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How disks work
The floppy disks (diskettes) you insert in your system’s floppy disk drives
are round pieces of flexible plastic coated with magnetic material and
enclosed in protective jackets. Like a record, a diskette has circular tracks on
both sides. The computer stores the data you enter as magnetic patterns on
these circular tracks.
A small read/write head in the disk drive interprets the magnetic pat-
terns. When a diskette is in a drive, the read/write head is right over the
large oval hole in the diskette jacket. This hole allows the read/write head to
access the diskette when you store, retrieve, and delete data.
Unlike a floppy disk, a hard disk is rigid and fixed in place. It is sealed in
a protective environment free of dust and dirt, so you cannot see it. A hard
disk stores data the same way as a floppy disk, only it works faster and has a
much larger storage capacity.
Because data is stored magnetically, you can retrieve it, record over it,
and erase it - just as you play, record, and erase music on cassette tapes.
Choosing diskettes for the Equity I+
The standard floppy disk drive on the Equity I+ uses double-sided,
double-density, 48 TPI (tracks per inch) diskettes. These disks are compatible
with those used for the IBM PC. You can use diskettes prepared and used
with one IBM-compatible computer on the other.
For best results, use only high-quality diskettes with reinforced hub
rings-the added reliability is well worth the extra cost. Be sure to select
diskettes that are double-sided, double-density. Each diskette can hold
360KB of data, the equivalent of about 150 pages of text.
If you have an optional floppy disk drive that has a capacity of 720KB,
use
31/2”,
double-sided, highdensity, 135 TI’I diskettes. Each high-density
diskette holds 720KB of data, approximately 300 pages of text.
Caring for your disks and disk drives
To avoid damaging diskettes and hard disks, you need to care for them
properly. Follow these basic precautions to avoid losing data:
l
Keep disks away from dust and dirt. Small particles of dust or dirt
scratch the magnetic surface (destroying data). Dust can also ruin the
read/write head in the disk drive.
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