Free Course:

Intro to Computer Storage

This course will explore computer storage, covering the full spectrum of storage media, including characteristics, form factors, protocols, and interfaces. Students will learn about removable media, hard disk drives, and solid-state drives, understanding how computers store and access data across different media types such as magnetic, optical, and solid-state. The course delves into the operating system’s role in data management—covering reading, writing, formatting, and protecting data—while explaining the significance of processes like defragmentation. Key concepts such as file systems, RAID levels, metadata, file attributes, compression, and data safety will be explored, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of how to manage and safeguard data effectively.

About This Course

  • Describe computer storages media, characteristics, form factors, protocols, and interfaces
  • List examples and characteristics of removable media, hard disk drives, and solid state drives
  • Describe how computers store and read bits from paper, magnetic media, optical media, and solid-state drives
  • Describe the operating systems role in preparing, reading, writing, representing, maintaining, and protecting data and data storage devices
  • Describe the reason for defragmenting a hard disk drive
  • List file system types
  • Describe journaling, partitions, drives, volumes, directories, folders and other storage terms
  • Define metadata, attributes, and compression as it applies to files
  • Explain how computers use extensions to associate files with programs
  • Describes ways in which we can keep data safe
  • Describe RAID levels and how they work
  • Describes ways in which we make data more accessible
  • Explain what a file server, network-attached storage (NAS), cloud storage, and databases are

 

Understanding Data Storage

  • How we store data
  • How data is managed
  • How we maintain safety and accessibility of our data

Learn it Right, Learn it Well, and Reap the Rewards

Spending the time now to fully understand what an operating system is and how it functions can lead to efficiency in studying future topics

 

Who Should Take this Course:

  • Anyone wanting to get into a career in IT

How to Take This Course!

Option #1 – Watch this course on YouTube. For convenience, I’ve included links to the videos down below

Option #2 – Take this course on Udemy. This is not a free option, but has the advantage of a full learning management system, no commercials, and completion certificates.

Here’s the link to the Udemy Course:

https://www.udemy.com/course/cryptoknow/?referralCode=20F63748BF79D9F5D8C9

 

Course Content

Module 0 – Welcome and Getting Started

FREE COURSE: Intro to Computer Storage (Start Here) https://youtu.be/cDDWITS5iLQ 0:05:14
Intro to Computer Storage 0-1: Welcome https://youtu.be/xMal_YoYNMc 0:0:48
How to Navigate This Course https://youtu.be/JaXwDad-tzw 0:05:23
Intro to Computer Storage 0-2: Overview https://youtu.be/B9KydUNuXoI 0:02:35

 

Module 1 – Storage Devices

 

Intro to Computer Storage 1-0: Module Intro https://youtu.be/Wql37BfQFpA 0:02:01
Intro to Computer Storage 1-1: Storage Devices https://youtu.be/uLoDzs2Jgq8 0:04:10
Intro to Computer Storage 1-2: Storage Media https://youtu.be/7c6OV0G-9G8 0:03:52
Intro to Computer Storage 1-3: Storage Characteristics https://youtu.be/xQfIAXVJ63w 0:04:23
Intro to Computer Storage 1-4: Computer Components https://youtu.be/VGFwoaQ264c 0:05:28
Intro to Computer Storage 1-5: Form Factors https://youtu.be/SDtyjr2Pzo0 0:02:58
Intro to Computer Storage 1-6: Protocols and Interfaces https://youtu.be/xddIX6lCr2E 0:05:33
Intro to Computer Storage 1-7: Removable Storage https://youtu.be/nyiaxhN7eBM 0:03:27
Intro to Computer Storage 1-8: Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) https://youtu.be/wMnObgh1uyM 0:06:45
Intro to Computer Storage 1-9: Solid State Drives (SSDs) https://youtu.be/ortl-MX6w_g 0:03:07

 

Module 2 – Storage Media

 

Intro to Computer Storage 2-0: Module Intro https://youtu.be/UWKtmHH5gQE 0:01:32
Intro to Computer Storage 2-1: Punch Cards https://youtu.be/wmKgbvmkVKc 0:02:26
Intro to Computer Storage 2-2: Magnetic Storage https://youtu.be/2boVcl6zNIA 0:05:11
Intro to Computer Storage 2-3: Optical Storage https://youtu.be/3LPko0Sgf_Q 0:04:25
Intro to Computer Storage 2-4: Solid State Storage https://youtu.be/DRrxWCWzQXY 0:04:54
Intro to Computer Storage 2-5: Solid-State Memory Cells https://youtu.be/flcnJLd5JhM 0:03:42
Intro to Computer Storage 2-6: Flash https://youtu.be/x94LFGBjHq4 0:04:43
Intro to Computer Storage 2-7: Flash and Multi-Level Cell https://youtu.be/ZXp_tfGbhjk 0:04:50
Intro to Computer Storage 2-8: Flash and V-NAND https://youtu.be/CQrL2qtThHQ 0:03:46

