What is Non-Volatile Memory?
At the most basic level, non volatile memory stores data without power. Two examples of devices that use non volatile memory are hard drives and CMOS chips (the chip that holds your BIOS information). Non-volatile memory is important for long term storage of essential system information and data. Just imagine how much trouble it would be if you had to reenter everything contained on your hard drive. Not so fun, huh? EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory) is another form of non-volatile memory. There are a few varieties of this type including: • flash EPROM (which erases and replaces the data all at once, as opposed to one byte at a time) • EEPROM (electronically erasable programmable read only memory) • OTP (one time programmable) EPROM. Many pieces of hardware use these chips to upgrade their firmware (software contained on the hardware). CDs and DVDs are also a form of non-volatile memory, storing their data in pits on the surface of the disks. They use optical technology as
