2 Dell Precisi on 610 Mini Tower Systems User’s Guide
As it relates to DMI, an attribute is a
piec e of information related to a compo-
nent. Attributes can be combined to
form groups. If an attribute is defined as
read-write, it may be defined by a man-
agement application.
The autoexec.bat file (Windows 95 and
MS-DOS only) is executed when you boot
your computer (after executing any
commands in the config.sys file). This
start-up file contains commands that de-
fine the characteristics of each device
connec ted to your compu ter, and it finds
and executes programs stored in loca-
tions other than the active directory.
A copy of a program or data file. As a
precaution, you should back up your com-
puter’s ha rd-disk drive on a regu lar basis.
Before makin g a change to the configura-
tion of your computer, you should back up
important start-up files from your operat-
ing system.
The backup batter y maintains system
configu ration, date, and ti me inform ation
in a sp ecia l sec tion of memory when the
system is turned off.
Synonym for conventional memory. See
also conventional memory.
An ASCII tex t file contai ning a list of com-
mand s that run in sequence. Instead of
typing each command, you need only type
the batch filename. The system executes
the commands as if you had typed each
one individually. B oth files must have a
filename exten sion of bat.
A measurement of data transmission
speed. For example, modems are de-
signed to transmit data at one or more
specified baud rate(s) through the COM
(serial) port of a computer.
Abbreviation for bulletin board service. A
computer system that serves as a central
location for acc essin g data or relaying
messages by modem. For example, Dell’s
TechConnect BBS contains the latest ver-
sion of s oftware, such a s video dri vers. If
your system has a modem, you can ac-
cess the BBS and download the most
recent version of this software.
A diagnostic message in the form of a
pattern of beeps from your computer’s
speaker. For example, one beep, followed
by a second beep, and then a burst of
three beeps is beep code 1-1-3.
A base-2 numbering system that uses 0
and 1 to re pres en t in formation. Th e com -
puter performs operations based on the
ordering and calculation of these
numbers.
Acronym for basic input/output system.
Your computer’s BIOS contains programs
stored on a flash memory chip. The BIOS
controls the following:
Communications between the pro-
ces s or and perip heral devices, such
as the keyboard and the video
adapter
Miscellaneous functions, such as
system messages
The smallest unit of information interpret-
ed by your compute r .
When you start your computer, it clears
all memory, initializes devices, and loads
the operat in g s yst em. Un le ss the o pera t-
ing system fails to respond, you can
reboot (als o called

warm boot

) your com-
puter 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.