Hard Disk Drive 2012

What it does: The hard disk drive is a device for storing and retrieving digital information. several disks coated in magnetic material rotate while magnetic heads inscribe information onto them. Floppy discs used to be used instead of hard ones, but the hard ones are more capable, so now are used. In the past, the drive would store from 60 to 120 GB of memory.

Where it is: The hard drive is located in an airtight compartment, because if any dust particles happen to touch it, then the needle inscribing the data picks the dust up and scratches the surfac of the disk, ruining the magnetic current, and leading to disk failure.

Where it comes from: The hard disk drive has a short history. about two decades ago it was a huge machine about the size of a small regrigerator. Inside were fifty disks with a two foot diameter, each holdong five megabytes of information. At first disk drives were called drums which were magnetic storage units. Magnetic drums could store a huge amount of data and retrieve data very quickly. Over the years the disk drive went through a few stages of improvement, finally reaching the advanced state that they are in today.