Information TECHNOLOGY

(3rd year)
Computer Maintenance and
Technical Support

Storage
Device
Definition

• Storage Devices are the data storage devices that are used in
the computers to store the data.
• A drive is the name for several types of storage media.
• There are also storage media, which are not drives (RAM).
• Common to drive medium is:
 A file system can be assigned to them.
 They are recognized by the operating system and they are
assigned a drive letter.
Definition cont..

• The PC knows which drives are installed.

• During start up, drives are typically
recognized by the PC system software (ROM
BIOS + operating system).
Definition cont..
•Some examples of drives:
•Storage media Drive letter
Floppy disks A: B:
Hard disk C: E:F
CDROM/DVD D:
Definition cont..

• Permanent or semi permanent computer data storage

works by either optical or magnetic principles or, in
some cases, a combination of the two.
• Storage: Magnetic or optic. Data on any drive are
digitized. That means that they are expressed as
thousands of 0s and 1s.
Storage principles

• However, the storage of these bits is done in any

principles:
• The physical drive principle Disk types
Magnetic: Floppy disks, Hard disk
Zip drive.
Optic's: CD-ROM,DVD
Storage principles cont..

• Magnetic storage, a stream of binary computer data

bits (0s and 1s) is stored by magnetizing tiny pieces
of metal embedded on the surface of a disk or tape
in a pattern that represents the data.
• Magnetic pattern can be read and converted
back into the exact same stream of bits you started
with.
Definition of hard disk

• A hard disk drive is a sealed unit that a PC uses for

nonvolatile data storage.
• Nonvolatile, or semi-permanent, storage means that
the storage device retains the data even when no
power is supplied to the computer.
Definition of hard disk cont…

• A hard disk or drive is the part of your computer

responsible for long-term storage of information.
• Hard disks also have much greater storage capacities
than RAM and allowing you to save programs, files,
and other data permanently.
Basic component of hard disk
Basic component of hard disk cont..

• A hard disk is comprised of four basic parts:

 Platters ,
 Spindle,
 Read/write heads, and
 Integrated electronics.
Basic component of hard disk cont..

• Platters :are rigid disks made of metal or

plastic. Both sides of each platter are covered
with a thin layer of iron oxide or other
magnetizable material.
• The platters are mounted on a central axle or
spindle.
 Basic component of hard disk cont..

• Spindle: rotates all the platters at the same

speed.
• Read/write heads :are mounted on arms that
extend over both top and bottom surfaces of each
disk.
• There is at least one read/write head for each side
of each platter.
Basic component of hard disk cont..

• The arms jointly move back and forth

between the platters’ centers and outside
edges; this movement, along with the platters’
rotation, allow the read/write heads to access
all areas of the platters.
Basic component of hard disk cont..

• Integrated electronics : is used to translate

commands from the computer and move the
read/write heads to specific areas of the
platters, thus reading and/or writing the
needed data.
Hard disk operation

• Hard disk drives usually have multiple disks, called

platters, that are stacked on top of each other and spin
in unison, each with two sides on which the drive
stores data.
• The heads read and write data in concentric rings called
tracks, which are divided into segments called sectors,
which typically store 512 bytes each.
Hard disk operation cont..

• The result of a head crash can be anything from a few

lost bytes of data to a completely ruined drive.
• Every hard disk ever made eventually fails.
• Hard disks are fragile, and comparatively speaking,
they are certainly one of the more fragile components
in your PC.
 Data store and Retrieve cont..

• The read/write heads read the data by determining the

magnetic field of each bit and then relay that information
back to the computer.
• The read/write heads can access any area of the platters
at any time, allowing data to be accessed randomly
(rather than sequentially, as with a magnetic tape).
Preparing hard disk drive

• Consequently preparing a hard disk drive, for data

storage involves three steps:
1. Low-level formatting (LLF)(physical)
2. Partitioning
3. High-level formatting (HLF)(logical)
• The most basic form of disk organization is called
formatting.
Preparing hard disk drive cont..

