Magnetic Storage

Magnetic storage
When we talk about Storage, a storage is the
action or method of storing something for future
use.
A Magnetic storage or Magnetic recording is
the storage of data on a magnetized medium.
Magnetic storage uses different patterns of
magnetisation in a magnetizable material to store
data and is a form of non-volatile memory. The
information is accessed using one or more
read/write heads.
Magnetic storage
Magnetic storage media, primarily hard disks, are widely used to
store computer data as well as audio and video signals. In the field of
computing, the term magnetic storage is preferred and in the field of
audio and video production, the term magnetic recording is more
commonly used. The distinction is less technical and more a matter of
preference. Other examples of magnetic storage media include floppy
disks, magnetic tape, and magnetic stripes on credit cards.

A Magnetic Storage stores it’s data in a binary form like as 0 and 1.

They are known to be non volatile in nature and performs mainly read and
write.
 More on magnetic storage
Magnetic disk
A Magnetic disk however is a rotatable storage medium usually
in form of a circular non magnetic rigid plate coated on both sides
with magnetic material followed by some form of lubricating
layers. The disks themselves (the substrate) are made of
aluminum alloy or of some glass–ceramic composite material.
The magnetic coating on early disks was a ferric oxide in a
binder. Current disks have a thin metallic film, such as
cobalt/nickel or cobalt/chrome, which is created by vacuum
deposition (i.e. sputtering). The lubricating layer is a coat of
carbon a few angstroms thick, sometimes followed by a
proprietary lubricant. Metallic coatings have advantages in being
homogeneous, having a better hysteresis loop shape, and allowing
storage densities 10 times that achievable with conventional ferric
oxide coatings. Flexible magnetic disks (i.e. floppy disks) with
oxide coating provide low-cost lightweight media that can be
handled in a normal office environment.
 Magnetic disk
Plastic disk coated with magnetic material and
used for storing computer programs and data
(information) as a series of magnetic spots.
Most computers contain a hard disk unit for
general storage. Hard magnetic disks can store
larger amounts of data and come in cartridges
that slot into a special drive unit.

Computers also often have a disk drive for inserting portable,

lower-capacity compact discs or floppy disks. Data is stored
magnetically on both sides of a floppy disk, and is read by
magnetic heads in the computer as the disk rotates.
Principles of magnetic storage
All magnetic storage devices such as floppy disk drives and hard disk
drives, read and write data by using electromagnetism.
Some store data Randomly (Hard drive), while some store their data
sequentially (Tape Drive).
Disks consist of magnetic material coated on mylar, glass or aluminum.
The current following through the conductor produces a magnetic field,
which means during recording the head changes electrical impulse to
magnetic fields.
Moving a conductor through a magnetic field produces a current. During
reading the head changes magnetic fields to electrical impulses
Data encoding scheme of a magnetic storaGe
Data Encoding Schemes are techniques use for encoding data for a
magnetic storage. There is the FM (Frequency Modulation- No more in
use), MFM (Modified Frequency Modulation- Floppy Disks) and RLL
(Run Length Limited- Hard disks).
The reading and writing however requires perfect synchronization.
Due to the fact that the MCM is more efficient that the FM encoding, it
is also called Double Density Recording.
Rather than encoding a single, RLL normally encoded a group of data
bits at a time.
Sequential and Random Access Memory

Data in the Magnetic Storage can be accessed in two different ways:

Sequential Access Memory: This is a class of data storage device that reads data in
a sequence. While it reads data I’m sequence, arbitrary locations can still be
accessed by seeking to the requested location. Magnetic sequential memory is
typically used for secondary storage in general purpose computer due to their higher
density at lower cost per RAM. Sequential Access devices are usually a form of
magnetic storage. A draw back however is the fact that it is very slow, big and
clunky due to its large space. Example, Magnetic Tape.
Random Access Memory: Data is accessed in any order. The computer has the
chance to read and write information anywhere in the data file. They are way smaller
than the Sequential Access Memory and so much faster. Example, Hard drive.
 Hard disk
A Hard disk or Hard drive is a magnetic non volatile
data storage device which stores data in it’s surface in
concentric tracks. By non volatile, we means a storage
which stores data in the memory of the system
regardless of whether the computer power is out or not.

