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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:
l
Use different types of diskettes and diskette drives
l
Care for your diskettes and diskette drives
l
Insert and remove diskettes
l Write-protect diskettes
l
Make backup copies of your diskettes
l
Use a single diskette drive
l
Use two diskette drives
l
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