DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA

TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)

Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

Module 11 – Hard Disk Drives GRADE -9 ICT-CSS

Week 11

Objectives:

At the end of the topic, students are expected to

a. Differentiate HDD and SSD

b. Install a HDD and SSD; and
c. Check the quality standards of materials/equipment used in computer system
servicing

Lesson 1 – Hard Disk Drive

What is a hard disk drive?

A computer hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device. Non-volatile refers to
storage devices that maintain stored data when turned off. All computers need a storage
device, and HDDs are just one example of a type of storage device.
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

HDDs are usually installed inside desktop computers, mobile devices, consumer electronics
and enterprise storage arrays in data centers. They can store operating systems, software
programs and other files using magnetic disks.

More specifically, hard disk drives control the reading and writing of the hard disk that provides
data storage. HDDs are used either as the primary or secondary storage device in a computer.
They are commonly found in the drive bay and are connected to the motherboard via an
Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), Serial ATA, parallel ATA or Small Computer System
Interface (SCSI) cable, among other formats. The HDD is also connected to a power supply
unit and can keep stored data while powered down.

A hard disk drive -- often shortened to hard drive -- and hard disk are not the same things, but
they are packaged as a unit and either term can refer to the whole unit.

Why do computers need hard disks?

Storage devices like hard disks are needed to install operating systems, programs and
additional storage devices, and to save documents. Without devices like HDDs that can retain
data after they have been turned off, computer users would not be able to store programs or
save files or documents to their computers. This is why every computer needs at least one
storage device to permanently hold data as long as it is needed.

How do hard disk drives work?

Most basic hard drives consist of several disk platters -- a circular disk made of either aluminum,
glass or ceramic -- that are positioned around a spindle inside a sealed chamber. The platter
spins with a motor that is connected to the spindle. The chamber also includes the read/write
heads that magnetically record information to and from tracks on the platters using a
magnetic head. The disks also have a thin magnetic coating on them.

The motor spins the platters at up to 15,000 rotations per minute. As the platters spin, a second
motor controls the position of the read and write heads that magnetically record and read
information on each platter.
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

Hard disk drive storage capacity

Some of the most common storage drive capacities include the following:

• 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. This range is among the lowest for HDD storage space and
is typically found in older and smaller devices.

• 120 GB and 256 GB. This range is generally considered an entry point for HDD devices
such as laptops or computers.

• 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. Around 500 GB and above of HDD storage is typically
considered decent for an average user. Users can most likely store all their music,
photos, videos and other files with this much space. Individuals with games that take
up a lot of space should find 1 TB to 2 TB of HDD space suitable.

• More than 2 TB. Anything over 2 TB of HDD space is suitable for users who work with
high-resolution files, who need to store or house a large amount of data, or who want
to use that space for backup and redundancy.

Currently, the highest capacity HDD is 20 TB. However, an HDD actually has less space than
advertised, as the operating system, file system structures and some data redundancy
procedures use a portion of that space.

Hard drive components and form factors

Hard disk drive components include the spindle, disk platter, actuator, actuator arm and
read/write head. Even though the term can refer to the unit as a whole, the term hard disk is
the set of stacked disks -- in other words, the part of the HDD that stores and provides access
to data on an electromagnetically charged surface.

The HDD form factor refers to the physical size or geometry of the data storage device. HDD
form factors follow a set of industry standards that govern their length, width and height, as
well as the position and orientation of the host interface connector. Having an industry-
standard form factor helps determine a common compatibility with different computing
devices.
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

The most common form factors for HDDs in enterprise systems are 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch -- also
known as small form factor (SFF) and large form factor (LFF). The 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch
measurements represent the approximate diameter of the platter within the drive enclosures.

While there are other form factors, by 2009, manufacturers discontinued the development of
products with 1.3-inch, 1-inch and 0.85-inch form factors. The falling price of flash made these
other form factors almost obsolete. It is also important to note that while nominal sizes are in
inches, actual dimensions are specified in millimeters.

Many solid-state drives (SSDs) are also designed for the HDD form factor. SSDs that fit into the
same slots as HDDs generally use the SATA or serial-attached SCSI (SAS) interface to transfer
data to and from the host computing system.

What are external HDDs?

Most HDDs are found internally in a computer and work as stated above. However, individuals
can also purchase external hard drives. External hard drives can be used to expand the
storage capacity of a computer or to act as a portable device to back up data. External
drives connect to a computer or device through interfaces like USB 2.0, USB-C or with External
SATA (eSATA). External hard drives may also have slower data transfer rates compared to
internal HDDs.

The main advantage of an external hard drive, aside from being able to expand a device's
storage space, includes being portable. Users can store data from multiple devices and
physically bring that data with them wherever they go.

