Disks consist of a magnetic surface on which information is recorded in a digital form, and where it remains until it is overwritten with new data. The computer refers to disks by giving them one letter names. Four types of disks are commonly accessible from Essex machines running Windows NT 4 at Essex. Loading and saving files to and from these disks is described in a later page . They are used to store the software that runs on the machine.
Hard disks vary in size, but most lab machines can store one billion characters.
You cannot save files onto these drives. They are connected to individual PCs in the computing labs via sophisticated networking hardware and software. Two network drives are usually accessible from the lab PCs. This type of floppy disk has a maximum capacity of 1.44 Mb of data. Purchasing disks You can buy individual pre-formatted high density floppy disks from the vending machines located in Lab A, Lab F, and in the Coffee Bar.