 

Module 3 – Using Storage Devices

 

Intro to Computer Storage 3-0: Module Intro https://youtu.be/bdNHzVLk1fw 0:01:33
Intro to Computer Storage 3-1: OS Storage https://youtu.be/0Gb4xOYdbMA 0:02:13
Intro to Computer Storage 3-2: Reading and Writing Data https://youtu.be/sS6620gtTs0 0:08:31
Intro to Computer Storage 3-3: Fragmentation and Defragmenting https://youtu.be/g_NNOodt_9U 0:07:48
Intro to Computer Storage 3-4: Formatting Storage https://youtu.be/pWnVc9ZtMJg 0:06:31
Intro to Computer Storage 3-5: Journaling and Journaling File Systems https://youtu.be/Dchyt8cW3QI 0:03:39
Intro to Computer Storage 3-6: Partitions, Volumes, and Drives https://youtu.be/AIXg-P8Zesg 0:13:28
Intro to Computer Storage 3-7: Directory and Folders https://youtu.be/MWCz0U5ZYTA 0:11:44

 

Module 4 – Files and File Attributes

Intro to Computer Storage 4-0: Module Intro https://youtu.be/RrMBos3XIcQ 0:01:34
Intro to Computer Storage 4-1: Metadata https://youtu.be/iXf8WPdV_a8 0:03:43
Intro to Computer Storage 4-2: File Attributes https://youtu.be/J-mW-EZpv8A 0:04:43
Intro to Computer Storage 4-3: Working with Files and Folders https://youtu.be/tWTbXZ-6Yxc 0:07:04
Intro to Computer Storage 4-4: Moving and Copying Files https://youtu.be/IdqB2WIhKII 0:05:12
Intro to Computer Storage 4-5: Types and Extensions https://youtu.be/e_ERtHk6whQ 0:06:22
Intro to Computer Storage 4-6: Compression https://youtu.be/lR1LUZxHh-k 0:03:49

 

Module 5 – Keeping Data Safe

Intro to Computer Storage 5-0: Module Intro https://youtu.be/O_UzfyksFxA 0:02:11
Intro to Computer Storage 5-1: Keeping Data Safe https://youtu.be/QfTypzd8HZU 0:02:58
Intro to Computer Storage 5-2: Access Control and Permissions https://youtu.be/4xHs0OWx7yw 0:10:37
Intro to Computer Storage 5-3: Encryption https://youtu.be/NXQ-UslZg7s 0:06:30
Intro to Computer Storage 5-4: Integrity https://youtu.be/I6GDh5kVWms 0:05:20
Intro to Computer Storage 5-5: Redundancy https://youtu.be/5sCAYF93qPM 0:03:38
Intro to Computer Storage 5-6: Backups https://youtu.be/50PCYu3RUC0 0:03:45
Intro to Computer Storage 5-7: Replication https://youtu.be/4wve-FRftFo 0:01:26
Intro to Computer Storage 5-8: Versioning https://youtu.be/oY-9Jfg7Pzk 0:02:26
Intro to Computer Storage 5-9: RAID https://youtu.be/jDVo_b8tflY 0:07:01
Intro to Computer Storage 5-10: Data Destruction https://youtu.be/lOi-gs7K4GM 0:03:05

 

Module 6 – Accessing Data

Intro to Computer Storage 6-0: Module Intro https://youtu.be/FBYOzqq00Zo 0:03:05
Intro to Computer Storage 6-1: Sharing Files https://youtu.be/fcyl6jrsO2U 0:03:05
Intro to Computer Storage 6-2: What’s a File Server https://youtu.be/RAP1NSiFgu4 0:03:05
Intro to Computer Storage 6-3: Network Attached Storage (NAS) https://youtu.be/RAP1NSiFgu4 0:04:33
Intro to Computer Storage 6-4: Cloud Storage https://youtu.be/IFJOcOwv5EY 0:06:08
Intro to Computer Storage 6-5: What’s a Database https://youtu.be/Pu9gGBDj_P4 0:07:03

 

Module X – Wrap Up

Intro to Computer Storage X-1: Review https://youtu.be/BnXrpQePyFQ 0:03:54
Course Wrap Up https://youtu.be/ze1VSTWAH5o 0:02:24

Help the Effort

Creating these videos takes a lot of time, effort, and money. There are costs to producing the videos, hosting the site, and buying the equipment, not to mention the 1,000’s of hours I’ve put into recording these videos. So far, I’ve asked for and received very little in return. Please consider helping keep the effort going by one of the following: