MS Technology Vocabulary Hard Disk
Danielle Rubin
January 2009
Computer 7-4
Definition:
A hard disk is a metal disk with a magnetic coating on which a computer's data is stored. Commonly called HDDs, hard disks are non-volatile storage, meaning that they can retain information when the computer is not turned on.
Capacity and Access speed:
Hard disks can store more and access information more quickly than floppy disks because they use rigid disks and sealing the unit allows much tighter tolerances. Laptop HDDs tend have a slower capacity and access speed that that of a desktop computer because they have smaller disks. The HDDs that have the highest capacity are 1.5 TB (a measurement term for data storage capacity) as of July 2008. Usually, the capacity of a hard disk is measured in gigabytes and terabytes.
History:
Used first in 1956 by IBM(a computer technology and consulting corporation)
Usage:
Today, hard disks are used in digital video recorders, digital audio players, video game consoles, and digital cameras. HDDs were also used in the first mobile phones. Increases in disk space and data accesses speeds enabled HDDs to be used in products that require large storage capacities such as digital video recorders and digital audio players.
