Computer Hardware Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

Tape drive, also known as a streamer, is a storage device that reads data from and writes it onto a magnetic tape or a punched tape. It is typically used for archival storage of data stored on hard drives. Tape drives are sequential-access, and must wind past all preceding data to read any one particular piece of data. They are not the fastest form of data storage, as they are sequential, but are long lasting and cost efficient. Tape drives can be connected with SCSI (most common), parallel port, IDE, USB, Firewire or Optical Fibre.

Related Terms

tape drive