Hard Drive Glossary A to Z

A

• Acoustic Noise
• Access
• Access time
• Actuator
• Address
• Allocation
• Allocation Unit (also sector or cluster)
• Areal Density
• ATA
• ATA-2
• ATA-3
• Atapi
• ATA-4
• Ultra-ATA
• Ultra-ATA
• AV
• Average Latency
• AVI
• Average Seek Time

B

• Bad Block/Sector
• Binary
• Bit
• Block (also cluster)
• BIOS
• BPI
• Buffer
• Byte

C

• Cache Memory
• Capacity
• Capacity Barriers
• CD-R (also CD Recordable)
• CD-ROM
• CD-RW (CD Re-Writable)
• CHS
• Clean Room
• Closed Loop (also track following servo)
• Cluster (also block)
• Component Design Life
• CMO
• CPU
• Crash
• CRC
• Cylinder

D

• DAC
• Data/Disk transfer rate
• dB
• Dedicated Servo
• DMA
• DOS
• DRAM
• Driver
• DVD (Digital Versatile Disc / Digital Video Disc)

E

• E Block
• ECC
• Effective Seek Time
• EIDE (also ATA)
• Embedded Servo
• ESD

F

• FAT
• FCI
• Firmware
• Flux change
• Format
• Form factor
• Flying Height

G

• Gigabyte

H

• Hard Error
• Hardware
• HC
• HDA
• HDD
• Head
• Head crash
• Head Landing Zone
• Head positioner
• Host
• Hot swap
• Host adapter

I

• IC
• IDE
• IDE Controller
• Interface
• Interleave factor
• Internal Transfer rate
• Inside Diameter
• I/O
• ISA
• ISO
• ISO-9660

J

• JPEG
• Jumper

K

• KB

L

• Landing Zone
• Latency
• LBA
• Low Level Formatting

• Main Memory
• MB
• Media (Magnetic)
• MFM
• MPEG (Motion Pictures Expert Group)
• MR
• MR head
• MTBF

O

• OEM
• Operating System
• Outside Diameter

P

• Parity
• Partitioning
• Parallel Port
• PCB
• PCI

S

• SCSI
• Sector
• Seek (time)
• Sequential Access
• Servo data / pattern
• Servo system
• Settle Time
• SFF
• Shock rating
• S.M.A.R.T
• Spindle Motor
• Soft Error
• SSA
• Stepper Motor
• Storage Density
• Substrate
• Surface

T

• TOC
• Track
• Track following servo (also closed loop)
• Transfer rate
• Thin-film head
• TPI

U

• UDP (Universal Disk Product)
• USB (Universal Serial Bus)

V

• Voice Coil Motor

W

• Winchester Disks
• WORM (Write Once Read Many)