Short for full-disk encryption (FDE) hard drive it is a Seagate technology that performs encryption on the disk drive at the hardware level. The hard drive contains an ASIC chip that is used to encrypt every bit of data as it is written and also decrypts data as it is being read. The drive requires a user password for authentication and it is secured with strong encryption technology. Seagate’s FDE technology is transparent to the user and independent of the operating system. Also called a self-encrypting drive.
See What’s Inside a Hard Drive? in the Did You Know … ? section of Webopedia.
Also see Formatting a Hard Disk Drive in the “Did You Know…?” section of Webopedia.
Also see Learn How to Defrag Your Hard Drive in the Did You Know…? section of Webopedia.
Also see “Tips to Fix a Slow Running Computer” in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.
Also see “Technology Terms to Know for 2009” in the Did You Know…? section of Webopedia.
