HardDrives

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modern hard disk. This unit had two separate spindles, one permanent and the other removable, each with a capacity of 30 MB. For this reason the disk was sometimes referred to as the “30-30”. This name led to its being nicknamed the “Winchester” disk drive, after the famous”30-30” Winchester riffle. Using the first sealed internal environment and vastly improved “air bearing” technology, the Winchester disk drive greatly reduced the flying height of the disk: to only 17 microinches above the surface disk. Modern hard disks today still use many concepts first introduced in this early drive, and for this reason are sometimes still called “Winchester” drives.
The first Hard disk drive designed in the 5.25 form factor used in the first PCs was the Seagate St-506. It featured four heads and a 5MB capacity. IBM bypassed the ST-506 and chose the ST-412--a 10 MB disk in the same form factor – for the IBM PC/XT, making it the first hard disk drive widely used in the PC and PC-compatible world...