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They can be installed inside a computer or purchased in a portable (external) format. Typical HDD capacities are measured in Terabytes (TB). Dividing the surface in this way provides physical addresses to remember where data is saved.Ī circuit board carefully co-ordinates the rotating disk and swinging actuator arm to allow the read/write head to access any location very quickly. The disk surface is divided into concentric circles (tracks) and sectors (wedges). The read/write head is then capable of detecting the magnetic charges left on the disk’s surface, this is how data is read. Hard disk drives are non-volatile magnetic storage devices capable of remembering vast amounts of data.Īn electromagnet in the read/write head charges the disk’s surface with either a positive or negative charge, this is how binary 1 or 0 is represented. Hard Disk Drive (HDD) What is a hard disk drive? Our Data Storage Capacity page explains all about the various units of storage.
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Our Cloud Computing page explains all about the benefits and drawbacks of using the cloud for storage or services. There are many types of storage devices, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.īelow are explanations about different storage devices.
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