Write-protect diskettes
Make backup copies of your diskettes
Use a single diskette drive
Use two diskette drives
Use a hard disk drive.
How Disks Store Data
The diskette you insert in your computer’s diskette drive is made
of flexible plastic coated with magnetic material. It is enclosed
in a square jacket that is either slightly flexible (5 ¼-inch
diskettes), or hard (3 ½-inch diskettes).
Unlike a diskette, a hard disk is rigid and fixed in place. It is
sealed in a protective case to keep it free of dust and dirt. A
hard disk stores data the same way that a diskette does, but it
works much faster and has a much larger storage capacity.
All disks are divided into data storage compartments by sides,
tracks, and sectors. Double-sided diskettes store data on both
sides. On each side, there are concentric rings, called tracks
(or cylinders), on which a disk can store data. Double-density
diskettes have either 40 or 80 tracks on each side, and high-
density diskettes have 80 tracks on each side.
Because a hard disk consists of two or more platters stacked on
top of one another, it has four or more sides with many more
tracks per side than a diskette. (The number of tracks depends
on the capacity of the hard disk. You do not need to know how
many sides and tracks your hard disk has.)
3-16 Using the Equity 386/25
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