9
Magnetic disk drives
Disk drives came into being as random-access file-storage devices for digital computers. However, the explosion in personal computers has fuelled demand for low-cost high-density magnetic disk drives and the rapid access offered is increasingly finding applications in digital audio to the detriment of tape-based storage.
9.1 Types of disk drive
The disk drive was developed specifically to offer rapid random access to stored data. Figure 9.1 shows that, in a magnetic disk drive, the data are recorded on a circular track. In floppy disks, the magnetic medium is flexible, and the head touches it. This restricts the rotational speed. In hard-disk drives, the disk rotates at several thousand rev/min so that the head-to-disk ...
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