Botch file

A type of file that executes a series of commands automatically. Batch files are text files with the filename extension .BAT. When you type the filename, your operating system executes all the commands in that file sequentially.

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System. Routines in ROM (Read Only Memory) that handle the transfer of information among various hardware components, and between the hardware and your operating system and other software.

Bit

A binary digit (0 or 1). The smallest unit of information a computer can process and store. The value of a bit represents a single electrical pulse through a circuit, or a small spot on a disk, that contains either a 0 or a 1.

Boot

The process a computer performs to start itself up, check its components, and then load the operating system into its memory.

A wire or group of wires that sends information from component to component in the computer. The speed of a bus increases by the number and width of the channels the bus uses to move data.

A sequence of eight bits of data that represent one character. See also Bit and Character.

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