Other (Semi-) Permanent Forms of Storage

Files are the only way for an application program (such as the programs you usually use) to store information semi-permanently. Files are used when information is stored on the hard disk, a floppy disk, and all other physical forms of storage.

The system software of a computer system uses a few other semi-permanent forms of storage, such as the ROM (read-only memory) of the computer and the boot sector of a hard disk. However from an application program's point of view the only form of semi-permanent storage is file storage.