Glossary

AC Adapter

A device which converts the AC voltage from a wall outlet to the DC voltage needed to power your LifeBook notebook.

Active-Matrix Display

A type of technology for making flat-panel displays which has a transistor or similar device for every pixel on the screen.

BIOS

Basic Input-Output System. A program and set of default parameters stored in ROM which tests and operates your LifeBook notebook when you turn it on until it loads your installed operating system from disk. Information from the BIOS is transferred to the installed operating system to provide it with informa- tion on the configuration and status of the hardware.

Bit

An abbreviation for binary digit. A single piece of information which is either a one (1) or a zero (0).

bps

An abbreviation for bits per second. Used to describe data transfer rates.

Boot

To start-up a computer and load its operating system from disk, ROM or other storage media into RAM.

Bus

An electrical circuit which passes data between the CPU and the sub-assemblies inside your LifeBook notebook.

Byte

8 bits of parallel binary information.

Cache Memory

A block of memory built into the microprocessor which is much faster to access than your system RAM and used in specially structured ways to make your overall data handling time faster.

CardBus

A faster, 32-bit version of the PC Card interface which offers performance similar to the 32-bit PCI architecture.

G l o s s a r y

Command

An instruction which you give your operating system. Example: run a particular application or format a floppy disk.

Configuration

The combination of hardware and software that makes up your system and how it is allocated for use.

CRT

Cathode Ray Tube. A display device which uses a beam of electronic particles striking a luminescent screen. It produces a visual image by varying the position and intensity of the beam.

Data

The information a system stores and processes.

Direct current. A voltage or current that does not fluctuate periodically with time.

DDR

Double Data Rate

Fast version of SDRAM that provides twice the band- width of standard SDRAMs.

Default Value

A pre-programmed value to be used if you fail to set your own.

DIMM

Dual-in-line memory module.

DISE

Drive Image Special Edition (DISE) by PowerQuest. Provides a way to restore your computer if you experi- ence a hard disk crash or other system failure. DISE is used to restore the factory image and restore the system to its original state.

Disk

A spinning platter of magnetic data storage media. If the platter is very stiff it is a hard drive, if it is highly flexible it is a floppy disk, if it is a floppy disk in a hard housing with a shutter it is commonly called a diskette.

Disk Drive

The hardware which spins the disk and has the heads and control circuitry for reading and writing the data on the disk.

Diskette

A floppy disk in a hard housing with a shutter.