Hard Disk 20 - Features

Features

The Hard Disk 20 (or HD20, as it was known colloquially) contained a 20MB 3.5" Rodime hard disk which provided over 50 times the data storage of the stock 400K disk drive. At a time when the average file size was around 10-20K and due to the vast number of those files the HD 20 could contain, Apple's original Macintosh File System, which did not allow for directories, would have made organizing those files unwieldy. Therefore Apple introduced it with a new System and Finder update which included the brand new Hierarchical File System allowing the user to better organize files on such a large volume. As a result only the Macintosh 512K could access it; the original Macintosh 128K did not have enough RAM to load the new file system. In fact, even for the Macintosh 512K to use the drive, it required an additional file in the System Folder on a special startup disk which added additional code into memory during startup. An ingenious startup routine also allowed the Mac to check for the presence of a System file on the Hard Disk, switch over to it and eject the startup disk. Unfortunately, the HD 20 could not be used as a startup disk directly without first loading the code from the floppy disk drive. With the release of the Macintosh Plus and the Macintosh 512Ke, both containing the upgraded 128K ROM which contained the additional code, the HD 20 could finally be used alone as a startup disk.

While other hard drives were available on the market, Apple's HD 20 was generally preferred mainly because Apple broke their own development rules when they offered it. Originally the Macintosh was designed with two serial ports which were to meet all the expansion needs of the user. It also included a dedicated floppy disk port for one external floppy disk. Most of the hard drives which were available on the market used the slower serial port to transfer data per Apple's specifications. Apple instead engineered the HD 20 to use the faster floppy disk port, enabling the user to daisy-chain an external floppy disk drive as well as an additional HD 20. With few exceptions, this along with complete compatibility with the new Hierarchical File System, gave Apple an instant edge over the competition. In addition, the HD 20 had a convenient "zero-footprint" design which fit precisely underneath the Macintosh, merely elevating it 3 inches, but otherwise taking up no more desk-space.