LaCie (LAC9000633) Rugged Mini 4TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – USB 3.0 USB 2.0 Compatible, Drop Shock Dust Rain Resistant Shuttle Drive, For Mac And PC Computer Desktop and Laptop, Orange 4.7 out of 5 stars 7,335. These external storage drives also let you quickly create a file backup in case of emergency, or offload batches of files for simple transfer to another computer. People who use laptops love how they can work from anywhere, but they often pick up a portable hard drive that easily fits in their laptop bag and doesn’t require a power source.
© Gavin Roberts/PC Plus Magazine via Getty Images Hard drives store a lot of computer data at a relatively low cost. Gavin Roberts/PC Plus Magazine via Getty Images- A hard drive, also known as a hard disk drive, is a storage device used on many computers.
- A hard drive consists of spinning platters that store digital information read by fast-moving read/write heads.
- Hard drives are the computer component most prone to failure but offer high performance for the price.
- Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.
A hard drive is a critical component of many computers. The device stores your programs and data regardless of whether your PC is turned on or off. It's considered semi-permanent storage because while any data on a hard drive should last for years without failure, no digital storage system is perfect or permanent.
Here's what you need to know about hard drives.
How hard drives work on a computer
A hard drive traditionally uses a set of spinning metal platters. Each platter has a head that moves rapidly back and forth across the platter, using magnets to read or write data as needed. While it needs to be completely sealed inside the hard drive housing to protect the platter from even microscopic dust, if you could see the hard drive, it would resemble little more than a tiny phonograph player, complete with tonearm.
Perhaps more accurately, a hard drive would look like a stack of small phonographs because virtually all hard drives are composed of a set of platters. Each platter can only hold so much data, so hard drive manufacturers increase capacity by stacking platters in the same drive.
It's worth noting that while this description accurately describes a hard disk drive (HDD), people often refer to solid-state drives (SSDs) as hard drives as well. So while as a general rule, a hard drive is a mechanical storage device that relies on a spinning platter, informally, a hard drive can mean an HDD or an SSD.
Increasingly, SSDs are completely replacing HDDs in computers, so it is increasingly difficult to find a traditional hard disk drive in a modern PC.
Hard drive advantages and disadvantages
First and foremost, a hard drive is a relic of an earlier age, when the best way to store massive amounts of data was to use a mechanical system with moving parts. The hard drive is virtually the only moving part left in modern computers (aside from laptop hinges and power buttons). That makes it the most likely component to fail, with a dramatically shorter mean time between failure (MTBF) than any other part of a computer, bar none. https://webcam-software.mystrikingly.com/blog/casino-extreme-free-chip.
It's sometimes worth the risk, though. A hard drive can store a lot of data at a very low cost, which typically adds up to a low price-to-performance ratio. A hard drive's lifespan is also 'good enough' for most situations since it's typically measured in years. For more information, read our article on how hard disk drives compare to solid state drives.
Related coverage from Tech Reference:
NoteThis page provides information on how to determine which drives and drive letters your computer is using currently. It is not a list of all of the possible drive letters.
See drives in Windows 10 and Windows 8
If you're running Windows 10 or Windows 8, you can view all mounted drives in File Explorer. You can open File Explorer by pressing Windows key+E. In the left pane, select This PC, and all drives are shown on the right. The screenshot shows a typical view of This PC, with three mounted drives.
OS & Primary Software (C:)
In our first example, the C: and F: drives are hard drives. Most computers only have a C: drive. The hard drive is the primary location where all files are stored on your computer. To open the drive, double-click the drive.
TipIn our example, the drives are labeled 'Local Disk' and 'New Volume.' A hard drive can be labeled anything and may be different on your computer. For steps on changing the name of your drive, see: How to rename or label a disk drive.
