This chapter explains how to prepare disks for use and gives you information
you'll need to use your disks correctly. Specifically, the chapter includes
information on
- preparing and using hard disks
- preparing and using floppy disks
- updating the system software on your disks
- customizing the system software on your disks
- designating one of your disks as a startup disk
- protecting the information on your disks
Preparing and using hard disks
Disks are devices your computer uses to store information. The two most
common types of Macintosh disks are hard disks and floppy disks.
A hard disk consists of one or more metal disks permanently sealed inside a
drive compartment. The drive's sealed environment permits extremely fast
reading and writing of information, and the disk or disks inside a hard disk
drive can store vastly more data than can a floppy disk. Some common
capacities for hard disk drives are 20 MB, 40 MB, 80 MB, and 160 MB.
There are two types of hard disks: internal hard disks and external hard
disks. The only difference is that internal hard disks are built into your
computer, whereas external hard disks are housed in a separate box which you
must attach to your computer. The instructions in this chapter apply to both
internal and external hard disks.
The Macintosh you purchased may have come with an internal hard disk. Even if
your Macintosh does not have an internal hard disk, you can purchase an
internal or external hard disk at a later date.
How to tell if you have a hard disk
While it's easy to tell if you have an external hard disk because you can see
its box sitting under or beside your computer, it isn't as easy to tell if
you have an internal hard disk.
If you aren't sure, here's how to check.
1. With the computer turned off, insert the disk labeled System Startup, and
then switch the computer on.
2. When the Finder desktop appears, look in the upper-right corner of the
screen.
You'll see the icon for the System Startup disk. If you see an icon
immediately below it that looks like a small rectangular box, you know you
have a hard disk. That box is a hard disk icon.
If you have no external hard disk, you know the icon represents an internal
hard disk. If you see two hard disk icons, it means you have two hard disks,
one of which is internal if you have only one external hard disk.
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