rate of the microprocessor and can transfer at one time the maximum number of bits supported by the microprocessor and peripheral devices (for example, 32 bits).

MB (megabyte)

1,024 kilobytes or 1,048,576 bytes. For example, 16 MB is 16,384 KB or 16,777,216 bytes.

Menu bar

The horizontal stripe across the top of a window containing the names of an application program’s menus.

MHz (megahertz)

A measure of frequency that equals a million cycles per second. The speed of the microprocessor is measured in MHz.

ns (nanosecond)

A measure of speed that equals a billionth of a second. The speed at which memory and other chips communicate with the system is measured in ns.

Parameter

Information that you need to provide before MS-DOS can execute a command.

Partition

A portion of a hard disk that DOS recognizes as an individual drive. For example, you can divide an 80-MB hard disk into two 40-MB partitions that DOS would identify as drives C and D.

PCI (peripheral component interconnect)

A32-bit local bus that provides connections for 32-bit +5-V add-in boards and on-board video. The bus operates at the external clock speed of the microprocessor (up to 33 MHz). PCI devices are configured automatically by the system.

Plug and Play boards

Boards that comply with the Plug and Play specification. Such boards are configured automatically when the system starts.

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