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non-interlaced: A method of refreshing a computer screen, in which
each pixel of every line is refreshed as the electron beam scans
across and down the screen.
non-system disk: A disk for storing programs and files that cannot be
used to start the computer. See system disk.
non-volatile memory: Memory that retains data in the absence of an
external power source.
O
off line: Not currently connected to or under the control of the computer.
Used to refer to equipment such as disk drives and printers.
on line: A functional state in which a device is ready to receive or
transmit information.
online: Available through the computer. Online may refer to information
on the hard disk, such as online documentation or online help, or a
connection, through a modem, to another computer or the Internet.
online spare: A hard disk drive used in disk mirroring and other fault
tolerance techniques to replace a failed drive without user
intervention.
orphaned partitions: These occur in disk mirroring when the drive
containing the master partition fails. If a drive containing a duplicate
partition fails, the system marks the master partition as unmirrored.
operating system: A set of programs that controls how the computer
works. Operating system functions include creating programs and
data files, and controlling the flow of information between the
processor, memory, and devices. Examples of operating systems
used by computers are MS-DOS, Windows 95/98, and Novell
NetWare.
operating system disks: The disks containing the operating system. Also
known as system disks.
output: The results of a computer operation. Familiar forms of output are
information (1) printed on paper, (2) displayed on a screen, (3) sent
through the serial port or internal modem, or (4) stored on disk. See
also input/output (I/O).
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Glossary
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