A hard disk is installed internally in a computer it comes

with. It is attached to a disk controller of the computer
mother board. It houses one or two platter which tends
to contain data through the use of a magnetic head
which moves rapidly over them as they spin.
 Parts of a hard disk
PLATTER: The Platters however are the circular
discs inside the hard disk which houses the data
stored. They are made of Aluminum, glass or
ceramic and have a magnetic surface which helps
it permanently store data.
THE SPINDLE: The spindle keeps the Platters in
position and rotates them as required. The
revolution per minute rating determines how fast
data can be written to and read from the hard disk.
THE READ/WRITE ARM: The read/write arm
controls The movement of the read and write head
which does the actual reading and writing on the
disk platters.
MORE ON THE PARTS OF HARD DISK
ACURATOR: The ACURATOR is a small motor
that takes the instructions from the driver’s circuit
board to control the movement of the read/write
arm and also supervise the transfer of data to and
from the Platters.
DISK CONTROLLERS: This is responsible for
executing commands within the drive. The
internal hard drive reside in the drive bay
connected to the mother board using the ATA,
SCSI or SATA cable. They are powered by a
connection to the computer power supply cable.
Ata serial cable

The Advanced Technology Attachment is

an interface that connects the hard drives,
CD-ROM drives, and other drives.
SCSI cable

The Small Computer System Interface is an

interface for disk drives that was first completed in
1987. It supports 8 devices or sixteen devices with
wide SCSI.
SATA cable

The Serial Advanced Technology Attachment

is capable of delivering 1.5 Gbps (approximately
187mbps) of performance to each drive within a
disk array. It is backward compatible with ATA.
DATA STORED ON THE HARD DRIVE
The data on the disk drive however includes the operating system,
installed software and user personal files. Most modern system however
use the SSD (SOLID STATE DRIVE) these days as a primary storage
device. This is due to the fact that the HDD (HARD DISK DRIVE) is
slower and takes more time. The HDD has a greater volume of space than
the SDD. Due to this, the SDD may be use to store the operating system
and installed softwares while the HDD is use to store documents,
downloads, songs etc.
Signs of Hard Drive issues on a system
The operating system slows down or even crashes or freezes.
Error messages pop up while copying or moving files.
Computer Crashes or shows the blue screen of death.
Accessing files takes a long time
The windows operating system becomes corrupted.
The hard drive makes a certain low hum noise which increases it’s
pitch as the speed of rotation of it’s platters increases.
The system is unable to recognize the hard drive.
The hard drive is undetectable in the BIOS process.
Ways to repair a hard drive
Using the CHKDSK tool: With the CHKDSK tool for the control panel
(Run Menu), the hard drive is analysed track by track to detect and fix
recoverable data on the defective areas. Do not use CHKDSK if you
think you have lost data as this will make the data unrecoverable. The
CHKDSK command is extremely powerful and can cause damages if
used carelessly.
Using the System File Checker: The system file Checker checks the
system files and handles human error issues which may affect the hard
drive. It is very common for a inexperienced user to modify the system
data or registry settings or installing improper plugins into the system
which could surely cause damage to the hard drive.
Ways to repair a hard drive

The SMART: The Self Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting

Technology warns the user when the hard drive may be having issues.
It comes with the latest versions of operatings systems and is essential
to be activated in order to give warning of more technical issues which
may cause the hard disk to fail or crash any time soon.
Defragment your drive if it is fragmented.
CAUSES OF HARD DRIVE FAILURES

Firmware faults: This can be termed as the fault of the lecturer. Though
this isn’t always common, but if your hard drive tends to have issues
from the very start then this could be the issue.
Corrupted Files: This are one of the most common faults that are
generated im a hard drive. This happens when the users shuts down the
computer abruptly while the external hard disk is still connected or
while the computer is still performing a certain important task.
Electric Failure: Due to Power Surges, the UPS is unable to give the
system full power supply which can cause damage to the hard drive.
OTHeR CAUSEs

Human error.
Virus damage
Fragmented files
Registry Error
Redundant Programs
Inappropriate Plug-ins
Excessive Heat
Water damage
Removable storages
Removable storages are storages that do not require installation. They are
removable storage devices, when use to transport or store data. Removable
storage devices allows multiple programs to share the same storage media
resources which can reduce costs. One disadvantage is that they do not allow
the execution of several of data management programs on different
computers connected to the same Library.
Types of Removable storages, PROBLEMS AMD REPAIrs.