Common hard disk errors

Hard disks can fail for all sorts of reasons. However, failures generally fall into the following six
broad categories.

• Electrical failure occurs when, for example, a power surge damages a hard disk's
electronic circuitry, causing the read/write head or circuit board to fail. If a hard disk
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

powers on but cannot read and write data or boot, it is likely that one or more of its
components has suffered an electrical failure.

• Mechanical failure can be caused by wear and tear, as well as by a hard impact,
like a hard drop. This may cause, among other things, the read/write drive head to
hit a rotating platter, causing irreversible physical damage.

• Logical failure results when the hard disk's software is compromised or ceases to run
properly. All sorts of data corruption can lead to a logical failure. This includes
corrupted files, malware and viruses, improperly closing an application or shutting
down a computer, human error or accidentally deleting files that are critical to hard
disk functionality.

• Bad sector failure can occur when the magnetic media on a hard disk's rotating
platter is misaligned, resulting in a specific area on the platter becoming
inaccessible. Bad sectors are common and often limited when they occur. Over
time, however, the number of bad sectors can increase, eventually leading to a
system crash, inaccessible files or the hanging or lagging of the operation of a hard
disk.

• Firmware failure happens when the software that performs the maintenance tasks
on a drive and enables the hard disk to communicate with a computer becomes
corrupted or stops working properly. This type of failure can lead to the disk freezing
during bootup or the computer a hard disk is connected to not recognizing or
misidentifying it.

• Multiple unknown failures that accumulate over time can also occur. For example,
an electrical problem could lead to a mechanical failure, such as a read/write head
crash. It might also lead to a logical failure, resulting in several bad sectors
developing on the hard disk platters.
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

Lesson 2 - Solid State Drive

SSD
Short for solid-state drive, an SSD is a storage medium that uses non-volatile memory to hold
and access data. Unlike a hard drive, an SSD has no moving parts, which gives it
advantages, such as faster access time, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower
power consumption. The picture shows an example of an SSD made by Crucial.

As the costs have come down, SSDs have become suitable replacements for a standard
hard drive in both desktop and laptop computers. SSDs are also a great solution for
netbooks, nettops, and other applications that don't require a lot of storage.

What are the different types of SSDs?

There are several types of SSDs with varying speed and connection types, including 2.5",
mSATA, M.2, and PCIe. The following section briefly reviews each type.
a. 2.5": This is the most common type of SDD on the market. They offer the best value per GB
and, while being the slowest, are still plenty fast.

b. mSATA: Short for Mini-SATA, these SSDs have a very small form factor, a different
connection type, and are a bare circuit board, unlike their enclosed 2.5" counterparts.
They're a bit faster than a 2.5" SSD and are often used in laptops and netbooks; devices
where space is a concern.
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

c. M.2: Similar to mSATA, these drives are a bare circuit board. The significant differences are
that they come in both SATA and PCIe versions, and that they have different lengths and
widths, allowing for more flexibility. Also, M.2 SSDs can support NVMe, which mSATA and 2.5"
do not.
d. PCIe: These are the fastest and most expensive SSDs. As the name would imply, they use a
PCIe slot (the same slot your video card uses). They offer speeds that are roughly four times
faster than a standard SATA drive.

What are the speeds of the different SSDs?

SSDs have traditionally used the SATA connection, which has a theoretical maximum transfer
rate of 750 MB per second. Newer generations of SSDs connect to the motherboard's PCIe
connection, offering speeds of up to 1.5 GB per second. The PCIe M.2 connection standard,
introduced in 2014, offers a maximum real-world throughput of approximately 4 GB/s.
HDDs vs. SSDs
The main alternative to hard disk drives are solid-state drives.

Unlike hard disks, SSDs contain no moving parts. SSDs also have lower latency than HDDs,
and therefore are often favored to store critical data that needs to be accessed quickly and
for applications with a high input/output demand. SSDs are configured to deliver high
read/write speeds for sequential and random data requests. Additionally, SSDs do not store
data magnetically, so the read performance remains steady, regardless of where the data is
stored on the drive. SSDs also have faster boot times.
 DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS MANILA
TIMOTEO PAEZ INTEGRATED SCHOOL (HS)
Technology Education Department
Younger Street, Balut Tondo, Manila

It is because of these benefits, and that HDDs are more vulnerable to breakdowns, that HDDs
are now starting to be replaced by SSDs.
Reference: Information and Communication Technology Computer System Servicing Grade
9- MODULE – Division of Manila

https://sites.google.com/site/tvcccis1101112013/power
https://www.techtarget.com/searchstorage/definition/hard-disk-drive
https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/ssd.htm

Note:
1. Download and Read this Module.
2. Go to your TLE-9 google classroom and answer the activity.

Prepared by: Jeusuel Nonnatus N. de Luna