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Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 8:11 am Posts: 7
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What is a Hard Drive?
Hello
A hard drive, also known as a hard disk drive or HDD, is a fundamental part of modern computers. The hard drive is where all of your programs and files are stored, so if the drive is damaged for some reason, you will lose everything on your computer.The platters inside a hard disk drive are usually made of glass or aluminum. It is the polished magnetic material on the surface that makes the platter appear shiny, like a mirror. A clean, polished surface is critical to the proper functioning of the hard drive — even the smallest spec of dust can cause irreparable damage.The average modern hard disk drive has several platters inside of it, stacked one on top of the other, like an Oreo cookie. There is a small gap between each platter, which allows each platter’s head to pass over it. The heads are all on the same arm, which has a separate branch for each head, rather like the tines of a fork turned on its side.When your computer is on but you are not retrieving or writing anything to the memory, the platters in the hard disk drive are always spinning. The arm with the heads on it, however, only begins to move when you run a program or open, save, or delete a file.The rapid motion of the platters and heads inside your hard disk drive make it susceptible to “head crash,” which is where the heads crash into the platters. Several different things can cause head crash.
Thanks
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