A hard drive is a superb piece of hardware that stores digital files such as documents, images, music, videos, application preferences and programs. The hard drive can be either a hard disk drive (HDD) or also a solid state drive (SSD) and can function as an internal or external hard drive. SSDs and HDDs achieve the same goal but perform their operations in completely different ways. I will focus on HDD in this article in particular, SSD is a topic for another day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay A simple way to imagine an external hard drive is to think of it as a regular internal hard drive from your computer that has been removed and packaged with the protective case and can be connected to a computer externally either via USB , FireWire, eSATA or wireless. So basically an external hard drive connects to a computer externally rather than internally. An external hard drive is an absolutely amazing tool for sharing very large files, using it can ultimately save you the stress of moving files from one computer to another and due to their very large storage capacities, they are very efficient when it comes to storing backed up files. Users use them to keep their important files safe so that they do not risk losing all their files in cases where the original files get corrupted or accidentally deleted. An average laptop comes with limited storage space like 500 GB or less, so external hard drives provide a simple and effective way to expand existing storage in cases where a computer's storage capacity is not not sufficient for what is required by the user and where the computer starts to act slow. Users simply get a suitable external hard drive and transfer heavy files to it to free up space on the computer so that it can perform optimally without the need to open the computer to expand it. It is no surprise that the use of external hard drives has increased over the years due to the large amount of additional storage space it offers users as well as its portability and ease of use. 'use. Users can easily access a huge number of files without having to move their computer. External hard drives are perfect for people who travel a lot and need their files close at hand at all times. Hard drives come in different shapes, storage capacities, designs and prices, while some external hard drives work by being powered by the computer via data cables and others should be connected to an AC source to get their power. food before you can do it. be used. The type of storage unit required depends on the user's needs and it is important for me to point out at this point that internal hard drives can easily be converted to external hard drive using a hard drive enclosure . The most important part of the hard drives are the platters, they can be made of ceramic, aluminum or glass. The information is stored magnetically in binary form on one or more shiny silver platters and a central axis is in place to facilitate rotation of the platter at high speed. To record and store information on the platter, there is a read-write head connected to the end of a read-write arm in thehard drive, this read-write head is a small magnet that moves the platter back and forth, this movement is responsible for storing and recording information and is facilitated by an actuator. For magnetization and demagnetization to take place, the materials used to make the platter are covered with a thin layer of metal and, depending on the size, there may be one or more platters, so each platter has two heads read-write, one reading the upper surface while the other reads the lower surface. For larger discs, a single platter is not enough, so you have to tackle several. The platters are stacked on a central axis in such a way that there is a small space between each one and the Read-write heads can easily access any part of the platter. However, to reduce wear, a layer of fluid or air prevents this. Data is transferred inside the hard drive using a flexible connector and there is an electronic circuit that effectively controls operations and data flow to and from the platter. in the hard drive. Usually, if you pick up iron nails, they are not magnetized, but when you constantly rub them with a magnet, these demagnetized iron nails become magnetic and can now stick to each other. If you look at these magnetized nails for a while, you will realize that they will remain magnetized until they are demagnetized again. Now you're wondering if there are nails in a hard drive... not at all. Hard drives generally operate on the principle of magnetism, it is so important to the operation of a hard drive that when the power to the drive is removed, the stored information is still intact and can be accessed at any time. If you take a look inside a hard drive, you'll notice a large, shiny circular plate of magnetic material known as a platter. Depending on the storage capacity of the hard drive, this platter is divided into several billion tiny areas and, just like the nails I pictured above, each of these areas can be magnetized and demagnetized. For a computer to store a number, say 97, the computer stores the number as 001100001, which is a binary number. Numbers are stored in a computer as patterns of binary digits such that when they are magnetized they store a 1 and when they are demagnetized they store a zero. When the power is turned off, the stored information is still intact. For efficient ordering, data is stored on each platter in an ordered pattern such that each bit of data is arranged into tracks that make up a concentric circular path, these paths are then broken down. in sectors. To let the drive know the free space size and used space, it stores a map of sectors so that when new data needs to be stored on the drive, the drive checks the map to make sure there is free space available. Then it allocates the space and the read-write head can move across the platter to the allocated location and store the data. Similarly, when the reader needs to locate a file on the reader, it checks the cards and gives the read-write order. main instruction to go to the exact location to read the information and make it available to the user. Different operating systems refer to this card using different terms. For example, in Windows this map is called File Allocation Table (FAT). For external hard drives, the circuitry built within the drive..