replaced those and today, disks are generally obsolete, almost completely replaced by mobile storage devices like USB drives.

Function

A diskette is a type of disk that magnetically writes and rewrites data onto its tracks. A diskette is divided into concentric circles and rotates as a mechanical arm writes data between the outside and inside edges of the platter. The largest sections are tracks, which are then broken down into sectors. Data is written as small magnetic spots on the tracks.

Floppy Disks

Floppy disks refer to the 5.25-inch disks that were standard for personal computers until the 1980s when it was replaced by the 3.5-inch disk. Floppy disks required a 5.25-inch disk drive and the disks could hold 360 kilobytes. During the time period of floppy disks, floppy disk drives were standard on computers, and even when 3.5-inch disks were created, most computers came with both sizes of disk drives.

3.5-Inch Disks

The 3.5-inch disks could hold more memory than the 5.25-inch disks, up to 1.44 megabytes, or 1440 kilobytes. Their hard plastic covers gave them more durability and their size and storage made them more efficient. One of the biggest advantages of the 3.5-inch disk was its ability to fit into a shirt pocket. For software that couldn't fit on a single disk, multiple disks were used.

Zip Disks

The Iomega Corporation created and marketed another type of disk called the Zip disk, readable and writable by Zip drives. Zip disks can carry 100 megabytes of data, or about 70 times more data than a 3.5-inch diskette. Iomega then released a 250-megabyte size Zip disk. Zip drives are usually external bays that use a computer's parallel port, or a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI).

USB Drives

Unlike floppy disks and CDs that need a specific internal or external drive bay to read and write data, USB drives only need a USB port. USB drives are the newest form of moving data from computer to computer, are small, and can have very large capacities. USB drives are about the size of a human thumb and can read and write data faster than its diskette and CD predecessors. Also, a variety of USB drives exist, all having the same design and function but are able to carry 1/2 a gigabyte, 1, 2, 4 and even 8 gigabytes of data.