NEC PowerMate CT manual Bad sector, Bandwidth, Base RAM, Batch file, Baud, Bit block transfer

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bad sector

Part of a hard drive or diskette drive storage medium that doesn’t hold data. Formatting generally detects and marks these areas so they won’t be used. Certain utility programs do, too, and it is a good idea to run this type of utility occasionally to prevent data loss if the condition of the drive changes.

bandwidth

A measure of how much information something can carry. Specifically, data path times frequency. For example, the ISA bus has a data path of 16 bits (it can send 16 bits at a time) and typically operates at 8.33 MHz, so it has a bandwidth of

133.28 megabits per second (Mbps).

base RAM

Area of system memory between 0 and 640 kilobytes available to the user for operating system and application programs.

batch file

A file that contains a series of DOS commands. Batch files have the extension .bat. If you execute a batch file, DOS attempts to carry out all the commands in the file, in order.

baud

A unit of measure for modem speed. Literally, the number of voltage transitions per second. Phone line limitations limit the actual baud rate of modems to 2400 baud, although the data transmission rate (bps) may be higher because of data compression.

BBS

Short for Bulletin Board Service. Software that serves as a communication and information source for computers that communicate by modem.

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System. A program or set of programs permanently stored in ROM chips installed on the system board. The BIOS contains functions that control the real-time clock, keyboard, disk drives, video display, and other peripheral devices. For example, the BIOS Setup utility program is contained in the BIOS, and when you change the drive type, you change the BIOS.

bit

Binary digit. The smallest unit of computer data. A single digital piece of information, generally represented by the numeral 0 or 1. Usually the transition between the states of +5V and -5V within a computer, the charge of a transistor in an integrated circuit, or the change in polarity of a magnetic region on a disk. See byte. Data compression schemes can enable the transmission of more than one bit per voltage transition.

bit block transfer

Moving part of a screen image as a single block rather than moving a pixel at a time. Bit block transfers are much faster than moving the same pixels individually, and it is common in accelerated video cards.

bitBLT

Bit Block Transfer.

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