Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

The above picture is an example of a traditional hard drive and it's not an SSD.

What is Hard Disk Drive (HDD) ?

(HDD) Hard Disk Drive also known as traditional Hard Drive (they aren't that old or terrible, a lot of computers still use them) in the Computer the main and generally largest data storage is hard disk drive. The hard drive is the device is your computer that holds all of the files on the computer. The operating system, and most other files are stored in the hard disk drive. Your HDD (Hard Disk Drive) holds files such as videos, pictures, programs, your OS ( operating system ) everything. The hard disk drive (HDD) is data storage drive a non-volatile memory - this means it can hold data without power * RAM is volatile memory, hardware device that permanently stores and save data on a computer.

The hard disk drive (HDD) is at times mention to as the "C drive" due to the fact that Microsoft Windows designates the "C" drive letter to the primary partition on the elementary hard drive in a computer by default.

Inaugurated by IBM in 1956, the hard disk drives become dominant secondary storage device. Continuously improved hard disk drive have maintained this position into the moden era of servers and personal computers.

While this is not a technically correct term to use, it is still common. 

For example :

Some computers have multiple drive letters  (C, D, E and F) representing areas across one or more hard drives. The hard disk drive (HDD) also goes by the name HDD (its brief), hard disk, hard drive, fixed disk drive, fixed disk, fixed drive.

How hard drive connected to a computer ?

The hard disk drive is connected to the computer using a data cable (IDE, SATA , or SCSI), that is connects to the motherboard. And a power cable that connects to the power supply.

What is stored on a hard drive? 

Hard drive (HD) can be used to store any data, pictures, videos, music, movies, text, document, and any files created . And hard disk drives store files for the operating system and software program that run on the computer.

             What are the sizes of hard disk drives?

The hard drive is typically capable of storing more data than any other drive, but it's size can vary depending on the type of drive and its age. Older hard drives had a storage size of several hundred megabytes (MB) to several gigabytes (GB). Newer hard drives have a storage size of several hundred gigabytes to several terabytes (TB). Each year, new and improved technology allows for increasing hard drive storage sizes.

How is data stored and read on a hard disk drive ?

Data sent to and read from the hard drive is interpreted by the disk controller, which tells the hard drive what to do and how to move the components in the drive. When the operating system needs to read or write information, it examines the hard drive's File Allocation Table (FAT) to determine file location and available write areas. Once they have been determined, the disk controller instructs the actuator to move the read/write arm and align the read/write head. Because files are often scattered throughout the platter, the head needs to move to different locations to access all information.

All information stored on a traditional hard drive, like the above example, is done magnetically. After completing the above steps, if the computer needs to read information from the hard drive, it would read the magnetic polarities on the platter. One side of the magnetic polarity is 0, and the other is 1. Reading this as binary data, the computer can understand what the data is on the platter. For the computer to write information to the platter, the read/write head aligns the magnetic polarities, writing 0's and 1's that can be read later.

External and Internal hard drives

Although most hard drives are internal, there are also stand-alone devices called external hard drives, which can backup data on computers and expand the available disk space. External drives are often stored in an enclosure that helps protect the drive and allows it to interface with the computer, usually over USB or eSATA. An excellent example of an external backup device that supports multiple hard drives is the Drobo.

External hard drives come in many shapes and sizes. Some are large, about the size of a book, while others are about the size of a cell phone. External hard drives can be very useful since they usually offer more space than a jump drive and are still portable. The picture to the right is an example of a laptop hard disk drive enclosurefrom Adaptec. The user may install a laptop hard drive of any storage capacity into the enclosure and connect it via USB port to the computer.

HDD being replaced by SSD

Solid-State Drives (SSDs) have started to replace hard disk drives (HDDs) because of the distinct performance advantages they have over HDD, including faster access times and lower latency. While SSDs is becoming more and more popular, HDDs continue to be used in many desktop computers largely due to the value per dollar that HDDs offer over SSDs. However, more and more laptops are beginning to utilize SSD over HDD, helping to improve the reliability and stability of laptops.

Should I say "hard disk drive" or "hard drive"?

Both "hard disk drive" and "hard drive" are correct and mean the same thing. However, Solid-State Drives (SSDs) have no disks or platters, which is why we use and recommend using the term "hard drive" in your writing or when describing a hard drive.


Credit to :

All the pictures and information taken form Google and YouTube .