• Formatting prepares the hard disk so that files can

be written to the platters and then quickly retrieved
when needed.
• Hard disks must be formatted in two ways:
physically (low level) and logically (high level).
 Preparing hard disk drive
Physically formatting

• A hard disk must be physically formatted before it can be

logically formatted. A hard disk’s physical formatting is
usually performed by the manufacturer.
• Physical formatting divides the hard disk’s platters into
their basic physical elements:
1. Tracks 2. Sectors 3. Cylinders.
• These elements define the way in which data is physically
recorded on and read from the disk.
Preparing hard disk drive
Physically formatting cont..
Preparing hard disk drive
Physically formatting cont..

• Tracks are concentric circular paths written on each

side of a platter.
• The tracks are identified by number, starting with
track zero at the outer edge. Tracks are divided into
smaller areas or sectors.
• Sectors are used to store a fixed amount of data.
Preparing hard disk drive
Physically formatting cont..

• Sectors are usually formatted to contain 512

bytes of data (there are 8 bits in a byte).
• A cylinder is comprised of a set of tracks
that lie at the same distance from the spindle
on all sides of all the platters.
 Preparing hard disk drive
Physically formatting cont..

• Computer hardware and software frequently work using

cylinders.
• When data is written to a disk in cylinders, it can be fully
accessed without having to move the read/write heads.
• Because head movement is slow compared to disk rotation
and switching between heads, cylinders greatly reduce data
access time.
Preparing hard disk drive
Partitioning

• After a disk has been physically formatted, it

can be divided into separate physical sections
or partitions.
• Each partition functions as an individual unit,
and can be logically formatted with any
desired file system.
Preparing hard disk drive
Partitioning cont..

• Why Use Multiple Partitions?

 Install more than one OS on your hard disk;
 Make the most efficient use of your available disk
space;
 Make your files as secure as possible;
 Physically separate data so that it is easy to find files
and back up data.
 Preparing hard disk drive
Partitioning cont..

• There are three kinds of partitions:

• primary, extended, and logical.
• Primary and extended partitions are the main disk
divisions; one hard disk may contain up to four primary
partitions, or three primary partitions and one extended
partition.
• The extended partition can then be further divided into
any number of logical partitions.
Preparing hard disk drive
Partitioning cont..

• A primary partition usually contains an operating

system along with any number of data files.
• An extended partition is essentially a container in
which you can further physically divide your disk
space by creating an unlimited number of logical
partitions.
Preparing hard disk drive
Partitioning cont..

• An extended partition does not directly hold data.

You must create logical partitions within the extended
partition in order to store data.
•
Preparing hard disk drive
Partitioning cont..
 Preparing hard disk drive
Logical formatting
• After a hard disk has been partitioned, it must be logically
formatted.
• Logical formatting places a file system on the disk, allowing
an operating system to use the available disk space to store
and retrieve files.
• Different OSs (operating systems) use different file systems,
so the type of logical formatting you apply depends on the
OS you plan to install.
Preparing hard disk drive
Logical formatting cont..

• High-level formatting is not really a physical

formatting of the drive, but rather the creation of a
table of contents for the disk.
• Each partition can be formatted with a different file
system, allowing you to install multiple OSs.
 File system

• A file system performs three main functions:

1) tracking allocated and free space,
2) maintaining directories and file names, and
3) tracking where each file is physically stored
on the disk.
File system cont..

• Different file systems are used by different operating

systems.
• Some OSs can recognize only one file system, while
other OSs can recognize several.
• Some of the most common file systems are the
following:
File system cont..

