A.    Try to answer these questions.

 1.      What do you know about the storage devices?

 2.      What is the main function of a hard disk?

 3.      Which unit is used to measure hard disk capacity?

 4.     Can you think of one advantage that hard disks have over floppies?

B. Read the text again and make a list of the technical aspects that you should consider when buying a hard disk

When buying a hard disk...

Hard disks have important advantages over floppy disks: they spin at a higher speed, so you can store, and retrieve information much faster than with floppies. They can also hold vast amounts of information, from 500 MB up to several gigabytes. Apart from this, both types of disks work in the same way. To directly access the necessary information, the read/write heads of rigid disks seek the required tracks and sectors, and then transfer the information to the main memory of the computer or to another form of storage, all of which is done in a few milliseconds (ms).
Bearing in mind that you always need disk storage, it is good sense to ask yourself some vital questions: What size capacity do I need? What speed can I use? What kind of storage device is the most suitable for my requirements? If you only use word- processing programs, you will need less storage capacity than if you use CAD, sound and animation programs. For most users, 2 GB on the hard disk is enough.
Now let's turn our attention to speed. Access times vary from 8 ms to 20 ms. 'Access time' -or seek time - is the time it takes your read/write heads to find any particular record. You have to distinguish clearly between seek time (e.g. 20 ms) and 'data transfer rate' (the average speed required to transmit data from a disk system to the RAM, e.g. at 20 megabits per second). Remember that the transfer rate also depends on the power of your computer.
Task 1: Now read these sentences and decide if they are true (T) or false (F)
1.  Hard disks use rigid rotating disks.

 3.   If you use multimedia applications, you need the same storage capacity as required for word processors.

 4.  'Access time' and 'data transfer rate' mean the same.

 5.  Optical disks are magnetic.

 6.  Each Jaz cartridge can hold up to 1,000 MB of data

 7.  CD-ROM disks are used for storage of massive amounts of information.

 Task 2: Complete the advertisement for the Mega Mind hard disk with the words in the box.

 You also receive software utilities that let you easily manage and (5) …..your data. Our software provides formatting, partitions, disk optimization, and password (6) ……..Mega Mind XT is (7)……. with IBM PCs as well as Macintosh computers. As with every Mega Mind product - hard disk or optical, 1 GB to 6 GB -the XT gives you the (8)……...performance. So call us today on (0181)796 0402. Or (9)….. to Mega Mind, PO Box 673, London, N22 1 XB.
II. Speaking

Fix it for me
 To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then, click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.
Note: if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.

Let me fix it myself

 If a USB storage device is already installed on the computer, set the Start value in the following registry key to 4: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
 When you do this, the USB storage device does not work when the user connects the device to the computer. To set the Start value, follow these steps: (Rearrange the steps in the correct order)

 1.      Click Start, and then click Run.

 2.      Locate and then click the following registry key:

 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor

 3.      Exit Registry Editor

 4.      In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.
5.    .In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.

 In the details pane, double-click Start