bay LastModified: Thursday, August 30, 2001
Short for drive bay, this refers to a site in a personal computer where a hard or floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive or tape drive can be installed. Thus, the number of drive bays in a computer determines how many mass storage devices can be internally installed. For PCs, bays come in two basic sizes: 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch, which represents the bay's height. In addition, bays are described as either internal or exposed. An internal bay cannot be used for removable media, such as floppy drives. Some manufacturers use the terms hidden and accessible in place of internal and exposed. Do not confuse bays with slots, which are openings in the computer where expansion boards can be installed.
PC system case reference guide A complete look at the PC system case, including its major components, different sizes and styles, form factors, switches, LEDs and drive bays.	related categories: Disk Drives Peripheral Devices related terms: Shopping bay Products Compare Products,Prices and Stores Shop by Category: Furniture 2872 Store Offers Clothing 13043 Store Offers Miscellaneous 6254 Store Offers Shoes 1433 Store Offers Garden 501 Store Offers