There are currently three basic configurations of magnetic hard disk drives - Internal Fixed Drives, External Fixed Drives and Removable Cartridge Drives that can be either internal or external. In addition, you can consider a writable CD ROM disk as an option for creating stored files.
The three types of hard disk drives all operate in a similar manner and use the same basic magnetic media.
Fixed drives differ from removable drives in that the magnetic hard disk medium is sealed inside the disk drive and cannot be removed. Removable cartridge drives contain this medium in a plastic casing that is inserted into the drive mechanism. Although fixed drives are generally more reliable and offer greater storage capacity than removable cartridges, you can purchase many cartridges to use with one drive if you are using a removable cartridge drive. Therefore, removable cartridge drives can be more affordable over the long term. Cartridges are also portable, so they can be used in different drives on different computer systems.
As the name suggests, internal drives are located inside your computer case. They can't be removed unless you remove your computer's cover. Although the drive is well protected, it is hard to access. External drives are contained within their own plastic case. You can attach external drives to your CPU without opening its casing. External drives can be disconnected from one system and attached to another with relative ease, but they are generally more expensive than internal drives.
If you are a serious multimedia developer, you may want to consider a writable CD ROM drive that will allow you to store data on a CD-ROM disc. Although this is a new storage medium and fairly expensive, a writable CD-ROM Drive will allow you to store such space hogs as digital video clips and sound files with room to spare.
