Magnetic storage devices like hard drives and floppy disks store data using magnetism on metal platters. Optical storage devices like CDs and DVDs use lasers to read data encoded in pits and lands on plastic discs. Solid state devices store data using physical switches rather than magnetism or lasers. Common storage devices include hard drives for primary storage, floppy disks and flash drives for removable storage, and tapes for backups. Data is organized on disks in tracks and sectors to allow efficient reading and writing.