Texas Instruments 3000 WinSX - Manual (Page 16)

Learning About Hardware
Hard Disk Formatting
The hard disk consists of a platter divided into cylinders. A cylinder is a collection of
tracks in the same position on different sides of the hard disk platter.
The tracks of each cylinder are further divided into sectors. Each sector is numbered and
holds 512 bytes of data. The computer locates data on the disk by looking for its sector
number.
The hard disk in your new TravelMate 3000 WinSX is formatted and loaded with
software by Texas Instruments during manufacture. Do not format the hard disk.
Caution: If you format the hard disk, all data on the hard disk wi1l be
erased.
Floppy Diskette Drive
A floppy diskette is a magnetic device that stores information created on a computer.
Once data is stored on a floppy, as diskettes are called in this manual, you can access the
data whenever necessary, or you can replace the old data with new when you no longer
need the old data.
During operation, the floppy rotates inside its plastic casing. As it rotates, the read/write
head of the drive moves from one track to another, locating information or finding space
available to store new information.
1-6 Taking A First Look