H

hard disk A device, also called hard disk drive, that contains one or more inflexible platters coated with material in which data can be recorded magnetically with read/write heads. The hard drive exists in a sealed case that protects it and allows the head to fly 10 to 25 millionths of an inch above the surface of a platter. Data can both be stored and accessed much more quickly than on a floppy disk. hardware The physical components of a computer system, including any peripheral equipment such as printers, modems and mouse devices. HTTP Acronym for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the client/server protocol used to access information on the World Wide Web using a web browser, such as Internet Explorer.