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Howstuffworks "How Hard Disks Work"
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Main > Computer > Hardware

How Hard Disks Work
by Marshall Brain

Shop for Hard Disks

Table of Contents

 
 

Nearly every desktop computer and server in use today contains one or more hard-disk drives. Every mainframe and supercomputer is normally connected to hundreds of them. You can even find VCR-type devices and camcorders that use hard disks instead of tape. These billions of hard disks do one thing well -- they store changing digital information in a relatively permanent form. They give computers the ability to remember things when the power goes out.

In this article, we'll take apart a hard disk so that you can see what's inside, and also discuss how they organize the gigabytes of information they hold in files!

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Table of Contents:
  Introduction to How Hard Disks Work
  Hard Disk Basics
  Cassette Tape vs. Hard Disk
  Capacity and Performance
  Inside: Electronics Board
  Inside: Beneath the Board
  Inside: Platters and Heads
  Storing the Data
  Lots More Information!
  Compare Prices for Hard Disks


 

 


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