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In computing, a sector is the smallest physical addressable unit of data on a storage device, like a hard drive or optical disc. It's a subdivision of a track, a concentric band on the disk, and is the fundamental building block for reading and writing data. Each sector stores a fixed amount of data, with 512 bytes being the traditional size, though modern drives often use larger sectors (like 4 KB) for improved efficiency and performance.

Key aspects of sectors

Smallest addressable unit: The sector is the fundamental unit of data storage on a physical disk.

Data storage: It holds a fixed amount of data, traditionally 512 bytes, but often larger in modern drives.

Data organization: Sectors, along with tracks, organize data on the disk surface. The operating system uses track and sector numbers to locate where data is stored.

Error correction: Sectors include error-checking codes to ensure data integrity and help correct any errors that occur during storage or retrieval.

Boot sector: The first sector of a disk, often the boot sector, contains the Master Boot Record (MBR) which contains a small program that starts the computer's boot-up process by locating and loading the operating system.

Performance: By structuring data into manageable segments, sectors contribute significantly to the speed and efficiency of data access.