system fails to respond, you can reboot (also called warm boot) your computer by pressing < Ctrl><Alt><Del>; otherwise, you must perform a cold boot by pressing the reset button or by turning the computer off and then back on.
bootable diskette
A diskette that can boot your computer to the operating system in the event that the computer will not boot from the
bpi
Abbreviation for bits per inch.
bps
Abbreviation for bits per second.
BTU
Abbreviation for British thermal unit.
bus
An information pathway between the components of a computer. Your computer contains an expansion bus that allows the processor to communicate with controllers for all the various peripheral devices connected to the computer. Your computer also contains an address bus and a data bus for communications between the processor and RAM.
byte
Eight contiguous bits of information, the basic data unit used by your computer.
C
Abbreviation for Celsius.
cache
A fast storage area that keeps a copy of data or instructions for quicker data retrieval. For example, your computer's BIOS may cache ROM code in faster RAM. Or, a
card-edge connector
You can divide a
After partitioning the
PCI
Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect. A standard for
peripheral device
An internal or external
PGA
Abbreviation for pin grid array, a type of processor socket that allows you to remove the processor chip.
pixel
A single point on a video display. Pixels are arranged in rows and columns to create an image. A video resolution, such as 640 x 480, is expressed as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.
Plug and Play
An
POST
Acronym for
ppm
Abbreviation for pages per minute.
PQFP
Abbreviation for plastic quad flat pack, a type of processor socket in which the processor chip is permanently mounted.
"processor"
The primary computational chip inside the computer that controls the interpretation and execution of arithmetic and logic