Using Disks and Disk Drives

The disk drives in your computer allow you to store data on disk, and then retrieve and use your stored data when you want to. Your computer comes with a single diskette drive or one diskette drive and one hard disk drive. You may install an additional diskette drive or hard disk drive, up to a maximum of three drives total.

This section explains how disks work and tells you how to:

Use different types of diskettes and diskette drives

Care for your diskettes and diskette drives

Write-protect diskettes

Use a single diskette drive system

Insert and remove diskettes

Format diskettes

Make backup copies

Use a hard disk drive.

How Disks Store Data

Diskettes are made of flexible plastic coated with magnetic material. This plastic is enclosed in a square jacket that is either slightly flexible (5 ‘/+inch diskette), or hard (3 ‘/z-inch diskette).

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.

3-10 Using Your Computer