Fujitsu Siemens Computers Fujitsu-Siemens PC Benutzerhandbuch

 

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The hard disk is a rigid disc, which is coated with a magnetic 
substance and protected by a metal housing (hard disk drive). A 
hard disk drive essentially consists of several discs, a spindle 
motor, read/write heads and a device for positioning the head. The 
hard disk is located inside your computer, but it can be exchanged. 
 
Hard disks work in accordance with ATA (Advanced Technology 
Attachment). This describes the protocol in accordance with which 
the data is transported via the cables. ATA is a drive specification 
for hard disk connections defined by ANSI (American National 
Standard Institute). 
 
There are two types in our PCs: 
 

•  For hard disks, the widely used IDE (Integrated Drive 

Electronics) connection standard (40-pin) is used on the 
motherboard. The IDE connection is also called PATA (Parallel 
ATA). This standard PC interface is primarily used for optical 
drives and hard disks.  

•  Another connection option for hard disks is the use of the 

SATA (Serial ATA) interface (4-ping), if this is available on the 
motherboard.  

 
The hard disk is your computer’s main storage medium and you 
can make your work easier and more productive by copying your 
applications and files onto your hard disk. You can copy files to the 
hard disk or delete them from it as often as you want. 
 
The hard disk drive should be handled with great care, as it is very 
sensitive.