A desktop computer hard drive is a data storage device used in desktop computers. It is a self-contained unit that stores data on one or more rotating disks called platters. Data is read from and written to the hard drive by a device called a head, which is attached to an arm that is mounted on a pivot. The arm moves the head across the platters to the location of the data that is to be read or written.

The platters are coated with a magnetic material that stores the data. The data is organized into sectors that are each …