Answer:
There are a number of issues pertaining to hard disks and their use in computers including the physical interface, configuration of the devices, and the difference between logical and physical devices. This lab is meant to serve as in introduction to these concepts focusing on hard drive identification, configuration, installation, and preparation. This laboratory is more about discussing the concepts than it is about any sort of hands-on exercises. After studying this lab and performing the exercises, the student should be able to:
describe the characteristics and differences of the PATA and SATA standards;
describe the purposes of each of the cables used to interface a hard drive to the motherboard;
install a new drive in a machine;
describe what a partition is and its function as it pertains to storage devices; and
partition and format a hard drive using Windows XP.
Drive Interfaces