Note![Computer Computer](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4IpOlBW0PEc/TYCvtlMq5uI/AAAAAAAAAeY/Hrg1Xj4zjso/s1600/storage+devices.jpg)
All new computers no longer have a floppy drive (A: or B:) but still start with the C: drive by default. For the history of why a computer starts with the C: drive, see: Why is the hard drive the C: drive?
DVD RW Drive (D:)
The D: drive in this example is the optical disc drive installed in the computer. In most situations, the disc drive will be the last drive letter. If a disc is in the drive, the contents of that disc will be shown if you double-click the drive icon.
TipIf the drive AutoPlays the disc, right-click the drive and click Explore.
See available drives in Microsoft Windows 7 and earlier
Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP, and earlier users can identify which drives Windows has detected by opening File Explorer and then My Computer, or pressing the Windows key+E shortcut key. The picture is an example of My Computer. As you can see in this example, three different drive types are listed.
TipIn Windows 7 and earlier versions, you can access My Computer (Computer) by double-clicking the icon on the desktop. Or, open the Start menu, and select My Computer or Computer, depending on the version of Windows you're using.
3 1/2 Floppy (A:)
If the computer has a floppy disk drive, this drive will be visible and is usually set as the A: drive. If any floppy diskette is in the computer and the A: drive is opened, its contents will be shown.
NoteAll new computers no longer have a floppy drive (A: or B:) but still start with the C: drive by default. For the history of why a computer starts with the C: drive, see: Why is the hard drive the C: drive?
Local Disk (C:), New Volume (D:), and New Volume (E:)
Next, in our example, the C:, D:, and E: drives are hard drives or hard drive partitions on the computer. Most computers only have a C: drive. The hard drive is the primary location where all files are stored on your computer.
Tip In our example, the drives are labeled 'Local Disk' and 'New Volume.' A hard drive can be labeled anything and may be different on your computer. Open rar files windows. For steps on changing the name of your drive, see: How to rename or label a disk drive.
Compact Disc (F:)
Finally, the F: drive in this example is the optical disc drive installed in the computer. In most situations, the disc drive will be the last drive letter. If a disc is in the drive, the contents of that disc will be shown if you double-click the drive icon.
TipIf the drive AutoPlays the disc, right-click the drive, and click Explore.
See drives in Windows 3.0, 3.1, and 3.11
Windows 3.0, 3.1, and 3.11 users can open drives through the Windows File Manager. In the File Manager, click the drive icons shown above the folder and files. By default, the C: drive will be open. If you want to move to the floppy disk drive, click the A: drive icon. If you're going to open the CD drive, click the D: CD-ROM drive icon.
See drives in MS-DOS and the Windows command line
Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10 command line users
If you're using Windows Vista, 7, or 8, use the wmic command at the Windows command line to view available drives on the computer. At the prompt, type the following command.
https://barter-download.mystrikingly.com/blog/mega-moolah-slot-machine. Or, for a little more information, such as volume size, use this command:
- See our wmic command page for further information and examples on this command.
Other Windows command line and MS-DOS version users
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to list all available drives on the computer through the MS-DOS prompt with one command. Below are different recommendations for viewing drives.
Change drive letter
Change the drive to an alternate drive letter to determine if a drive is available and ready if no error message is received.
Fdisk
Running the fdisk command allows you to view how the hard drives are set up and configured on the computer. However, this command is only possible if you're running a version of MS-DOS or Windows that supports fdisk.
- See the fdisk command page for additional information about this command.
vol
Computer Storage Drive Reviews
Running the vol command on a drive displays the drive label and serial number if available. This command allows you to see what drives are detected.
- See the vol command page for additional information and help with this command.
See drives in the Apple macOS
From the menu bar, select Go, then select Computer, or press the Shift+Command+C keyboard shortcut.
Computer Storage Drive Types
You can also view all drives through the Finder application. Odds of winning slots.
See drives in Linux
Linux users can use the fdisk command to see their partition and drive information.
Additional information
Computer Processing
- See the drive and storage device pages for further information and related links.