磁盘和光盘是提供长期存储数据的方式的存储设备。两者都归类在二级存储设备类别下。
磁盘：
磁盘是一种存储设备，它使用磁化过程来读取、写入、重写和访问数据。磁盘由一组圆形盘片组成。它覆盖有磁性涂层并以磁道、点和扇区的形式存储数据。硬盘、zip 磁盘和软盘是磁盘的常见示例。使用最简单的恒定角速度不会改变每个轨道上存储的位数。
光盘
光盘是任何使用光存储技术和技术来读取和写入数据的计算机磁盘。它是一种使用光(光)能的存储设备。它是一种以数字方式存储数据并使用激光束读写数据的计算机存储盘。它使用激光以旋转圆盘为中心的光学技术。
磁盘和光盘的区别：
| S.NO. | MAGNETIC DISK | OPTICAL DISK |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Media type used is Muiltiple fixed disk | Media type used is Single removable disk |
| 2 | Intermediate signal to noise ratio | Excellent signal to noise ratio |
| 3 | Sample rate is Low | Sample rate is High |
| 4 | Implementated where data is randomly accessed. | Implementated in streaming files. |
| 5 | Only one disk can be used at a time | Mass replication is possible |
| 6 | Tracks in the magnetic disk are generally circular | In optical disk the tracks are constructed spirally. |
| 7 | The data in the magnetic disk is randomly accessed. | In the optical disk, the data is sequentially accessed. |
| 8 | In the magnetic disk, only one disk is accessed at a time. | Optical disk allows mass replication |