Partition

The area defined on a hard disk for use by an operating system; to divide a hard disk into separate sections or logical drives.

Pathname

The list of directories and subdirectories you need to specify to locate a file. For example, the pathname for the file SALES which is located in the subdirectory BUSINESS of the root directory (\) is \BUSINESS\SALES.

Peripheral

A device (such as a printer or a modem) connected to a computer that depends on the computer for its operation.

Port

A physical input/output socket on a computer where you can connect a peripheral device.

Power-on diagnostics

The system tests the computer runs to check its internal circuitry and configuration each time you turn it on.

Primary partition

The MS-DOS partition from which the operating system starts.

Program

A disk file that contains coded instructions and tells a computer what to do and how to do it.

Prompt

A message displayed on the computer screen that tells you what action you need to perform next.

Random Access Memory. The portion of the computer’s memory used to run programs and store data while you work. All data

stored in RAM is erased when you turn off the computer; so you -- must store any data you want to keep on a diskette or hard disk.

12 Glossary