Key Differences
1. Hardware is available in physical and tangible form while software is available in intangible form as we can’t see the software.
2. Hardware has weight while software is weightless. The weight is only of the disc or readable media where software is saved.
3. As hardware is in physical form so it requires a physical space while software requires no physical space on computer table or other place. Its space is only on the hard disk or other storage media.
4. Installing new software called updating while installing new hardware or replacing old one is called upgrading.
5. Input, storage, processing, control, and output devices are types of hardware while system software, Windows OS, programming software, and application software are types of software.
6. Examples of hardware includes: CD-ROM, RAM, monitor, printer, GPU, scanners, modems, etc. Examples of software are: QuickBooks, Internet Explorer, MS Office, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Media Players, etc.
7. Virus always attacks on software not hardware.