Virtual Memory

With virtual memory, the computer can look for areas of RAM that have not been used recently and copy them onto the hard disk. This frees up space in RAM to load the new application. The area of the hard disk that stores the RAM image is called a page file. It holds pages of RAM on the hard disk, and the operating system moves data back and forth between the page file and RAM. !n a Windows machine, page files have a .SWP e"tension.# How RAM Works RAM is considered $random access$ because you can access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at that cell. The opposite of RAM is serial access memory %AM#. %AM stores data as a series of memory cells that can only be accessed se&uentially like a cassette tape#. Dynamic RAM In 'RAM, a transistor and a capacitor are paired to create a memory cell, which represents a single bit of data. The capacitor holds the bit of information, the transistor acts as a switch that lets the control circuitry on the memory chip. Static RAM In static RAM, a form of flip(flop holds each bit of memory. A flip(flop for a memory cell takes four or si" transistors along with some wiring, but never has to be refreshed. This makes static RAM significantly faster than dynamic RAM. %tatic RAM is fast and e"pensive, and dynamic RAM is less e"pensive and slower. %tatic RAM is used to create the )*+,s speed(sensitive cache- while dynamic RAM forms the larger system RAM space. Memory chips in desktop computers originally used a pin configuration called dual inline package 'I*#.

Paging All the work re&uired to access the correct memory address is invisible to the application addressing the memory. If the page is in memory, the hardware resolves the address. If a page fault is generated, software in the operating system resolves the problem and passes control back to the application trying to access the memory location. This scheme is called paging. Non !olatile memory .on(volatile memory ./M# or .on(volatile storage is computer memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered. The most widely used form of primary storage today is a !olatile form of random access memory "RAM#, meaning that when the computer is shut down, anything contained in RAM is lost. Mask programmed R$M !ne of the earliest forms of non(volatile read(only memory, the mask(programmed R!M was pre(wired at the design stage to contain specific data- once the mask was used to manufacture the integrated circuits, the data was cast in stone or at least in silicon# and could not be changed. Whatever 0,s and 1,s were in memory when it left the factories were there for life. The mask R!M was therefore useful only for large(volume production, such as for read(only memories containing the startup code in early microcomputers. This program was often referred to as the $bootstrap$, as in pulling oneself up by one,s own bootstraps. 'ue to the very high initial cost and inability to make revisions, the mask R!M is rarely if ever used in new designs. %las& memory The flash memory chip is a close relative to the 22*R!M- it differs in that it can only be erased one block or $page$ at a time. )apacity is substantially larger than that of an 22*R!M, making these chips a popular choice for digital cameras and desktop *) 3I!% chips.