Seagate ST10000VE0008 hard disk
A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device. It is typically installed internally in a computer and connects directly to the drive controller on the computer's motherboard. Contains one or more disks housed in an airtight case. Data is written to the platters by a magnetic head, which moves rapidly across the platters as they rotate.
Internal hard drives reside in a drive bay that is connected to the motherboard with an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable. They are powered by a connection to the computer's power supply (AC adapter).
Examples of data stored on a computer's hard drive include the operating system, installed software, and the user's personal files.
Why does a computer need a hard drive?
A computer needs an operating system that allows users to interact with and use it. The operating system interprets keyboard and mouse movements and enables the use of software such as Internet browsers, word processors and video games. Installing a computer operating system requires a hard drive (or other storage device). The storage device provides the storage medium on which the operating system is installed and stored.
A hard drive is also required for installing programs or other files that you want to keep on your computer. When you download files to your computer, they are permanently stored on your hard drive or other storage media until you move or uninstall them.
Do all computers have hard drives?
In the past, early computers didn't have hard drives because they weren't invented yet or because they were too expensive. However, nowadays almost all computers have a hard drive or a storage device that acts as a hard drive. The computers in use today without a hard disk are referred to as diskless workstations and are often found in work environments.
Can a computer work without a hard drive?
Without a hard drive, a computer can power on and perform POST. Depending on how the BIOS is configured, other boot devices in the boot order are also checked for the necessary boot files. For example, if the USB device shows up in your BIOS boot sequence, you can boot from a bootable USB flash drive on a diskless computer.
Examples of bootable flash drives are a Microsoft Windows installation disc, GParted Live, Ubuntu Live, or UBCD. Some computers also support booting over a network using PXE (Preboot Execution Environment).
Hard drives in modern computers
Modern computers often use an SSD (Solid State Drive) as the primary storage device instead of a hard drive. HDDs are slower than SSDs when reading and writing data, but offer more storage capacity for the price.
Although a hard drive can still be used as a computer's primary storage, it is common to install it as a secondary drive. For example, the primary SSD can contain the operating system and installed software, and a secondary hard drive can be used to store documents, downloads, and audio or video files.
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