Three more confusing disk drive terms Computer jargon is endless. There’s no need, ever, for you to memorize any computer term; as long as you have a computer dictionary handy (like the Illustrated Computer Dictionary For Dummies, which I wrote, from Wiley Publishing, Inc.), you become acquainted with any computer term. So don’t be surprised when the following disk drive terms visually assault you: Form factor: This is merely a description of the disk drive’s size. Each computer console has room for different-size drives. For example, you may have a spare halfheight drive bay in your G4 Mac. You would need a half-height drive to fill that bay. That’s the form factor in action. (This issue is obviously one you can refer to your dealer.) RAID: This acronym means, basically, a whole stack of hard drives — like a stack of pancakes. Each hard drive mirrors information on the other drives, which means that information is rarely, if ever, lost. This type of hard drive setup is used only in mission-critical applications or for servers. Individual computer buyers need not concern themselves with RAID drives (they’re too spendy, for one). Head: In addition to being the froth at the top of a sloppily poured beer, a head on a disk drive is the device that reads and writes information. It’s also called a floating head or flying head.