removable hard disk
removable disk
<storage> A type of {magnetic disk}, or possibly
{magneto-optical disk} which is not permanently attached to
the {disk drive} (not a {fixed disk}) but which can be taken
out and replaced, allowing many disks to be used in the same
drive.
The term "removable disk" would seem to be applicable to
{floppy disks} but is generally reserved for {hard disks} in
suitable cartridges such as those made by {Syquest}, {Iomega}
and others.
Removable disk packs were common on {minicomputers} such as
the {PDP-11} in use in the 1970s except that the drives were
the size of {washing machines} and the disk packs as big as
car wheels. Removable disks became popular on
{microcomputers} in the 1990s as a cheap way of expanding disk
space, transporting large amounts of data between computers
and storing {backups}. Large, cheap fixed hard disks and {USB
memory sticks} have made removable disks less attractive.
(2007-06-14)