What type of data does secondary storage typically hold?

Secondary storage is designed to hold long-term data, making it distinct from primary storage, which is used for immediate processing and temporary files. Long-term data is stored on devices such as hard drives, solid-state drives, or optical disks, ensuring that information persists even when the computer is powered off.

This type of storage accommodates larger quantities of data, retaining files such as documents, photos, applications, and system backups over time. Unlike primary storage, which operates at high speed and is often volatile (losing data when power is lost), secondary storage retains information reliably for future access, catering to the need for significant persistence and capacity.

In contrast, temporary files and data needed for immediate processing are typically managed within the faster, volatile environments of primary memory. The reference to data that cannot be stored on the CPU may be misleading, as CPUs do not store data; rather, they process and act upon data retrieved from storage. Hence, long-term data is the most fitting representation of what secondary storage is meant to hold.