Read

To move data from one area to another. For example, when you open a text file stored on disk, the computer reads the data from the disk and displays it on the screen.

Read/write head

The physical device inside a disk drive that reads and records data on the magnetic surface of a disk.

Real-time clock

A battery-powered clock inside the computer that keeps track of the time and date, even when the computer is turned off.

Relative pathname

A pathname that does not begin with the backslash character. A relative pathname tells MS-DOS how to find its way to a given directory, starting at the current default directory. See also Absolute pathname.

Reset

To reload a computer’s operating system so you can retry a task or begin using a different operating system. Resetting erases all information in RAM.

RGB

Red Green Blue. A type of color monitor.

ROM

Read Only Memory. A portion of memory that can only be read and cannot be used for temporary storage. ROM retains its contents even when you turn off the power.

Root directory

The top level directory in MS-DOS, designated by a \ (backslash). All other directories are subdirectories of the root directory or of other subdirectories.

RS-232C

A widely-used, standard type of serial interface. You can easily connect an RS-232C-compatible device to the Equity 386.

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