Image: Wikimedia Commons

hard disk

Data storage device

Entitytype of computer memory or storageQ4439

Also known as HDD · HD · hard drive · fixed disk · spinner · spinning rust

Instance of: type of computer memory or storage
Subclass of: computer hardware
, computer storage media
, disk drive
Part of: disk array

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical computer data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. The platters are paired with magnetic heads, usually arranged on a moving actuator arm, which read and write data to the platter surfaces. Data is accessed in a random-access manner, meaning that individual blocks of data can be stored and retrieved in any order. HDDs are a type of non-volatile storage, retaining stored data when powered off. Modern HDDs are typically in the form of a small rectangular box, possibly in a disk enclosure for portability. Modern disks do not have removable media, in contrast to the disk drives common in the 1960s and 1970s which often used removable disk packs.

Overview

All data

83 statements · 22% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Unicode character: 🖴
1
Sources
1.compart.com/en/unicode/U+1F5B4Retrieved 2020-06-23
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Followed by: solid-state drive
Discovered: 1956
1
Sources
1.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/hard-diskRetrieved 2020-06-23
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Uses: magnetic storage
Members / parts: hard disk drive platter
1
Sources
1.smallbusiness.chron.com/four-major-components-hard-drive-70821.htmlRetrieved 2020-06-23
View statement on Wikidata ↗
spindle
1
Sources
1.smallbusiness.chron.com/four-major-components-hard-drive-70821.htmlRetrieved 2020-06-23
View statement on Wikidata ↗
disk drive head
housing
computer interface
signal and power connector
Has characteristic: Hard disk drive performance characteristics
flying height
Has use: computer storage media

On other databases

45 identifiers linking hard disk across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

22%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 13, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). hard disk (Q4439). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/hard-disk-Q4439