• FAT (File Allocation Table)

• FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32)
• NTFS (New Technology File System)
• HPFS (High Performance File System)
Hard disk feature

• To make the best decision in purchasing a hard disk

for your system or to understand what distinguishes
one brand of hard disk from another, you must
consider many features.
• Capacity ,Performance(Transfer rate, Average
access time), Reliability, Cost.
Troubleshooting hard disk
symptoms

• The hard drive isn't recognized in the BIOS

• Slowing Down Computer, Frequent Freezes, Blue
Screen Of Death
• Corrupted Data
• Strange Sounds
• Partition problem for big capacitance disk
10Q
Optical storage

• Optical disc storage is similar to magnetic disk storage

in basic operation, but it reads and records using light
(optically) instead of magnetism.
• Although most magnetic disk storage is fully read- and
write-capable many times over, many optical storage
media are either read-only or write-once.
 CD-ROM

• The term CD-ROM refers to both the discs themselves and the
drive that reads them.
• CD-ROM, or compact disc read-only memory, is an optical
read-only storage medium based on the original CD-DA (digital
audio) format first developed for audio CDs. Other formats,
such as CD-R (CD-recordable) and CD-RW (CD-rewritable),
are expanding the compact disc’s capabilities by making it
writable.
CD-ROM cont..

• Additionally, new technologies such as DVD

(digital versatile disc) are making it possible
to store more data than ever on the same size
disc.
• A CD is made of a polycarbonate wafer,
120mm in diameter and 1.2mm thick, with a
15mm hole in the center.
 CD-ROM cont..

• This wafer base is stamped or molded with a single

physical track in a spiral configuration starting from
the inside of the disc and spiraling outward.
• If you examined the spiral track under a microscope,
you would see that along the track are raised bumps,
called pits, and flat areas between the pits, called
lands.
 CD-ROM cont..

• The recorded data is read from the disc by scanning it

with a lower power, continuous laser beam.

• The laser diode emits the highly focused, narrow beam

that is reflected back from the disc.

•
CD-ROM cont..

• The reflected beam passes through a prism, and is bent

90 degrees, where it is picked up by the diode detector
and converted into an electrical signal. Only the light
reflected from a land on the disc is picked up by the
detector. Light that strikes a pit is scattered and is not
detected.
CD-ROM cont..

1. The laser diode emits a low-energy infrared beam toward a reflecting

mirror.
CD-ROM cont..

2. The servo motor, on command from the microprocessor,

positions the beam onto the correct track on the CD-ROM

by moving the reflecting mirror.

3. When the beam hits the disc, its refracted light is gathered

and focused through the first lens beneath the platter,

bounced off the mirror, and sent toward the beam splitter.

4. The beam splitter directs the returning laser light toward

another focusing lens.

CD-ROM cont..

5. The last lens directs the light beam to a photo

detector that converts the light into electric

impulses.

6. These incoming impulses are decoded by the

microprocessor and sent along to the host

computer as data.
 Care for CDs

• CD-ROM media should be handled with the same care as

a photographic negative. The CD-ROM is an optical
device and degrades as its optical surface becomes dirty
or scratched.
• Also it is important to note that, although discs are read
from the bottom, the layer containing the track is actually
much closer to the top of the disc because the protective
lacquer overcoat is only 6–7 microns thick.
Care for CDs

• Writing on the top surface of a disc with a ballpoint

pen, for example, will easily damage the recording
underneath.
• Use only markers designed for writing on CDs.
• When cleaning a CD always move from the centre of
the disc outwards, never clean in rotational manner.
TROUBLESHOOTING CD-ROM

• Drive or DVD drive is missing or not recognized by

Windows .
• CD or DVD Drive does not read or write and is shown
as disabled.
• You cannot eject the disc from the drive.
• The computer takes a long time to read the disc.
 TROUBLESHOOTING CD-ROM
CONT..
• A class specific or device specific driver is missing or
corrupt
• A CD or DVD drive cannot be found or is not connected
• The CD or DVD drive is experiencing a problem that
prevents it from working properly
• The CD or DVD drive is not accessible via an assigned
drive letter