what is a computer hard drive

A computer hard drive is a hardware component that stores digital content, including documents, pictures, music, videos, programs, application preferences, and the operating system. Hard drives can be internal or external, and they are measured in terms of file size, such as megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), and terabytes (TB) . A hard drive is a non-volatile storage device, meaning it retains stored data even when power isnt being supplied. It includes two main elements: a spinning platter and an actuator arm. The platter spins on a spindle to help speed up the read/write process as the actuator arm moves across it. The desktop hard drive consists of the head actuator, read/write actuator arm, read/write head, spindle, and platter. The circuit board on the back of a hard drive is what allows it to communicate with the computer. An internal hard drive connects to the computer using a data cable (IDE, SATA, or SCSI) to the motherboard and a power cable to the power supply.