MAGNETIC TAPES: This is a backup method

that works similar to sound cassettes. The data
is stored on the Tape in a magnetic form and
mounted on a cassete or cartridge. Tape drives
actually offer a large amount of data storage,
lower energy consumption and more longevity.
Though a magnetic tape often have issues such
as High Temperature, High Humidity, Slow
data recovery, Mechanical Shock, Presence of
dust etc.
 Problems Associated with magnetic tapes
DATA LOSS: Data loss in a magnetic tape can be caused by variety of
reasons. The tape could be broken, stretched, wrinkled or worn out.
Excessive heat or electric shock could actually affect the stored data by
rearranging the magnetic flux pattern.

Repair
Remove the tape from the unit and clean the transport.
If error persists, attempt to load or write the tape on a different transport.
If the tape is a working topic, make a new working topic by recopying the
master to another tape.
Submit tape for stripping, cleaning or centrifying if error persists.
 More problems associated with magnetic tape

COMPATIBILITY ISSUE : Tapes that can be read from one transport

and not from another of the same system indicate a problem in the
alignment of the system Tape Transport. Compatible means that all
tapes writtenon a transport can be read without errors by all other
transports of the same type of system tape transports.

Repair
Ensure you align  tape  transports  to  the  mechanical  andelectrical
specifications of the manufacturer to ensure compatibility within
system transports and the same type transports in other system.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH MAGNETIC
TAPES
WINDING ERRORS: They  happen  when  improper winding
practices create excessive or uneven force as the tape is being wound
onto a tape reel. The form taken after the tape has been wound unto the
reel is called the Tape Pack.

REPAIR
• Try rewinding it unto another reel with the proper tension and right humidity
and temperature.
Floppy disk
A Floppy disk is a type of disk storage that is composed
of a thin, flexible disk of magnetic storage enclosed in an
almost square plastic. It was invented in 1967 and was
mainly used in the past for storing the Operating System
and some important documents. It tends to read and write
data through the read and write heads moved by the head
actuder. Floppy disk however are read and written by a
Floppy disk drive. It is an outdated form of storage
known for it’s slow recovery process and less space.
Floppy

disk drives
The floppy disk comes with 5 different drives which are:
1.44mb 3.5inch drive.
2.88mb 3.5 inch drive.
750KB 3.5inch drive.
1.2mb 5.25 inch drive.
360kb 5.25 inch drive.

Despite the various sizes, the data storage limits are dependent of two different
factors:
The Single or double sided disk
• The Regular or High density disk.
Problems associated with floppy Disks and repairs.

A number of things can cause improper floppy disk drive operation or failure.
These items include the use of unformatted disks, incorrectly inserted disks,
damaged disks, erased disks, loose cables, drive failure, adapter failure, system
board failure, or a bad or loose power connector.
Various problems one can get from FDD are error messages which indicates:
There is a disk drive read/write/seek error.
There is No Boot Record found.
System stops working while reading a disk.
The system displays the same directory listing for every disk inserted
indicating that the FDD disk signal line is not found.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FLOPPY DISKS
AND REPAIRS.
Floppy Disk doesn’t respond: Verify the floppy disk you are trying to
read on is not write protected or bad. Verify it is not write protected by
sliding the tab to the opposite side preventing light from passing through
it. In the absence of the tab, make use of a tape over the hole.
Floppy Disk isn’t set up in BIOS: Verify that the Floppy Disk is
already configured properly in the BIOS setup. If it is not configured
properly, you may get a read/write error.
Floppy Disk doesn’t connect properly: Power Down, unplug and open
the computer. Verify the Floppy disk connected is connected to the
motherboard FDD connector. If not connected, disconnect and reconnect
again.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FLOPPY DISKS
AND REPAIRS.

