Dell Precision 620 User Manual page 60

A value or option that you specify to a program. A parameter is sometimes called a switch or an argument.
partition
You can divide a hard-disk drive into multiple physical sections called partitions with the fdisk command. Each partition can contain multiple
logical drives.
After partitioning the hard-disk drive, you must format each logical drive with the format command.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. A standard for local-bus implementation developed by Intel Corporation.
peripheral device
An internal or external device—such as a printer, a disk drive, or a keyboard—connected to a computer.
PGA
pin grid array. A type of microprocessor socket that allows you to remove the microprocessor chip.
pixel
A single point on a video display. Pixels are arranged in rows and columns to create an image. A video resolution, such as 640 x 480, is
expressed as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.
Plug and Play
An industry-standard specification that makes it easier to add hardware devices to personal computers. Plug and Play provides automatic
installation and configuration, compatibility with existing hardware, and dynamic support of mobile computing environments.
POST
power-on self-test. Before the operating system loads when you turn on your computer, the POST tests various system components such as RAM,
the disk drives, and the keyboard.
ppm
pages per minute
PQFP
plastic quad flat pack. A type of microprocessor socket in which the microprocessor chip is permanently mounted.
protected mode
An operating mode supported by 80286 or higher microprocessors, protected mode allows operating systems to implement:
A memory address space of 16 MB (80286 microprocessor) to 4 GB (Intel386 or higher microprocessor)
l
Multitasking
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Virtual memory, a method for increasing addressable memory by using the hard-disk drive
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The Windows NT, OS/2, and UNIX
programs that you can start from MS-DOS, such as the Windows operating system, are able to put the computer into protected mode.
PS/2
Personal System/2
R
RAID
redundant arrays of independent disks
RAM
random-access memory. The computer's primary temporary storage area for program instructions and data. Each location in RAM is identified by
a number called a memory address. Any information stored in RAM is lost when you turn off your computer.
Rambus
®
32-bit operating systems run in protected mode. MS-DOS cannot run in protected mode; however, some