The motor spins the platters at up to 15,000 rotations per minute. The disks also have a thin magnetic coating on them. The chamber also includes the read/write heads that magnetically record information to and from tracks on the platters using a magnetic head. The platter spins with a motor that is connected to the spindle. Most basic hard drives consist of several disk platters - a circular disk made of either aluminum, glass or ceramic - that are positioned around a spindle inside a sealed chamber.

This is why every computer needs at least one storage device to permanently hold data as long as it is needed.

Without devices like HDDs that can retain data after they have been turned off, computer users would not be able to store programs or save files or documents to their computers. Storage devices like hard disks are needed to install operating systems, programs and additional storage devices, and to save documents. The HDD is also connected to a power supply unit and can keep stored data while powered down.Ī hard disk drive - often shortened to hard drive - and hard disk are not the same things, but they are packaged as a unit and either term can refer to the whole unit. They are commonly found in the drive bay and are connected to the motherboard via an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), Serial ATA, parallel ATA or Small Computer System Interface ( SCSI) cable, among other formats. HDDs are used either as the primary or secondary storage device in a computer. More specifically, hard disk drives control the reading and writing of the hard disk that provides data storage. They can store operating systems, software programs and other files using magnetic disks. HDDs are usually installed inside desktop computers, mobile devices, consumer electronics and enterprise storage arrays in data centers.

All computers need a storage device, and HDDs are just one example of a type of storage device. Non-volatile refers to storage devices that maintain stored data when turned off. Gillis, Technical Writer and EditorĪ computer hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device.

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