A+ Hardware Service Technician: Computer Hardware, System Boards, and Storage Devices

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Storage Devices

There are several types of storage devices you should be aware of for the exam.

Hard Drives

There are three main types of hard drives (more specifically hard drive connection types): IDE, EIDE, and SCSI.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is the original standard for hard drives for PCs. IDE is the interface between the bus and the hard drive, based on the ISA 16-bit bus. Originally, it was designed as a separate interface, but currently most computers support EIDE with a built-in interface on the motherboard. A standard IDE drive supports up to 528 MB of space.

The EIDE (Enhanced IDE) interface was developed to overcome the 528 MB limit on hard drive size. The most common type of connector, EIDE also supports faster access, DMA, AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) for CD-ROM and tape drives, and support for additional drives. EIDE can be added as an expansion board to older systems. Most newer systems come with EIDE functionality built-in to the motherboard.

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