User’s ManualGlossary-6
Glossary
disk drive: The device that randomly accesses information on a disk and copies
it to the computer’s memory. It also writes data from memory to the disk. To
accomplish these tasks, the unit physically rotates the disk at high speed past
a read-write head.
disk storage: Storing data on magnetic disk. Data is arranged on concentric
tracks much like a phonograph record.
display: A CRT, LCD, or other image producing device used to view computer
output.
documentation: The set of manuals and/or other instructions written for the
users of a computer system or application. Computer system documentation
typically includes procedural and tutorial information as well as system
functions.
double click: To press and release the pointing device’s primary button rapidly
twice without moving the pointing device. In the Windows® operating system,
this refers to the pointing device’s left button, unless otherwise stated.
driver: A software program, generally part of the operating system, that controls a
specific piece of hardware (frequently a peripheral device such as a printer or
mouse).
DVD: An individual digital versatile (or video) disc. See also DVD-ROM.
DVD-R (+R, -R): A Digital Versatile Disc-Recordable disk can be written once and
read many times. The DVD-R drive uses a laser to read data from the disc.
DVD-RAM: A Digital Versatile Disc-Random Access Memory is a high capacity,
high performance disc that lets you store large volumes of data. The DVD-
ROM drive uses a laser to read data from the disc.
DVD-ROM: A Digital Versatile Disc-Read Only Memory is a high capacity, high
performance disc suitable for play back of video and other high-density files.
The DVD-ROM drive uses a laser to read data from the disc.
DVD-RW (+RW, -RW): A Digital Versatile Disc-ReWritable disc can be rewritten
many times.

E

echo: To send back a reflection of the transmitted data to the sending device.
You can display the information on the screen, or output it to the printer, or
both. When a computer receives back data it transmitted to a CRT (or other
peripheral device) and then transmits the data to printer, the printer is said to
echo the CRT.
enable: To turn on a computer option. See also disable.
erase: See delete.
escape: 1) A code (ASCII code 27), signaling the computer that what follows are
commands; used with peripheral devices such as printers and modems.
2) A means of aborting the task currently in progress.