Using Disks and Disk Drives

The disk drives in your computer allow you to store data on disk, and then retrieve and use it when you like. All Equity 386 systems have at least one diskette drive; you may also have a hard disk drive and/or a second diskette drive in your system.

This section explains how disks work and tells you how to do the following:

•Use different types of diskettes and diskette drives

•Care for your diskettes and diskette drives

•Insert and remove diskettes

•Write-protect diskettes

•Make backup copies of your diskettes

•Use a single diskette drive

•Use two diskette drives

•Use a hard disk drive.

How Disks Store Data

The diskette you insert in your computer’s diskette drive is made of flexible plastic coated with magnetic material. It is enclosed in a square jacket that is either slightly flexible (5¼-inch diskettes) or hard (3½-inch diskettes).

Unlike a diskette, a hard disk is rigid and fixed in place. It is sealed in a protective case to keep it free of dust and dirt. A hard disk stores data the same way that a diskette does, but it works much faster and has a much larger storage capacity.

All disks are divided into data storage compartments by sides, tracks, and sectors. Double-sided diskettes store data on both sides. On each side, there are concentric rings, called tracks (or sometimes called cylinders), on which a disk can store data. Double-density diskettes have either 40 or 80 tracks on each side and high-density diskettes have 80 tracks on each side.

4-8 Using the Equity 386