Floppy Disk doesn’t Work Properly: This could be due to an hardware you
recently installed in your computer. Ensure to remove any recently installed
hardware connected to your system and try again. If it still doesn’t respond,
then it could be from the syst drive. Try testing the Floppy Drive from MS
Dos.
1. If you are running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT,
Windows 2000, or Windows 2000, click Start, Shutdown, and Restart the
computer to an MS-DOS prompt.
2. If you are running Windows 3.x, click File and select Exit Windows to get to an
MS-DOS prompt. Once at the prompt, place a diskette into the floppy disk drive
and type format a:.
3. If you receive any of the following errors when trying to format the floppy disk:
4. Invalid media or Track 0 Bad - Try formatting another floppy disk.
OPTICAL DISK

This is the most used of all the other

removable data storage devices. It is a single
continuous spiral disk. A laser light reads the
data from the disk. Optical disks are fast,
durable and very compatible. Example, Blu-
Ray Disk, CD/DVD.
 PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH OPTICAL
DISKS

Your Optical Disk is unable to read or write: When your Optical disc is
unable to read or write, it shows as disabled on the computer. You may
receive an error message indicating the disk has been corrupted or
cannot be found.
REPAIR
• Check your vendor specification and see if the drive is multiread compliant. Some are not.
• Try playing the disc in another disk drive to see if it will work.
• Check out for scratches at the surface of the disk.
• Ensure there is no dirt at the surface of the disk and wipe with a dry neat material if there
is.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH OPTICAL DISKS

Trouble Making Bootable Disc: When having problem with a Bootable

Disc, you might be unable to boot through a disc inserted into the disk
drive or install an OS using a disk.

REPAIR
• Check the content of the disk for which you are going to be booting with. A
Bootable Drive must contain CD Drivers, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and CONFIG.SYS.
• Use the ISO 9660 format.
• Check your system bios for boot compliance and boot order.
FLASH DRIVES, PROBLEMS AND REPAIRS

FLASH DRIVE: They are solid,

small and portable storage devices.
They can be very compatible and the
use of it can be with almost any
computer that has a USB port. It is
very small in size and compatible for
short term storage. Though it’s data
can easily be compromised.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FLASH
DRIVES

CORRUPTED FLASH DRIVE: When your Flash drive gets

corrupted, you will receive an error message that says, “Please insert
insert disk into removable disk” Or “Removable disk not
supported or recognized”. This could be caused by a virus or
corrupted file in the flash.
REPAIR
• Try formatting the flash drive by deleting every single bit of folder in the flash.
• If this is not due to the documents, try checking the its connected to the USB
port. It could be possible the Flash drive isn’t in a stable position.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FLASH DRIVES

“Windows is unable to format the drive” Error: Thos could be

caused while trying to format your Flash drive but you are unable to
due to error messages.
REPAIR
• Ensure that the Flash drive is inserted into the port and then right-click My Computer
icon. Select the “Manage” option.
• Click Disk Management.
• Select the faulty drive and make sure that it is checked for health and the other factors that
are being presented by the system.
• Right Click and Select the format option to format it.
REMOVABLE HARD DRIVES

This is a standard hard disk installed in a device

that allows you to connect to the computer using
an external connector. They are prone to failures
just like the internal hard drives and the use of
external hard drives is for long term backup data.
PROBLEMS AND REPAIRS

CORRUPTED EXTERNAL HARD DISK: An External Hard drive

just like the internal Hard drive is likely to get errors. Luckily an
external hard disk can be repaired through the use of commands.

REPAIR
• Ensure you check the power supply.
• Connect the external hard disk with a new drive because the old one might be broken.
• Try to check the external hard drive using Disk Management. On the desktop, right-click on This PC (My
Computer) -> Management -> Disk Management. Select an external disk among the volumes, then right-
click on it and select “Mark partition as active”.
 PROBLEMS AND REPAIRS

Not Working Error: The not working error is a common error gotten when
the hard disk refuses to function as it normally should. This could be due to
power failure,virus or technical issues. Sometimes careless handling of the
drive like banging, knocking, could cause a Read/write error.
REPAIR
• Try and use the delete command in the Device Manager to solve this error.
Right Click on Start, Select Device Manager, now click on disk drivers and
find your device among it. Delete your drive and restart your computer.
Allow the Device Manager to reinstall your drive for you.
• Try running an antivirus Scan.
PROBLEMS AND REPAIRS

DATA LOSS: One common reason for loss of data and hard disk
damage is the inappropriate disconnecting of the Hard Disk from the
system. When the hard disk is disconnected without properly
prompting the computer the permission to eject it. It could lead to loss
of data stored.
REPAIR
Ensure you use the safely eject drive on the system before
disconnecting the USB cable from the system.
Ensure regularity of power supply to prevent impromptu power outage
which could damage the hard drive while still in use.
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