Question

______ is a space on a computer's hard drive that acts a a backup to system Random Access Memory (RAM).
1. Virtual memory
2. Spool
3. Kernal Swap
4. None of these

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : Virtual memory

The correct answer is Virtual memory.

• Most modern operating systems employ a method of extending RAM capacity, known as "virtual memory".
• A portion of the computer's hard drive is set aside for a paging file or a scratch partition, and the combination of physical RAM and the paging file form the system's total memory. 
• When the system runs low on physical memory, it can "swap" portions of RAM to the paging file to make room for new data, as well as to read previously swapped information back into RAM.
• Excessive use of this mechanism results in thrashing and generally hampers overall system performance, mainly because hard drives are far slower than RAM.

• RAM - Random-access memory is a form of computer memory that can be read and changed in any order, typically used to store working data and machine code. 
• ROM - Read-only memory is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices.
• Types of ROM:
  • MROM (Masked ROM) 
  • PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory) 
  • EPROM (Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory) 
  • EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory)