Final answer:
The preparation of a hard drive before data loading is called formatting, which prepares it for use by creating a file system. Data is stored digitally and read through giant magnetoresistance, a nanotechnology application.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term used for the preparation of a hard drive before data is loaded onto it is known as formatting. Formatting a hard drive involves setting up a file system in which the operating system can store and retrieve data, essentially making it ready for use. The formatting process can also check for bad sectors on the disk and prepare them for data storage.
Modern hard drives store data using digital signals that represent a series of 0s and 1s, and this data is read using a technique called giant magnetoresistance. This phenomenon involves a significant change in electrical resistance due to an applied magnetic field and is a notable application of nanotechnology in the field of data storage.
Formatting involves creating a file system on the hard drive, which organizes and structures the storage space. It also erases any existing data, making the drive ready for new data to be written.
When a hard drive is formatted, the operating system sets up the necessary structures and metadata to keep track of files and directories. This allows the computer to access and manage the data stored on the drive efficiently.