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Hard Disk Drive (HDD)



What is Hard Disk Drive?

A hard disk is also known as a hard drive or fixed disk. It is said to be rigid magnetic disc that stores data. It is located within a drive unit. Hard disk is a non-volatile storage device that contains platters and magnetic disks rotating at high speeds. Non-volatile means the data retains when the computer shuts down.

It is installed internally in our computer systems. Hard disk is located within a drive unit on the computer's motherboard and comprises one or more platters packed in an air-sealed casing.


Its main components include a read/write actuator arm, head actuator, read/write head, spindle, and platter. A circuit board (also called as the interface board or disk controller) is present on the back of a hard drive. It lets the hard drive to communicate with the computer.



There are two general approaches to improving data writing density on HDD magnetic surfaces:

  • Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) uses laser-powered heating power to reduce the local magnetic hardness when writing the data.

  • Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording (MAMR) - the magnetic write head also contains a spin torque oscillator (STO) which generates microwaves. They lower the surface resistance of the underlying recording media and make writing bits easier.

Such innovations were brought to the market as the industry had exhausted all other options for record density improvements, like helium sealing to place more platters in one single case, or using smaller grains on the surface.


The Hard Drive as Storage:

As you use your computer, you create documents and other bits of information to be stored. The hard drive saves these items, alongside the software and files that allow you to easily use and interact with your computer, including the operating system.


When you open an application or document, your computer accesses it from the hard drive. Larger files or programs can take longer to access because the computer needs to retrieve the information from the hard drive before presenting it to you in a useable way.


Measuring Hard Drive Storage:

Hard drives come in a variety of storage sizes. As of publication, hard drives are typically measured in gigabytes and terabytes , which are units of measurement for a hard drive's storage capacity.


For example, 500GB hard drives are common in many modern computers. The average four-minute song on iTunes is approximately 4MB in size. There are 1,000 megabytes in 1 gigabyte. This means that a computer with a 500GB hard drive could store 250,000 songs.


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DISCLAIMER

The information is provided by Tecquisition for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. If you have any feedback, comments, requests for technical support or other inquiries, please mail us by tecqusition@gmail.com.



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