User`s guide

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5. How Disk Drives Work
There are three main types of disks for storing files - floppy,
hard, and compact disks.
Floppy disks are small, relatively slow, portable disks. Most
people use floppy disks to transfer files or install new programs
onto their hard drives. Floppy disks fit into the floppy disk
drives mounted in your system unit. Although there are some
combination drives, most floppy disk drives are designed to hold
only one size of disk.
Hard, or fixed disks, are permanently mounted inside your
system unit case. They are very fast, hold a lot of files, and are
not removable without dissassembling your system.
Compact disks fit into CD-ROM drives. Compact disks can
store very large amounts of information.
Floppy, hard, and CD-ROM disk drives all fit into the drive
bays in your system unit. This chapter shows how some of the
most common drives connect to the mainboard. Most drives
have two connections - a power connection and a data
connection. For detailed installation and configuration
information, always check the disk drive’s documentation.
Chapter 5 - How Disk Drives Work