LaCie 1.0 user manual LaCie Safe mobile hard drive Glossary User’s Manual

LaCie SAFE mobile hard drive	Glossary
User’s Manual	page 48

Driver (peripheral manager) – A software component that enables the computer system to communicate with a peripheral. Most peripherals will not operate correctly – if at all – if the appropriate drivers are not installed on the system.

File System – Links the physical map of a disc to its logical structure. Thanks to the file system, users and computers can easily display path, directories and files recorded onto the disc.

Fingerprint – An impression on a surface of the curves formed by the ridges on a fingertip, especially such an impression made in ink and used as a means of identification.

Firmware – Permanent or semi-permanent instructions and data programmed directly into the circuitry of a programmable read-only memory or an electronically-erasable, programmable read-only memory chip. Used for controlling the operation of the computer or tape drive. Distinct from the software, which is stored in random access memory and can be altered.

Folder – A list created on a disk to store files. Creating folders and sub-folders enables you to organize the storage of your files in a logical, hierarchical manner so that you can find and manage them more easily.

Format, -ting, -ted – This is a process where a device is prepared to record data. In this process, the hard disk writes special information onto its own recording surfaces into areas (blocks) that are ready to accept user data. Since this operation causes all current user data stored on the hard disk to be lost, this is an infrequent operation that usually only happens at the factory that created the hard disk. It is unusual for something to happen to a hard disk that requires the end-user to initially perform this operation.

Gigabit – Unit of measure, commonly used to express the amount of data in one second between two points. E.g. in the term Gigabit Ethernet – 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbps) equals 1 billion bits per second and is equivalent to 1000Mb/s.

GB (GigaByte) – This value is normally associated with data storage capacity. Basically, it means a thousand million or a billion bytes. In fact, it equals 1,073,741,824 bytes (or 1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024).

Hardware – Physical components of a computer system, including the computer itself and peripherals such as printers, modems, mice, etc.

Initialize, -ed, Initialization – After a hard drive (or other storage device) is formatted and partitioned, some special data needs to be written to it that helps the Mac and Windows create files and save data. The process is called initialization. This process, like formatting, causes all user data on the storage device to be lost.

Internet – A collection of networks whose users communicate with one another. Each communication carries the address of the source and destination networks and the particular machine within the network associated with the user or host computer on each end.