Atari 800 User Manual

CHAPTER 7.
AlARI 810 DISK DRIVE
Introduction
The Atari 810 Disk Drive is used for storing BASIC programs or
data files on floppy diskettes.
A disk stores data in a
magnetic form, much like data is stored on
magnetic tape. The main difference between storage on a
magnetic tape and storage on a disk is that the disk surface is
round--much like a record 's surface.
The disk
drive contains a device known as a read/write head,
which is used to read and write information. The computer can
move the head to any position desired on the disk surface. This is
in contrast to magnetic tape, where data is read from or written
onto the tape in consecutive order.
This capacity to read or write data at a particular position is
known as random access. Disk drives are known as random
access storage devices. On the other hand, in cases where data
must be read
or written in a consecutive order, the accessing is
known as sequential access. A cassette tape recorder is known as
a sequential access drive .
Types of Disks
There are three primary types of disks used by microcomputers ;
hard disk, Winchester disks, and floppy diskettes. These will be
described in the following sections.
Hard Disks
Microcomputer hard disk sys tems generally allow storage of 5 to
30 megabytes of data. One megabyte is the equivalent of one

Atari 800 Specifications

General

Processor	MOS Technology 6502
Processor Speed	1.79 MHz
ROM	10 KB
Graphics	ANTIC and GTIA chips
Release Year	1979
Display Resolution	up to 320 x 192
Colors	128 colors
Sound	4 channels
Storage	Cartridge, cassette, floppy disk
Ports	Cartridge, serial, monitor
Operating System	Atari OS